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“I’m forming a new mate bond with Ivailo tonight.”

My jaw nearly hits the ground it drops so low.

“When did this happen? Does Chayton know?” Phaedra is like a sister to me.

Chayton and I grew up like brothers, and Phaedra claimed us both as her little brothers. Often treating us like we were her pups and not only three years younger than her.

“Yes, Chayton knows.” She rolls her eyes. “He wasn’t happy at first, but thankfully our Luna explained to him that I’m still a woman that deserves to love and be loved. He isn’t the only one that deserves to lie with his mate—”

“Whoa. Whoa,” I say, cutting her off. “I do not want to hear about you lying with anyone. For all I know, Torak got here by photosynthesis.”

Phaedra tosses her head back and laughs. “Goddess, you are just like your alpha.”

Her laughter dies down and her face gets serious again.

“It’s time for you to move on, too.” She looks over at me with a pointed look. “Ana would want you too.”

I chuckle. “No, she wouldn’t. Ana would want me to long for her until the day I died.”

Ana was beautiful, loving, and gentle. But she was also possessive. We weren’t even mated yet and she would lose her shit if she even thought another she-wolf was sniffing around me.

Phaedra shook her head. “I’d never wish loneliness on anyone. Aurin and I had that talk before his death. No matter how much I loved my first mate, I deserve love again. And so do you, Enzo.” She places a hand on my arm. “It’s time for you to move on. There are so many she-wolves here that would be honored to be your mate. I’m pretty sure Nadia would love to be Mrs. Keane.”

I turn to glance out at the crowd. My gaze stops when I spot Nadia. She is stunning. Everything I like in a woman, but I don’t get that feeling from her. We have tons of beautiful she-wolves in the pack, but after scanning the crowd, none of them caught my attention. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve laid with a few of them besides Nadia. I’m heartbroken, not dick broken. However, none have ever made me think of forming a mate bond.

Shaking my head, I turn back to Phaedra. “I’m happy for you. You deserve all the happiness in the world. But that isn’t my story. I pray the goddess finds favor in your mating tonight. And let Ivailo know that if he ever gets out of line with you, I’ll kill him.”

She smiles big. “Thank you, Enzo. This will be his second threat today.”

I laugh. “Chayton threatened him too?”

“No,” she says. “Torak did.”

I toss my head back and laugh harder. That kid just won extra points with me.

Phaedra walks away, right into Ivailo’s open arms. I watch them together. That sense of longing hitting me again. Even my wolf whimpers in my head.

A tall figure cuts through the crowd. My gaze immediately tracks the female down. It’s Marley. I ignore the feeling of disappointment that fills me.

The youngest vamp makes her way through the crowd, with Anya by her side. I look behind her, hoping to see the oldest. When she doesn’t come into view, alarms go off in my head.

I had no clue that when I walked into the dining hall today, I’d come upon that conversation. However, I waited with a bated breath for her to answer the question Luna asked. I don’t know why I was so invested in the vamp’s sex life. When she said it had been 300 years since she’s fucked, I nearly lost it. Even my wolf was shocked.

My first thought was how tight she must be and what it would feel like to have that heat wrapped around my dick. But I immediately pushed the thought out of my mind. When she stormed off and Luna followed her, I couldn’t help following too. When Elizabeth brought up my name with the vamp, I nearly vomited. But hearing her response caught me off guard. I noticed she didn’t deny her feelings. She only mentioned thatI hated her. She didn’t say she would never; she saidIwould never. I wouldn’t, but her response still stood out to me. Did the vamp find me attractive?

“She’s mine,”my wolf growls.

“Are you serious right now? First off, she’s a vampire, so she’s neither of ours, and second, if she’s yours, it would make her mine too.”

“No.”he grumbles.“Just mine.”

I wasn’t going to argue with him.

I think back to earlier today. The conversation in the kitchen quickly went from talking about me to Luna screaming my name. When I rushed into the room, I thought I’d come across the vamp hurting her. Not the case at all.

I admit, fear washed over me as I held the vamp in my arms. She was so still it was like she was dead. Then she started screaming, which alarmed me even more. Before I could ask questions, she rushed out of that kitchen like her life depended on it.

Is that why she isn’t here now? Did something happen to her when she left? Did that scene in the kitchen have anything to do with why she won’t leave?