Chapter 5

Florence POV: Red Dress Or Not

"Are you sure?" Susie asks, her voice barely a whisper above the muffled thumping of the bass vibrating through the whole house.

"What other explanation is there, Susie?" I snap, my hands shaking as I examine the dress in my hand. "Look at him. He doesn't even know who I am anymore. It's almost as if he's not himself. The warmth in his eyes, the way he looks at me . . . it’s completely gone."

Susie chews on her lower lip, leaning against my vanity. "Florence, there's no spell strong enough to make a wolf forget his fated mate. The bond is deep in the blood. For all you know, he's pretending. Maybe he's trying to protect you from something, or maybe he’s just being a massive jerk."

Susie follows me around the room as I gather my makeup things. I am putting on the red dress again. The exact dress Jason had told me to wear just moments ago. I don't even know why I'm doing what he asks. After he publicly dumped me? After he looked at me like a stranger?

Yet, here I am, pulling the dress over my head.

"He's not pretending," I say, my voice muffled by the dress until my head pops through the neckline. "I know Jason. Better than anyone. What I saw in his eyes minutes ago . . . that wasn't pretense. He really, truly believes Irene is his mate. He does."

The dress slides down my body, fitting perfectly around my wide hips. Susie steps in behind me, gathering the fabric of her own gown, and tugs up the zipper. She is practically gasping for breath by the time she clicks it into place at the top.

I turn around to face her, raising an eyebrow. "Did you stop doing your Pilates?"

Susie shoots me a guilty glance and says, "It doesn't work, Florence. Don't judge me."

"I'm not," I sigh, turning back to the mirror to redo my makeup. 

I stare at my reflection. I can't believe I did all of this earlier today just to please Jason, only to get skipped over in front of the entire pack.

Someone knocks and I jump, my eyeliner smudging slightly.

Susie calls out, "Who is it?"

"It's me," Shawn says. "Can I come in? Coming in."

The door swings open before we can answer, and I glare at my brother through the mirror. "I didn't ask you to come in, Shawn."

Shawn holds up his hands as he steps into the room. He says, "The party officially started outside, and Jason just asked if you were coming down or not. I think he finally got his sense knocked back into his head."

Susie and I share a quick look.

"Shawn could be right," Susie whispers, her eyes lighting up with hope. "Maybe this has all been a sick, elaborate joke all along. Maybe he’s ready to fix it."

I don't know what to think anymore. My heart flutters, a ray of hope reigniting. If he's explicitly asking for me, it could mean he wants to do the big reveal, right? He’s going to tell everyone it was a test, or a prank, and claim me properly. Hell, Irene and my stepmom may even be in on the whole thing, yes?

Yes. 

I smooth down the front of the red dress and turn to face them. 

I ask the two, "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous," Susie says instantly.

Shawn steps closer, his gaze drifting from me to my best friend. He mutters, "Susie, you know you look gorgeous tonight too."

Susie’s cheeks instantly color, a shy, smile takes over her face and she looks at the floor. I roll my eyes, cutting through the sudden tension in the room. Shawn has liked Susie for as long as I can remember, but his problem is that there's a new woman on his arm every single week, and Susie is far too smart to commit to a guy like that.

"Susie, let's go," I say, grabbing her arm.

Shawn whispers eagerly behind us, "Susie, can we go out to a movie later this week? Just us?"

I pull my friend's hand, hurrying us down the stairs and out into the party outside. 

The moment we step outside, the harsh glare of the late afternoon sun hits my eyes, along with the music of tambourines and drums. The pack’s ceremonial banner is flying high in the air, rippling in the wind. A crowd of neighbors and pack members are gathered under the canopy, happy, laughing, and jumping to the rhythm of the music.

Right in the center, Jason and Irene are dancing.

The sight makes my stomach go entirely empty and twist into a sick, violent knot. Susie notices and grips my hand. She gives me a supportive squeeze.

Beside me, Shawn’s hopeful expression completely drops. "I'm sorry, Florence. I . . . I thought he wanted to dance with you. He asked for you, I swear."

Jason seems engrossed in the dance. He doesn't even notice me standing on the patio, despite the red dress. He is holding Irene very close, their bodies moving in a slow synchrony, their groins rubbing seductively against one another. 

Actually, Irene is the one doing most of the seductive rubbing, her hands around his neck like a noose.

The crowd shifts, and Irene sees me. She doesn't look surprised to see me in the red dress. Instead, her lips curl in a mischievous smile.

"Witchcraft," I mutter under my breath.

Susie turns to me. "What?"

"It's witchcraft," I say louder, my chest heaving as I watch my stepsister smugly stake her claim on my mate. "It's a spell. There is no other way he would touch her like that."

Susie lets out a heavy, helpless sigh.

Shawn sidles up close to Susie's other side. He asks, "A dance, Susie? To take your mind off things?"

Susie replies saltily, "Leave me alone, Shawn. We're grieving here."

The party continues to roar around us. My dad, John Patton, and his wife, Penny, join the fray, stepping into the center circle to dance alongside the happy couple. 

Before long, more couples from our street and the surrounding pack territory join in, kicking up dust as they celebrate their incoming Alpha and his new Luna.

I stare at Jason’s laughing, flushed face, and a cold, hard finality takes it's place deep in my bones. 

I don't think Jason is going to be my Alpha. No way. He can't do this to me, throw away our bond, and still expect me to bow to him.

"I'm leaving," I announce.

Without waiting for Susie or Shawn to reply, I rip my hand away from my friend and pull myself through the unfeeling, celebrating crowd, turning my back on the music as I head back inside the empty house.