“Let’s get this over with.”
It takes me a second to process.
My mouth drops open as I stare at him wordlessly, hurt hitting me straight in the chest.
I mean, I’m not anything special, but…
“Don’t you feel it?” I ask him. My lips feel numb. He cocks a perfect brow at me.
“Feel what?” he asks abruptly, glancing behind him. The crowd starts to murmur.
“We need to hurry this up. The others are waiting.”
I lean around him, catching a glimpse of the others waiting. Jax’s face is like thunder.
None of them look happy.
Oh god. They’re… disappointed. Furious, even.
And we’re stuck together, because there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that these alphas are my Soul Bonded.
My eyes burn, but I force myself to nod when Tristan turns his unsettling eyes back to me. “Of course. Do what you need to do.”
His hands lift, hesitating, before he rests them on my shoulders. They tremble beneath his light grip, and he squeezes lightly before he glances away again.
His hands are gentle, completely at odds with his brusque manner as he tugs me towards him until we’re pressed together, our breaths mingling. His scent grows impossibly warmer, deeper, and I soften against him until his hands slide behind my back, holding me up.
Slightly woozy, I blink up at him as he leans down. A hint of beard surprises me, making me shiver as he sinks his face into my bare neck. His hands clench against me, hot against the lace material as he inhales against my skin, the rasp of his stubble dragging down against my neck as his other hand moves to my neck, pulling gently until I’m completely bent for him, his leg between mine.
I don’t know what his damn problem is, but it sure isn’t lack of attraction. Because I can feel it in the harsh pants of our breathing mingling together, the desperation of his hands as they yank me towards him. I’m burning for him, fire twisting up my insides and licking into a molten furnace in my abdomen.
The whine that slips out is embarrassingly loud, and I blink as a few chuckles break through the air, belatedly remembering that we have an audience. Tristan’s hands release in an instant, and I yelp as I tumble backwards, only his arm shooting out and grabbing my hand stopping me from falling.
His fingers grip mine, his eyes burning into me as he helps me stand upright. His fingers trace the inside of my wrist before he steps back, the expressionless mask falling back into place.
I stare at him in confusion as he turns on his heel, striding back down the aisle to where the rest of the Cohen pack waits. Tristan ignores them, and whispers start as he makes his way down past the assembled guests, every single one watching him avidly, apart from Jessalyn, who gives me a WTF look from her seat and fans her face dramatically. Even my mother is watching him, her mouth slightly open.
Every single person is watching my Soul Bonded as he stops in front of Alicia Erikkson. She smirks at him as he holds out a hand, his body tense.
Gasps echo across the room as my heart stops in my chest, the lance of pain so vicious that I stumble.
Because he’s kissing her as though his life depends on it.
17
JAX
The pain is blinding. I stumble but I’m already halfway to her and I’m not fucking stopping for anything.
My Bonded is rigid, her arms dangling loosely from her sides as she stares behind me, her face white.
I take the steps two at a time, and she blinks as I reach her, my hand reaching up to her face.
“Sienna.” My growl is furious, and she shrinks back. Shit.
Dropping my hand, I watch her as I desperately try to think of a way out of this fucked up situation that doesn’t hit my pack or my Bonded. And I’ve got nothing.
If we can get this shithouse of a ceremony over and done with, we can get back to the house, away from prying eyes and come up with a plan.
