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“Nothing! I just…” His whole face twisted, messing up the smile he was still desperately clinging to. “Youarecoming home to me, right? You haven’t fallen for the guy with the one-ply shirt and the big, weird family who lives in a town that doesn’t even have a subpar spa?”

“No,” Luna blurted, face burning. “I— That’s— Why would you…”

The bond in her chest flared. Luna looked up to see Oliver standing in the hallway behind Hector, his face unreadable.

Luna swallowed. She focused back on Hector, pulling up a playful smirk she wasn’t really feeling. “I’ve been here less than two months. You think I’d throw awayus, our wholelife? I’m just going through a thing. I’ll be back to normal soon.”

She kissed him. She hadn’t kissed him yet, she realized with a dim sense of unease. Who had their fiancé show up and didn’t kiss him immediately?

Hector was frowning when he pulled back. But it was a Hector-frown, the faintest dent between his eyebrows.

“What?”

He shook his head. “You taste different.”

Oliver cleared his throat.

Hector startled, jolting around. “Jesus.”

Luna waved, trying to look like shedidn’t know he was there. She still felt guilty, and she didn’t know what for anymore. For Hector, obviously. But also, for Oliver, his face stony and unrelenting. And the bond in their chests, the warmth fluttering in confusion. She couldn’t help but feel bad for it, like a small golden butterfly they were seconds from stepping on.

“What is it?” she asked.

For a second, he just stood there, watching them. Then he blinked, and his face cleared.

“Ben and Sabine are back.”

Twenty-Five

Oliver watched the burned petals drift into the nectar.

“How’s that?” he asked stiffly.

Grandmother examined the glass silently. She hadn’t said a word since they had retreated to her room to get the nectar ready, and Oliver was grateful. The last thing he wanted was to talk about this. He wanted to get the un-bonding over with, then hide in his room until his family learned to avoid the subject.

Not very alpha of him. But he wasn’t alpha yet.

Grandmother hummed. “That will do. Only one more ingredient before you can drink.”

Oliver nodded. He kept holding the glass out, hoping that she would take it from him. But she walked toward the door, her gait slower than usual but still steady. She looked back at him expectantly, then at the silver knife lying on the desk.

Heart thudding dully, Oliver picked it up and followed her out into the hallway.

Everyone was gathered in the lobby. Oliver had suggested the common room, but Ben had insisted it’d be nice to end the bond where it had started.

The chatter died down as Grandmother stepped in, Oliver on her heels. Oliver took one look at his family gathered around the front desk and his stomach clenched.

“You really don’t need to be here,” he snapped.

Ben groaned. “Oh, come on, Ollie.”

“Yeah,” Leo said, clinging to his dad’s leg. “Come on, Uncle Ollie!”

Grandmother cleared her throat. “This really works better with privacy.”

Ben’s smile faded. He picked up Leo, carrying him out despite the child’s protests.

“Have a good divorce,” he called back as he headed down the hall.