Alpha DECEPTION
I nodded and smiled, but I said nothing about the photograph burning a hole in my clutch.
The music started at eleven.
I stood at the entrance of the grove, my arm linked through my mother's. Ahead of me stretched a path of rose petals, lined with faces I'd known my whole life. Elders, Allies, Distant cousins, Ricardo and his grandparents, watching with cold, calculating eyes.
And at the end of the path, waiting beneath an arch of white flowers, stood Ralph.
He was beautifully handsome in his Perfectly tailored suit, with that easy, charming smile. His grey eyes found mine and softened with what looked like genuine emotion.