“We should begin with the fire circle,” he says as he nods to the sky. “The moon’s pretty bright tonight. We can enjoy the festivities after.”
Luna Aurora giggles beside him as she slides her arm through his. “You’re not enjoying any festivities out here,” she teases playfully. “You just wanna go back home so you can spend some time with Emile.”
Elias chuckles as he leans toward his mate. “That’s not true, my love. Our son will be fast asleep by the time we’re done.”
“As if he won’t sense you the moment you step into the house…”
My gut churns with bile rising to the top of my throat, forcing me to look away, feeling like I’m about to throw up at how sweet the head alpha and his mate are with each other.
There’s a part of me that wishes things were different between Yvonne and me, but it’s too late for that now. Five years too late, actually. There’s no going back from that.
There’s so much I missed.
His birth.
His first birthday.
His first steps.
His curiosity when he learned that he’s a werewolf.
All these thoughts, these regrets, fester inside me as I hear Yvonne’s voice as she joins Aurora.
I can’t stand it anymore.
Crushing the disposable cup in my fist, I chuck it into the trash can and head toward the bonfire where the fire circle dance will begin. Thank Goddess I’m an alpha, and the four who make up the Snehvolk Alpha Council are at the head of the circle, far from the rest of the pack who gather around. I’m safely between Thane and Brooks, where I’m not susceptible to any ordinary pack member taking my hand to be led around the bonfire.
I go through the motions robotically, stalking around the fire without lifting my head from fear that I might spot Yvonne. I don’t want to see her now. I don’t want to see her at all.
Yet, somehow, when we stop and the chanting of praises to the Moon Goddess ends and everyone disperses to mingle before the sacred dance between males and females takes place, a shiver prompts me to glance over my shoulder.
The first person I spot is Yvonne, hanging awkwardly by the bonfire when Elias and Aurora meet up, and Rissa is called away by one of the betas.
If I weren’t angry with her, I’d have gone over there and made her feel comfortable, welcomed in a pack that once shunned her. But with the way I’m feeling now, I just watch her with self-satisfaction, as if her discomfort is the punishment she deserves.
A younger wolf comes by with a tray of freshly poured drinks, and without looking, I grab a cup and chug down the punch. By the time I’m done, straightening my gaze while I crush the cup in a fist, Yvonne is no longer standing alone.
A dark-headed, tall male figure stands just beside her with his back turned to me. From the little I gather through my hazy awareness of my surroundings, I know that the blue shirt belongs to Thane.
What is he doing over there?
As if to answer my miseries, Yvonne has the audacity of smiling, her cheeks taking on a tinge of pink as if he said something funny.
A surge of red, unwarranted jealousy courses through me, pulsing my hands into fists at my sides as I begin marching forward toward her.
I’m not angry that she’s having a good time.
I’m angry because she’s smiling, and it’s not because of me.
My unexplainable envy has me seeing red as I stomp my feet against the snow, arriving behind Thane and clearing my throat to let them both know that I’m here.
“Be careful with this one, Thane,” I chide as I pat the sub-alpha on the shoulder. “She might think you’re coming on to her.”
Thane chuckles nervously as he turns to me with a frown. “Is that what you think is going on here?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug, crossing my arms. “Is that what’s happening?”
Thane takes a deep breath that leads him closer, and then he whispers in my ear, “Be careful with your jealousy, Dawson. You need to control your inner wolf, lest it ruin the party tonight.”
