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"It can't be..." A hand caught my elbow, spinning me around. Xavier himself stood there, his face drained of all color, eyes wide with shock.

That made two of us. My heart plummeted to my feet, and bile rose in my throat.

How the hell was he here?! I had vetted every name on that list myself, checked every photo–except not all the files had photos, and with how ‘official’ Lust’s vetting system was the chances of this cheating bastard using a fake name wouldn’t be impossible.

Lust's terrible system struck again.

I turned with practiced confusion, though my pulse hammered so hard I worried he'd hear it.

Lie. Lie. Lie.

"I'm sorry?" My voice was jagged edges of glass in my throat. "I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm Juniper."

His grip on my arm tightened as he stared at my face, his mouth opening and closing like he couldn't find words. The confident Alpha I'd known was nowhere to be seen–this manlooked like he'd seen a ghost. I could still feel his hands around my neck.

"No. No, this isn't..." He stopped himself abruptly, glancing around at the other guests who were starting to notice our interaction. His gaze went followed theirs to his hand on my arm.

"I'm Juniper Grey," I said more firmly. "I’m the employee running this matchmaking event. I'm sorry, but you have the wrong person."

"You look exactly like..." He trailed off, his voice hoarse. His hand trembled slightly where it gripped my arm, and I could see sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool evening air.

Xavier's eyes darted around the garden, suddenly seeming to register where he was, who might be listening. When he looked back at me, there was something desperate in his expression.

"I...you..." He seemed to be struggling with something, caught between disbelief and panic.

This wasn't happening. My brain spiraled, my body remembering the weight of wet earth, the burn of soil in my throat, the desperate prayer for air as thunder crashed overhead. My week of freedom crashed down around me like the walls of that grave, and I knew with bone-deep certainty that Xavier wouldn't let me escape twice.

Xavier's grip on my arm tightened, his eyes boring into mine with absolute certainty as his resolve hardened. "Don't play games with me, Hazel. I know it's you."

"I'm sorry," I managed, fighting to keep my voice steady. "I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm Juniper."

I tried to pull away. He yanked me back.

"Bullshit." His Alpha presence pressed against me, that familiar dominance that used to make me feel protected and now made my skin crawl.

"Sir, you need to let go of her." Lust's voice cut through the garden chatter, deadly quiet.

Xavier's head turned, taking in Lust's approach with dismissive arrogance.

"Back off,” Xavier growled. “This is between me and my fiancée."

"Your fiancée?" Lust's eyebrows rose, magick beginning to gather around him like heat waves. "Interesting. Because this is my employee, at my event, on my territory."

"I don't give a damn whose event this is," Xavier snarled, his Alpha power flaring. "This woman belongs to me."

Another man materialized beside Lust–dark hair, casual posture, but something predatory in his grin. "Did he just say she belongs to him? How delightfully medieval."

"Let. Go. Of. Her." Lust stepped closer, each word dripping with menace. "Now."

Xavier's grip shifted, pulling me closer. "I'm not going anywhere without her. Hazel, enough of this charade. We're leaving."

"I already told you. My name is Juniper Grey," I said, louder this time, putting every ounce of conviction I could muster into the words. "I work for this matchmaking agency. You have me confused with someone else."

"The lady said no," the dark-haired man said cheerfully. "Which part of that was unclear? The no part, or the part where she's obviously terrified of you?"

Xavier's eyes flashed yellow, his wolf rising to the surface. "Stay out of this, bloodsucker."

"Bloodsucker?" The man laughed. "Oh, that's precious. Brother, I think our puppy here doesn't know who, or what, he's talking to."