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“Thank you guys so much.”

They leave early without Amelia having to get them, giving me a few extra minutes to eat a few bites of food.

“Alrighty! The third pack is up,” Amelia says, grabbing my new coat from the table. “They’re the Ward pack. I hear from the Director you’re familiar?”

I swallow hard, my stomach doing somersaults.

“Yeah. I am.”

CHAPTER 32

Madden

God, I don’t think I’ll ever get over how absolutely stunning Luna is.

You’d think, because of the time we’ve been forced to spend apart, that I’d build her up in my head. But the reality of seeing her at the top of that staircase surpassed any of my wildest dreams.

She looked like a princess from a fairytale. I’m not big on fashion, but the theme of her dress—a sparkling night sky—fits her so well. Chase calls her Moonlight for a reason.

And her smile. Oh my fucking god, her smile. It lit up the entire fucking room, and that smile was all for me. It made my heart melt.

It also made me want to smash in the faces of the other alphas around us because of the kinda shit they started saying. I wanted to scream from the top of my lungs that her smile wasn’t an invitation for them.

But I kept quiet. Per usual.

It wouldn’t be a good look for the pack if the only Southsider lost his cool at an event like this.

“Hey buddy, how’re you doing?” Chase asks, grasping my shoulder.

I glance down at him, shrugging.

“You look like you’re about to throw hands,” Chase chuckles.

“Understandable,” Kane says, eyeing the table that Luna’s sitting at. It’s at the center of the dining area, so it’s easy to keep an eye on her. She’s the centerpiece of the entire event tonight. “At least the Graylock pack is better than the first pack.”

“That’s for sure,” Archer adds in, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dress slacks. “Did you see the face she made when they got close?”

I did. I hated it.

“I know there’s no way around this, but I hate watching her talking to other packs,” I say softly.

There’s a part of me, the territorial, insecure part of me, that worries she’s going to find another pack that’s better for her and leave us in the dust.

It’s not impossible, considering the amount of interest she’s gotten from some really high-up packs. Packs without me and the sort of social-status baggage I bring.

“Hey, now you’re worrying,” Chase says, squeezing my arm again and pulling me back to reality. “Where’s your head at right now?”

I shrug again. I don’t know if I can bring myself to say what I’m thinking out loud right now. Part of me is a little scared that if I say it out loud, I’m going to speak it into existence.

Chase seems to pick up on what I’m thinking, though.

“Ahhh, I get it. You’re scared she’s gonna find another pack she wants to be with?” He asks, crossing his arms across his chest with his usual smirk. “I doubt it. Check it out.” He nods over my shoulder.

I turn to look and see the Graylock pack standing and leaving Luna’s table early. Seven minutes early.

That’s unheard of, at an event like this. Everyone wants tospend as much time with the omega making her selections as possible.

“They’re leaving early?” I ask, blinking in confusion.