Chapter 4

Trevor's birthday party was at the Riverside Country Club, the same elegant ballroom where Dominic and I had our mating ceremony seven years ago under a full moon that had blessed our union.

The irony wasn't lost on me as I watched my mate parade his mistress through the same space where we'd once danced while the pack howled their approval and promised to love each other forever.

"She's beautiful, I'll give her that," Isabelle whispered beside me, her wolf's disapproval evident in the low growl underlying her voice. "But her scent is all wrong—too aggressive, too calculated. A Crimson Fang wolf through and through."

Scarlett was stunning, I had to admit—all blonde hair and practiced smiles as Dominic introduced her to his colleagues like she was some kind of prize he'd won. Her wolf's aura was strong, deliberately overwhelming the room.

"Dominic, you look happy tonight," Trevor said, clapping him on the shoulder with genuine concern. As a pack elder, his disapproval carried weight. "But are you absolutely sure about this path? Vivian's a good woman who's been nothing but loyal to you. Her bloodline is impeccable, her wolf strong and true."

"Vivian and I haven't had real passion for years," Dominic replied, his voice carrying further than he intended across the marble floor. "Sometimes you have to choose genuine happiness over comfortable routine. Sometimes you have to follow what your wolf truly wants."

Trevor's frown deepened. "Mate bonds aren't about constant passion, son. They're about partnership, building something meaningful together. You two created a beautiful life, bore a pup together."

"I've built something new now, something that actually fulfills me and my wolf."

Isabelle had heard enough of his sanctimonious bullshit. She approached Scarlett with two champagne flutes in her manicured hands, her wolf's dominance deliberately pressuring the other female.

"Scarlett, isn't it? I think tradition calls for the newcomer to toast our birthday boy first."

Scarlett's practiced smile faltered slightly, her wolf retreating from Isabelle's subtle challenge. "Oh, I don't really drink much—"

"But surely you understand the importance of following proper pack etiquette?" Isabelle's voice was sweet as poisoned honey. "After all, when you're... borrowing someone else's mate, you should at least observe the social graces that the rest of us follow."

Every nearby conversation stopped dead.

"Isabelle—" Dominic stepped forward, his wolf rising protectively, warning clear in his voice.

"I mean, it's really the least you can do, considering your current position requires such... moral flexibility. Breaking mate bonds isn't exactly approved behavior in civilized packs."

Scarlett's face crumpled like a paper doll in the rain, her wolf whimpering at the public shaming. "I can't... I'm sorry... I have to go..."

She pushed through the crowd toward the exit, tears streaming down her perfectly made-up face like a tragic heroine in a soap opera.

Dominic didn't hesitate for even a second—he abandoned his friends, his reputation, his pack standing, everything, to chase after her into the night.

"Scarlett, wait! Please don't leave!"

The entire room pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows to watch as he caught up with her in the parking lot, pulling her into his arms like she was made of spun glass, wiping away her tears with the tenderness he'd once reserved for me.

"Well," Trevor muttered, shaking his head sadly, "I guess we all know exactly where his loyalties lie now. The Alpha Council will hear about this."

Indeed they would, and in werewolf society, that was going to cost him everything he'd ever valued.

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