Chapter 54
ELENA
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Weddings were supposed to be joyful. Uplifting. Not nerve–wracking and vaguely
horrifying.
I adjusted Aiden’s little bow tie for the third time as he stood in the staging room just off the chapel’s main aisle, looking far too calm for someone about to be paraded in front of a
hundred people. Meanwhile, I was a wreck.
I hadn’t attended a wedding since my own to Derek six years ago, and the memories of that day… Needless to say I wasn’t exactly a wedding person anymore, if I ever had been one.
Dawn had assured me that Derek–nor anyone from Silverclaw–had been invited. Dawn’s small pack was an ancient ally of Moonstone and they had no love for Silverclaw. And while I knew he wouldn’t be here, I still didn’t relish time spent in big social situations and gatherings like this one.
I ran my fingers nervously over the scar on my eyebrow.
“Does this thing make my neck look weird?” Aiden asked, tugging at the tie and bringing
me back to the present.
“No. You look perfect,” I murmured, smoothing his collar down. “Remember what I said— walk slow, smile, and don’t fidget.”
He gave me an exasperated look. “You’re more nervous than I am.”
He was right. Goddess, I hated crowds.
I smiled down at him. “You’re going to do great!”
“I know!” he said, cocky and smiling. His adult teeth were starting to come in, I couldn’t help but notice. My baby was growing up.
The wedding planner–headset on and clipboard in hand–swept into the room, propping
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the door open behind her. Just outside the room was the gift table and guestbook.
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“Just a few more stragglers and it’ll be showtime!” she said, smiling down at Aiden. “You have the rings?”
He proudly held up the pillow the wedding rings were tied to. “They won’t roll into a sewer grate, I promise!” he said.
Before I had time to puzzle out what he was talking about, I caught a familiar scent and
froze.
Leather. Cedar. A touch of smoke and rain.
I turned.
And there he was.
Derek King, Alpha of Silverclaw, standing just outside the door in a suit that still fit like sin,
holding an enormous cream–wrapped box under his arm. He leaned down and scrawled
something in the guestbook, his expression unreadable, his posture calm.
Like he belonged there.
Which he absolutely did not.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed, immediately striding toward him, careful not to trip over my heels or yank Aiden in the process. “You weren’t invited.”
He set the box down on the gift table with an infuriating amount of care, and straightened.
“Elena,” he said, all politeness and slapdash charm. “Good to see you. I thought you’d be here.”
“You thought-” I realized how unhinged I sounded, and with a glance down at Aiden, I took a deep breath and calmed myself. “How did you even know there was a wedding I might be attending?”
“Society papers,” he said smoothly, then looked at Aiden and winked.
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Winked!
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I opened my mouth to respond, to throttle him with words, but Aiden beat me to it.
“Hey!” he said, returning Derek’s smile. “You made it.”
Derek’s mouth tilted into a genuine smile. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
The hell you wouldn’t.
I stared between the two of them. “Wait–wait a second. Do you two–did you—?”
Before I could finish, the wedding planner was at our side.
“Showtime!” the wedding planner sang out. “You ready, Aiden?”
He puffed up with pride, gave Derek a wink like they were in on some secret together, and
trotted off toward the aisle.
I looked back at Derek, ready to demand answers, but the music had started and someone behind me was hissing that the rest of the guests needed to be seated.
And, of course, there were only two open seats.
Right next to each other.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath as I slid into the pew. Derek sat beside me with a grace that made it impossible to pretend he wasn’t there. His thigh
brushed mine. I scooted half an inch away.
From the corner of my eye, I saw his smirk.
The ceremony was beautiful. Dawn looked radiant, beaming as she walked down the aisle. The moment made my chest tighten with something I couldn’t name.
Not lônging, exactly. Not regret. Something older. Something deeper.
But I couldn’t dwell on it. Not with the scent of Derek beside me, the heat of his body just inches away. Not with the memory of how he’d looked the last time I saw him–how he felt.
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As the recessional began and guests began pouring into the reception hall, I made a beeline for the champagne table. I didn’t care how early it was–I needed a drink.
I reached for a flute at the same time he did. He’d followed me.
Of course.
“Great minds,” he said.
I ignored him, until I noticed the jagged slash in the sleeve of his jacket.
“Your suit,” I said quietly. “What happened?”
He glanced down, as if just now remembering.
“Rogues,” he said, voice low and flat. “Ambushed us on the way here.”
I nearly dropped the glass. “What?”
“Don’t worry. We handled it.”
He handled it. And then just casual–as–you–please kept on driving to a wedding he hadn’t
been invited to!
I grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him away from the champagne table and off to an empty corner of the reception hall.
“What do you mean, you handled it?”
He straightened. “My men and I dispatched the rogues. What did you think I meant?”
I looked out at the other guests who were starting to shoot us interested glances.
He leaned in, close enough that his breath grazed my ear. “Listen,” he said, turning serious. “It wasn’t random. They were organized. Strategic. They knew where we’d be. You need to be careful, Elena.”
His words sent a chill down my spine.
Chapter 54
Before I could ask him more, a blur of black and white collided with me.
“Did you see me?” Aiden beamed. “I walked so slow! I didn’t fidget once!”
I smiled, my heart lifting despite the tension. “You were amazing.”
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Derek ruffled his hair, and Aiden accepted it like they’d known each other for years. Like
none of this was strange at all.
Then the music changed.
“Bouquet time!” someone yelled.
I took a step back, trying to melt into the crowd, but Dawn’s eyes caught mine across the room and I knew I was doomed. A couple of other young women grabbed me and pulled me
to the center of the dance floor.
Dawn aimed. And with deliberate precision, tossed the bouquet straight into my arms.
Gasps and whoops echoed around me.
No.
No no no.
Then came the garter toss. The groom, grinning like the devil, hurled it across the room-
and Derek, tallest of the crowd of unmarried men, caught it one–handed.
The spotlight shifted. Literally. Someone must’ve planned it.
“Oh, for the love of –”
“Tradition!” the DJ shouted. “Time for a dance!”
Derek walked toward me, garter in hand, and held it out. “Shall we?”
“No,” I muttered, but someone was already pushing me toward him.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
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Elena Hart and Derek King.
Catching the bouquet and garter.
Dancing like lovers.
Fighting like exes.
And now? Now we were a headline waiting to happen.
I swore under my breath.
This night couldn’t get any worse.
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