I''d taken it everywhere, even to school. And then one day, it was gone. Stolen, probably. I remembered how I''d cried until I made myself sick.


    I sat frozen in that half-formed memory - so real I could almost feel the weight of the stone in my palm — until Nn''s voice cut sharply through the haze.


    "Ellie,” he said, his tone tight with forced civility. "It''s time for the opening dance. The final guests have arrived."


    I looked up at him sharply, my annoyance ring all over again. But I couldn''t argue. I''d promised him signed my name on those papers, promising to act the dutiful wife for the sake of appearances. That included his precious ceremonies.


    He didn''t look thrilled either, which was the only constion as I rose to my feet. Without a word, I followed him to the dance floor.


    We were a mess. Completely out of sync. I had an excuse half my memory was gone but Nn had none. He stepped on my dress. I tripped on my heels when he spun me. We scowled at each other, our irritation in for


    everyone to see.


    The band must have sensed the tension – they cut the song short, speeding up the tempo until it mercifully ended. When it did, Nn and I didn''t even pretend. We turned and walked off in opposite directions without a single word.


    “That was quite a performance," a friendly, gentle voice spoke from behind me. I turned to see a tall, attractive blonde man giving me a charming smile. I looked him up and down, trying to ce him, but I wasn''t sure if I


    knew him or not.


    He pulled a handkerchief from his jacket and knelt, wiping the dusty footprint from the hem of my dress. I looked down at him in surprise - it was a kind and oddly submissive gesture.


    "Thank you," I said.


    He stood to his full height, towering over me, and stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket. "It''s no trouble at all, though you seem troubled. Are you and your husband doing all right? That was quite a tense scene."


    "It''s been a long day," I said dismissively.


    “Well, allow me to make it a bit better by making up for that mess of a dance."


    I hesitated. I wasn''t sure if dancing with someone else would vite the contract - Nn had been more than a little annoyed that I was even looking at another man earlier.


    He leaned in, that charming smile turning just a bit mischievous as he said, "Besides, if you dance with me, he''ll get really angry."


    I smiled. "Well then, let''s dance."


    He held my hand and led me out to the dance floor.


    It was theplete opposite of my earlier dance with Nn. We moved with ease, twirling around the dance


    +25 Bonus


    floor, his hand firmly at my lower back.


    "I had a feeling you were much more elegant than that dance would have let on," he


    said, that mischievous glinting back to his face.


    I smiled at the flirtation and let him pull me a little closer.


    Third-Person POV


    Nn was predictably angry watching Ellie dance with another man. The fact that the other man was his personal rival only made it worse.


    Kieran. The alpha of the Silver Fang pack that borders his. Nn''s opposite in almost every way and a snake in the grass. Seeing his hand pulling at Ellie''s made Nn''s blood boil beneath the surface.


    She wasn''t reacting as if she knew him, and maybe that was all part of her amnesia game. Nn couldn''t be sure. The beta, who was standing nearby, seemed to sense the anger in Nn''s stare.


    "Ellie is too much. We need to control her better," the beta said.


    “She''s not breaking any rules,” Nn responded coldly. "She''s allowed to dance with someone else."


    The beta wasn''t convinced by Nn''s response; he could see the tension in his shoulders as they watched Ellie dance. The slight crease between his brows showing the anger that he was failing to hide behind his usual icy exterior.


    The moment the dance ended, Nn was there. He shot a cold nce at Kieran and grabbed Ellie by the arm, leading her away from the dance floor.


    She pretended not to notice that he was irritated. Though she could feel it and so could everyone else. The jealousy she''d seen shes of from him was on full disy now as he held her arm almost posessively.


    Part of Ellie was gratified to have gotten a reaction out of him, but another part was furious that he would behave this way afterpletely dismissing her concerns over the food earlier.


    She wasn''t sure it was possible for her opinion of him to get any worse, but he kept finding ways to sink even lower.