“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. What did you want to tell me?”
He guided me back to the couch, and we sat down. My heart raced when he took my hands in his.
“Carrie, I wanted to explain about the masquerade woman,” he said softly. “I decided to look for her because I realized she might have gotten pregnant. I’d never considered that possibility until recently, but with everything that’s been happening… I just need to know if I have a child somewhere in the world.”
I nodded stiffly. “Yes, that’s the right thing to do.”
But inside, my thoughts were racing. Find her and then what? He believed this woman was his destined mate. Would he resist the Moon Goddess’s bond when he found her? If she had his child, what then? Ella was already pregnant with his baby.
My head spun with the drama of it all.Where did I fit in this complicated equation? My heart was breaking into a thousand pieces. My stomach lurched again, and I wasn’t sure if it was emotional pain or physical illness.I needed to get away from here-even his cedar and musk scent, which I usually found so comforting, was making me feel worse.
“That’s all I wanted to say,” Draven continued. “I just want to be clear that the only thing that matters is making sure I haven’t left a child out there somewhere. That woman means nothing to me since you came into my life.”
His words should have comforted me, but they rang hollow. If she truly meant nothing, why had he spent three years searching for her?
“Thank you for explaining,” I managed, forcing a weak smile. “I should go. I’m not feeling well.”
“I’ll take you home.”
“No need. I’ve already called a cab.”
“Stay a little longer?” His voice was gentle, pleading.
“I can’t, Draven!”
Tears welled in my eyes as I pulled away from him.When I turned to leave, he pulled me back and captured my lips in a desperate kiss that tasted of longing and regret. When we separated, I turned and hurried out of his apartment before I could change my mind.
In the elevator, I finally allowed myself to breathe, though each breath felt like glass in my chest.
The cab ride home was a blur of city lights and muffled sounds.I leaned my head against the cool window, trying to sort through my emotions. Just as the cab pulled up to my apartment building, my phone chimed with a notification.
With trembling fingers, I unlocked the screen to find a social media post from Ella Howard. There she was, radiant in a designer wedding gown. The caption read: “The most beautiful bride in the world. Dress successfully purchased. Can’t wait to be Mrs. Thorne! #CountdownToForever #ThorneBride”
The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over. I huddled against the car door, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
Rory whimpered inside me, feeling my pain as her own. “It’s okay, girl,” I whispered to my wolf. “We’ve survived worse. We’ll survive this too.”
I was done.Done letting Draven Thorne break my heart. Done dreaming of impossible futures. Done pretending that what we had was anything more than a brief connection fated to end.
No more heartache over a man who was marrying another woman while searching for yet another.I was done breaking my heart for someone who clearly had no place for me in his.
Linda’s POV
God, I had better things to do on a Saturday morning than babysit Howard’s spoiled brat at her wedding dress fitting. But here I was, watching this ridiculous charade unfold because the man was paying me well. Otherwise, I’d have told his daughter and that insufferable wife of his to go straight to hell.
I arrived at the bridal boutique fifteen minutes early and ended up waiting nearly half an hour for those two dimwits. They thought being fashionably late made them look important. When they finally graced us with their presence, the store manager informed us all consultants were busy with brides who’d actually shown up on time.
Ella threw a full-blown tantrum right there in the waiting area. Stamping her feet like a toddler and screeching about her father’s money and influence. The manager, bless her patience, simply offered a refund and suggested another store. That shut her up quick,she was too attached to that monstrosity she called a wedding dress.
“I’m so excited!” Ella squealed, clapping her hands together once we were seated in the waiting area. “I’m going to be the Luna of Storm Valley Pack in just a few weeks! Can you believe it, mommy?”
“You’ll be the most beautiful bride Harbor Bay has ever seen,” her mother cooed, patting Ella’s hand like she was five years old.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. These two were living in a complete fantasy world.
“Everything’s going perfectly,” Ella continued, practically vibrating with excitement. “Draven has no escape route now. Soon I’ll be running that company, living in his fancy penthouse, spending all that Thorne money.”
“Honey, maybe don’t count those chickens before they hatch,” I said with fake sweetness. “Until you’re actually Luna, you might want to keep your plans quiet.”
Ella’s face scrunched up. “Are you trying to jinx me, Linda?”
“Just giving advice,” I replied with a shrug. “Your situation is… delicate, to say the least.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped.
“Well, let’s see,” I ticked off points on my fingers. “Alpha Draven demanded a DNA test, postponed the wedding twice already, can’t stand being in the same room with you, and oh,you’re not actually pregnant.”
Her mother gasped. “Linda! How dare you!”
“I’ve got it all figured out,” Ella hissed, leaning forward. “After we’re married, I’ll fake a miscarriage.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “And then what? Alpha Draven will leave you faster than you can say ‘prenup’ once there’s no baby.”
“Then I’ll adopt one,” she countered, looking smug.
“Ella, darling,” I said slowly, as if explaining to a child. “Draven is an Alpha. Alphas can scent their own offspring. The moment you bring home some random baby claiming it’s his, he’ll know you’re lying.”
“Shut up!” she screeched, her face turning an unflattering shade of red.
“Linda, stop upsetting my daughter,” her mother scolded, as if I were the family dog who’d peed on the carpet. “First the wedding, then we’ll figure everything else out.”
Finally, a consultant appeared to help Ella try on that atrocity she’d selected. I followed them to the fitting room and sat beside her mother, watching as Ella disappeared behind the curtain. When she emerged, I had to bite my tongue to keep from howling with laughter.
The dress was the most hideous thing I’d ever seen – a massive white tent with a skirt so puffed out it was nearly square. The bodice was drowning in ruffles, like someone had dumped a truckload of whipped cream on her chest. To complete the circus look, she’d chosen a tiara so tall it might as well have been the Statue of Liberty’s crown.
“It needs more volume,” Ella announced, twirling awkwardly. “And more ruffles on the bodice.”
The consultant’s professional smile never faltered, but I caught her brief look of horror. I simply nodded along-the more ridiculous she looked on her wedding day, the better.
Both Ella and her mother dissolved into tears, blubbering about how “perfect” and “queenly” she looked. I couldn’t take it anymore and slipped out to the reception area where I finally let myself laugh until my sides hurt.
When I returned, Ella was still admiring herself in the mirror. “Draven will be speechless when he sees me!”
“Oh, speechless for sure,” I agreed, picturing the poor man’s face when he saw this monstrosity coming down the aisle. Though we all knew that wedding would never happen.
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