Liam was about to sidestep past me, when he stopped and leaned in, his breath warming my earlobe. “I’m not being very polite. Why don’t yougo?”
Musk lifted off his smooth skin and slid into me, momentarily hazing my mind. God, he smelled so good. Why couldn’t I just be repulsed by him? I tried to put some space between our bodies, but the backs of my knees hit the seat of thechair.
“I want to see what the bride is wearing.” I sounded as hoarse as a heavysmoker.
Liam straightened, eyebrows casting shadows over his amber eyes. “Don’t you want to beatme?”
“Just because I’m letting you go first doesn’t mean I won’twin.”
The tendons in his neck shifted as he studied my face. Could he tell it was alie?
He started to dip his head back toward my ear when the first notes of the wedding march began. All those who’d been sitting rose to their feet in a rustle ofchiffon.
“You better go,” Iwhispered.
Liam stepped past me and into the outer aisle, distancing himself quickly from theceremony.
* * *
He returned after the ceremony,wearing a disgruntled expression. I took it he’d failed to locate theartifact.
“Wasn’t the ceremony just marvelous?” Julian was standing in the petal-strewn aisle by ourrow.
“It was lovely,” Eric’s wife said, tucking a short white curl behind herear.
Unlike Eric, Frank had come alone to the ceremony. Maybe he wasn’t married. I realized I didn’t know much about the elders. All I knew was that both men had had sons, but only Eric’s was still alive, and both had fourteen-year-old grandsons who were part of thepack.
“Are there any weddings on the Boulder Pack horizon?” Julianasked.
Frank glanced at Lucas, then at Liam. “None of our boys are committing yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated,Julian.”
Our boys.Salt in mywound.
Julian smiled a frigid smile then turned his attention to me. “Ness, may I have the pleasure of your company before dinnerbegins?”
Prickling from Frank’s exclusion, I moved pasthis boysand hooked my arm through Julian’s extended one. I knew what it looked like but was too slighted to care. We drifted away from the festivities, toward the glossy green hedges forming a manicuredmaze.
“Ah…the Boulders and their boys.” Julian let out a soft snort. “It’s a real shame wolves can’t pledge their allegiances to another pack. I’d welcome you with openarms.”
“That’s kind of you, Mr.Matz.”
“Julian, please. Mr. Matz makes me sound like an old college professor with a penchant for tweed.” He wrinkled his nose. “How’s the contestgoing?”
“It’s going.” I lowered my gaze to the red chiffon swirling around myankles.
“Then why are you putting offcompeting?”
I faltered and would’ve faceplanted if he hadn’t been holding me up. It didn’t help that my skinny heels kept burying themselves in the soft earth. “I’m not putting itoff—”
“Ness, spare me the lie. I’m not an idiot. While Lucas and Liam roamed my house, you stayed planted on my lawn like a gloomypoppy.”
He led me around a sharp, leafy corner, then around another. I was disoriented. Not only by the thriving labyrinth, but also by his admission. He knew why we were here. How? I opened my mouth but not to speak. Just togape.
“Did you assume my invitation to attend my nephew’s wedding was sent out ofgeniality?”
I tried to shut my jaw, but it hung open, its hinges shattered byshock.
“I possess something dear to your pack, and McNamara knows it. It was a matter of time before he sent hisboysto retrieveit.”
