E POV


    The sudden touch of Alexander’s hands on my back, exposed from the courageous dip of my dressline, made my skin feel


    like it was on fire.


    “Why would I do that, darling?” heughed. “She keeps making these jokestely, all because I forgot to rub her feetst night.”


    Rub my feet?


    I couldn’t decide if theugh or the embrace or the imaginary foot-rubbing was more unsettling. All three of those things. were so out of character for him that it briefly made me wonder if he had been reced with a lookalike in the past thirty seconds.


    “You never rub my feet,” I hissed, pushing my palms into his chest. “You’re a liar.”


    Alexander held fast and chuckled. “Women,” he joked, eliciting someughs from the people around us. The only people who weren’tughing were Sophia and Gabriel. My father, for appearances, managed a faint chuckle.


    “Alexander, what are you talking about?” I whispered, suddenly turning angry. “And let me go-”


    But then I saw the faint glimmer in his green eyes and movement over his shoulder, and I understood.


    The Alpha Council Supervisory Board had arrived-six Alphas in expensive suits were moving through the crowd, which was parting around them like the sea. And they were headed straight for us.


    Now I understood why Alexander was suddenly acting as if we were just a yful couple having a good-natured spat. Why he was lying about our intimate life like that.


    He was ying up our “rtionship” because the Board had just walked in.


    The whole reason why Alexander had thrown this banquet tonight was to curry their favor for the uing election. And he couldn’t aplish that if his perfect little wife was misbehaving, could he?


    I opened my mouth to say something, not really caring what the Board thought of him at this point, but my father quickly stepped in.


    “Alphas,” he said, bowing his head slightly out of respect. Meanwhile, Sophia and Gabriel had lowered their gazespletely. “It’s an honor to see you all tonight.”


    The Alphas all nodded in response, but they were looking at us. I felt my face heat slightly under their scrutinizing gazes. These Alphas were some of the best of the best-elected for the Board based on their hard work and merits. Doctors, phnthropists,wyers.


    But one man in particr, who stood at the front, caught my eye the most.


    He was staring excruciatingly at me and Alexander. His brown eyes kept flitting down to where my palms were pressed into Alexander’s chest, then to where Alexander’s arms were tightly wrapped around me, and something strange kept crossing


    his face.


    There was something almost familiar about him, but I couldn’t quite ce my finger on it.


    He was certainly handsome, though-tall and slender but in a masculine way, with his dirty blond hair neatlybed back. He wore a midnight blue suit with a matching tie and a pocket square with a paisley pattern tucked into his jacket pocket.


    “Alphas,” Alexander finally said, turning toward them but keeping one arm firmly wrapped around my waist. I touched his hand, testing it to see if I could pry his fingers away, but he just dug them deeper into my skin as if to silently warn me not to


    Chapter


    try anything. “I’m so d you were able to make it.”


    “Alpha Alexander.” The handsome man at the front extended his hand, and Alexander shook it. He then turned to me. “You


    must be Luna E.”


    I nodded, and the man took my hand and kissed it. I felt Alexander’s arm tighten even further around me, but he said nothing.


    When the man pulled back, he gestured around us. “This is a lovely party. Did you n it yourself, Luna?”


    I shook my head and nodded toward Gabriel. “Not this banquet, no. Beta Gabriel nned it himself. I’m taking on less of a party-nning role these days.”


    Partially, it was true. But I also said it because I knew the Board might look down upon a pack in which the Luna didn’t n such things herself.


    My entire goal right now was to make Alexander look bad, force his hand into divorcing me.


    But I didn’t get the reaction I’d expected from my words.


    The man looked a little surprised, but smiled. “It’s nice to see a pack with more progressive views. More Lunas these days are taking on administrative roles rather than party nning, which we believe to be a good thing.” He looked around at hisrades, who all nodded in agreement.


    “Yes, a Luna should be an equal to her Alpha,” one Alpha chimed in. “Truly, it’s the women in our society who hold us all together.”


    I bristled a little at the praise. Alexander, who had stiffened, rxed somewhat as well, although I doubted it had so much to do with the progressivements about women as it was relief that he wasn’t immediately on the chopping block.


    Alexander and the six Alphas went on to talk for a while. Once all six Alphas had drinks and hors d’oeuvres in their hands, Alexander led them around the banquet hall, showing off the various portraits, artworks, and sculptures on disy.


    All the while, he kept his arm firmly around me, so tight I could hardly breathe-let alone slip away. Every time I opened my mouth to say something that might harm him, he would smoothly talk over me as if he hadn’t noticed.


    And all the while, that strangely familiar young Alpha kept staring at me.


    I couldn’t imagine why he seemed so taken with me-was it the dress? Was there something on my face? Or did they overhear the earlier conversation and were onto us?


    I hoped it was thetter, because if it was, then that would make my work a lot easier. If I ruined Alexander’s chances of being nominated for the election by the Board, then he would have no choice but to divorce me. The thought sent a little thrill through me.


    Eventually, the Alphas dispersed to enjoy the party with Alexander’s blessing. But the handsome Alpha lingered behind, once more giving me that strange, almost knowing stare.


    I was just about to ask if there was indeed something on my face when he suddenly approached.


    “E,” he said in a familiar voice, dropping the honorifics, “don’t you remember me?”


    I blinked, staring at him for a long moment. He had just spoken to me as if we were friends, and his face did look familiar…


    And then it hit me.


    His dirty blond hair, now neatly styled back but once a mop of golden curls. His soft blue eyes, always too deep and knowing for his own good. The cupids bow in the center of his upper lip. The tiny mole on the right side of his chin.


    The young boy who had been taken from me.


    I gasped, my hand pping over my mouth as I realized that I knew this man, but hadn’t seen him since he was a boy.


    “Liam!” I practically shouted, yanking myself away from Alexander’s iron grip. I surged forward and threw my arms around him. “I can’t believe it’s you! It’s been so long, I didn’t recognize you-And you changed so much—”


    “I know,” heughed, hugging me back. “It’s been over a decade. I heard a person with your name was living here now and I wasn’t certain myself until I saw you earlier.”


    1 giggled, momentarily forgetting about everything-my wolf, my illness, Alexander, my father, all of it. Suddenly, I was just a ten-year-old girl again, happy to see her dear friend after too many years apart.


    That was, until Alexander’s hand gently but firmly wrapped around my wrist and pulled me away.


    Chapter