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She rolls her eyes. “Oh, you really think she looked good? There wereholesin her jeans, Austin. She showed up here after how long and she didn’t even have the respect to dress well? Honestly, I don’t know what you ever saw in her. Good thing you upgraded!”

She leans in to press her lips to my cheek, but I turn away. The way she’s talking about Yelena and her clothing from yesterday rankles with me.

“What?” she asks, pouting. “It’s true.”

“You’re being rude,” I say firmly. “Yelena’s here to mourn. What she’s wearing doesn’t fuck matter.”

Sylvie narrows her eyes and crosses her arms. “Why are you defending her? Sheleftyou.”

“My former relationship with Yelena is none of your concern. That was in the past. What matters is that she is still a part of our pack. Even though she left, this is still her home. Youwilltreat her with respect.”

Sylvie gasps and looks at me with shock. “Austin…”

I hold up my hand and stop her. “I don’t want to hear another word. Go make yourself useful. It looks like they need help set up the food tables.”

“I amAlpha-born. Do you understand that?” she sneers, “They serve me. Not the other way around.” Her eyes flash and I feel my irritation grow.

“You may be Alpha-born, Sylvie, but I’m the future Alpha of this pack. You will do as I ask, or you can leave and not be part of this ceremony. Tell me what your choice is.Now.” I snarl back.

She glares at me, and we’re locked in a tense standoff. Finally, she looks down.

“I don’t need to take this kind of disrespect,” she hisses. “You can be sure my father will hear about this and the shameful way you’re treating me.”

She flounces off, and I sigh, rubbing my eyes.Great. Another problem. Just what I need.I think back to when Yelena was by my side. Situations like this would never have happened. Yelena was nothing but kind to any member of our pack or visitors. She had a sort of grace about her, an air of helpfulness and hospitality that made her the perfect choice for a future Luna.I sigh and close my eyes, willing my thoughts down a less dangerous path.

Whether I like it or not, I’m not with Yelena. I’m with Sylvie. The relationship is…complicated, but the peace we’ve achieved with the Highland Pack depends on it.

It’s simple enough: I marry Sylvie, and they sign the Peace Accord.

My father and her father have worked on this deal for ages. When my father presented it to me, I accepted.

“It’s for the good of the pack. Marrying Sylvie will unite our territories for the first time in decades,” he had said.

Neither of us is under any delusion that this deal doesn’t benefit the Highland Pack greatly. They have been after our territory for years. But peace is peace.

I stare off toward the road where Yelena disappeared a while ago. Seeing her again is bringing up all sorts of emotions for me and for my wolf. It’s a desperate sort of feeling, one of hope, fear, and desire. The last time I felt this, it was when I watched her disappear from my life. It makes my chest hurt just thinking about that terrible day. My skin is crawling with the need to be near her.

Vincent wanders over, giving me a long glance.

“That looked intense,” he remarks, nudging my shoulder. I grimace at him but don’t answer. Vincent is well aware of the fact that Sylvie and I aren’t a love match. We tolerate each other, each doing our duty, but that’s it. The tension between us is easy enough to read by people who know me.

“Yelena’s back,” he continues quietly. “That has to feel weird.”

Weird hardly covers it.

On one hand, my wolf is practically jumping out of my chest, desperate to see her, scent her, and just be near her. It’s been so long since I’ve been around Yelena, I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have our wolves in sync.

When I’m with Sylvie, my wolf is quiet. No excitement, no yearning—we just…exist.

“I guess I never thought about what it would be like when—if—she came back,” I say, turning to my beta. “She left, and that was the end of it. But now that she’s back…yeah. It does feel weird.”

Vincent gives me a sympathetic nod. “Have you talked to her much?” he asks.

I shake my head. The brief conversation we had at my parents’ place was awkward, largely because of Sylvie.

“No. She isn’t here for me. She’s here to pay her respects to Callie.”

Vincent stands silently next to me, staring off into the trees as we both are lost in our thoughts.