Page 2

I pause, only realizing that I have called Ronan by a name only I call him in the privacy of his bedroom when his limbs are tangled with mine.

I open my mouth to take it back but something else comes out of it entirely.

"Laxity is hardly the word. You cannot blame us for appreciating him for treating us with even a modicum of respect that no one else does. "

He snorts, like he knows something I do not. "Do you think him a good man?"

The questions just keep getting weirder. I bite my lip before saying, "Yes."

He cocks his head in a strange manner and for the first time, I notice the red scar running down his right eye. Any closer and whoever gave him that might have cut out his eye. Then he laughs, like I have said something foolish.

His cheekbones are high and sharp enough to cut glass. His lips curved wickedly into a dark smile and something heavy falls over me, pressing down on me from all sides. "Then you must not know him at all, Miss Everly."

I stiffen. "I didn't tell you my name."

A small grin reveals a perfect white smile with canines sharp enough to tear into my skin. His green eyes glow iridescently as he leans forward and I catch a reflection of my violet-blue gaze in them. "No, you didn't."

His wrist snaps and my heart jumps into my throat at the inhuman speed with which he catches a lock of my hair between his fingers, examining its texture like it's something he's never seen before. "We'll be meeting again soon, I'm sure."

And just like that, he pulls off me, striding into the crowd that gives him a wide berth, joining his people on the far right of the hall.

A hush falls over the hall. My head snaps forward to the front of the hall where Ronan now stands on the raised platform with his mother.

His demeanor is severe as it is regal, and while a huge part of me notices every single detail and how particularly handsome he looks tonight in that red suit that fits around his muscular frame like a glove and his slicked back blonde hair that showcases his angular features, the smaller part that replays what happened earlier wins over, filling me with the unwelcome feeling of anxiety.

I try to shake it off, telling myself that his behavior tonight has everything to do with the importance of the event and he'll find me later and apologize as usual, but anxiety is an emotion that festers.

Tray forgotten, I stand with the crowd as his voice booms over the hall.

"By the Goddess's grace that we are gathered today for the ascension.

Alphas are chosen by the people, for the people, and I am beyond honored to serve in the way my father has for the last four decades.

To forge a future that will shape our kind for generations to come.

" His eyes settle on each face and for a moment, he seems to be searching for someone.

When our eyes meet, his soft lips curve slightly. "Before we proceed with the ceremony, there is an announcement I must make—one of great importance."

I hold my breath.

Ronan takes a step forward. "For a long time, we have been at war, sifting through battle after battle without peace in sight.

But that has changed now." Murmurs ripple through the air.

"For the title of Luna, I have chosen a woman who has made it possible to take a step forward towards unity, survival and peace.

A woman whose strength will be the very heart and driving force of the Red Wolf Pack, for without her, putting an end to the war would not have come to fruition. "

The tray slices into my palm as I watch him turn left. It is disbelief first that steals my breath as I notice the brunette he had been with earlier by the bottom of the dais.

Ronan holds out his hand to her, smiling from ear to ear. "Tonight, I name Tova Winter of the Glacial Pack my Luna and chosen mate."

I would have laughed at the situation, at myself, if an eviscerating pain didn't begin where the bond joins us together.

Memories flash before my eyes as I watch him guide the woman, Tova, to the dais.

Our first meeting in the gardens at night because I'd been seeking out the scent that pulled me from sleep.

Colliding with him and nearly falling on my ass until he picked me up and buried his nose in my neck and called me his.

The nights that followed, learning each other, teasing, sneaking kisses in the broom closet and hallways when no one was watching, the promises—the lies.

I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood, my flight or fight mode coming alive.

But I punish myself for a little while longer for my stupidity.

Two years of secrecy, being treated like a dirty secret.

..I really should've recognized the signs, seeing as I've lived like that for most of my life.

So, I watch Ronan kiss the woman, deeply, with a tongue that has tasted every inch of my skin.

My gaze shifts and collides with Luna Kaida's. Her smile stretches, brown eyes alight with delight and satisfaction.

This, it is supposed to be my humiliation. To put me in my place. The tremor begins in my fingers. Then my lips. My bones.

My fingers are ice-cold but my skin burns. My entire body is tight with rage. It grows beneath my skin, rising up my throat, and I can't decide if I want to scream or shatter something.

No. I refuse to be that woman.

I straighten my shoulders, lift my chin and push past the crowd, ignoring their cheers, their amused laughter. It feels like I'm the joke.

Already, my mind conjures reasons why he'd do this to me. Was it that she had more to offer than I did? Was he merely fulfilling the wishes of the council and his duties? Did he grow bored with me? Did he mean any of the things he said? Was it ever even real?—

I slam into something solid and rebound. My heels slip on the marble and I brace for the fall, only to feel fingers snap around my wrist, steadying me.

I drag in a breath, blinking up.

It's him again. The Northern male. He studies me, his gaze flicking over my livid features before settling on where his fingers press against my skin. He tilts his head slowly and murmurs, "In a hurry?"

I don't hear the words or so much as register the deep timbre of his voice as the anger inside me takes on a new target.

"Don't touch me," I snap, yanking my arm free.

His fingers uncurl immediately like touching me burns him. Not that I care. He makes no move to reprimand me for speaking to him vehemently. He just watches, and I can swear his gaze follows me all the way outside.