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The castle is full of representatives from all different packs—specifically several from the Oceanic pack. We may have had our differences in the past, but after this wedding, we will be family.

And that might be essential if this threat turns out to be something bigger than Gavyn.

“This entire thing is so fucking exhausting,” I complain, the moment I find Zade and collapse into a chair next to him. We’re in the corner of the room, and I can only hope that another ancient alpha isn’t going to seek me out here.

Zade gives me a look over the top of his glass, raising his eyebrows. “Well, it might be a little more bearable if you were doing it with your fiancée.” He pulls the glass away from his lips without taking a drink, looks around. “Where is Noemi, anyway?”

I shrug. The truth is that I haven’t seen her since we first started the event, standing on the dais together for photos. She was stunning, of course—she always is. Pretty like a snowflake, fine, delicate.

Since the day that she scented Mylah on me, things have been different between us. Not that we were ever close before that—but we were something like friends. Amiable co-workers.

Now, she holds me at arm’s length. Talks about “the union.” Quickly cuts me off anytime I try to apologize or bring up the fact of my fated mate.

Noemie, apparently, would rather not know. And I have to respect that.

Since I stopped seeing Mylah, my headaches have come back.

The one that pounds through my head right now makes me thirsty, nauseous, unable to see straight. I grip my drink and breath through my nose.

“This is fucking stupid, Augustus.”

At first, I don’t even realize the words have come from the man sitting next to me because they are so uncharacteristic of him. I turn my head slowly, blink in his direction, mind racing and trying to come up with some sort of reason for why he would say something like that.

“The engagement party?” I finally ask, because that’s the only thing I can imagine he’s talking about. It’s odd because while I personally think this party is a massive waste of time, but Zade has always had a better disposition to things like this. “I mean—”

“No, not the party.” Zade pauses, takes a breath, and turns to fully look at me, expression wide open. “She’s your mate, isn’t she? Fated.”

My heart drops into my stomach, hearing it said out loud like that.

Of course, the three of them saw how I was the night we saved her. Saw that I was putting so much effort into saving her, period. Even an idiot could have figured out what was going on, and my three friends are no idiots.

I knew that Zade knew.

But I didn’t think he was going to bring it up again. Not when I dodged the question before, after our meeting with Gavyn.

And I definitely didn’t think he was going to bring it up at the engagement party. With my fiancée and entire pack present.

I let out a sound that’s nothing close to a word in response, waiting for him to relent. Zade is my most understanding friend. The kind of guy who doesn’t usually press. He’s not Brack—who typically cares far more about being straightforward than being charismatic—and Denvil—who takes jokes too far with a startling frequency.

But Zade doesn’t relent. He doesn’t make an excuse to get up or leave the conversation.

So, I swallow and prepare myself to lie.

“Yes.”

Zade blinks at me, and I can’t believe that word just came out of my mouth. Like I was compelled to say it. Like I really didn’t have a choice in telling my best friend the truth about Mylah.

“That’s what we thought,” Zade says, turning away and nodding, running a hand through his shock of brown hair. Looking into the distance, he says, “It explains a lot.”

“That day at the clinic,” I say, but he shakes his head.

“It explains why you suddenly…changed. I mean, you started getting those headaches all the time. And you were always in your head. Obviously, that got a lot worse after the festival. But you must have met her before that, right?”

This time, I don’t even bother trying to lie. “Yes. Do you remember the night we went out to that club? When Denvil found out about his dad…?”

Zade’s eyes widen. I watch him as he connects the dots, the cogs turning in his head as he puts the pieces together.

“That’s right. You just disappeared, then you came back acting all weird. Pissed off.”