bChapter /bb61 /b

Skye’s POV

bMy /bstomach dropped bas /b1 recognized the tall figure in the center–rust–colored hair, emerald eyesb, /band that same predatory smile I remembered bfront /bbour /b

first meeting.

Kane had found meb. /b

1 instinctively reached for Nadia’s arm, squeezing it in warning as Kane’s emerald gaze swept across the room, settling on us with disturbing precision. His smile widened, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp for a human setting. The two men nking him were unfamiliar, but btheir /bstiff postures

and vignt eyes marked them clearly as werewolves–Kane’s enforcers, no doubt.

‘Don’t make a scene,” I whispered to Nadia, whose body had gone rigid beside me. “There are too many humans here.”

Kane cut through the crowd with predatory grace, his expensive suit out of ce among the casual wedding attire. When he reached usb, /bthat familiar scent hit me—pine needles mixed with something metallic, like blood.

“Ladies,” he drawled, his voice carrying the same false charm I remembered from our encounter at Oasisborn’s celebration. “How delightful to see you againb./bb” /b

Nadia stepped slightly forward, positioning herself between Kane and me. “What are you doing hereb?/bb” /bshe demanded, keeping her voice low but bunable /bbto /bhide the hostility.

Before Kane could respond, Jessie appeared at bmy /bside, her wedding dress rustling as bshe /btook in our bunexpected /bguestsb. /bHer cheeks were flushed with happiness and perhaps a bit too much champagne, making bher /boblivious to bthe /btension crackling between bus/bb. /b

*Skye, are these three handsome guys friends of yours too?” she asked, her eyes appreciatively scanning bKane’s /btall bframe/b.

“No,” I replied coldly, my eyes never leaving Kane’s. “They’re not friends. Please leaveb,/bb” /bbI /badded, directing this bst /bbpart /bto Kane rather than Jessie.

Kane’s smile didn’t falter. “How could you be bso /bcold? After bI /bcame all this bway /bjust to bsee /byou.” The mock hurt in his voice made bmy /bbskin /bcrawlb. /b

Confusion flickered across Jessie’s bface /bbas /bshe nced between usb, /bfinally registering the hostility in bthe /bair. Ever the bpeacemaker/bb, /bshe forced a bright smile. “Well, bany /bfriends of friends are wee here! It’s my special bday/bb, /band everyone’s binvited /bbto /benjoy bthemselves/bb./bb” /b

She signaled frantically to the DJ, who immediately transitioned from a slow bad to an upbeat dance number. The floor quickly filled with guests beager /bbto /bshow off their moves, creating a buffer of bodies between us and the exit.

‘I’d love to take advantage of this wonderful music,” Kane said smoothly, extending his hand toward me. b“/bMay I have this dance?”

“No,” I replied firmly, but he had already grasped my wristb, /bhis fingers closing around it like a steel trap.

“I insist,” he said, all pretense of politeness vanishing from his beyes /bas he pulled me toward the dance floor.

I didn’t bresist /bor make ba /bbscene/b. My mind quickly registered the dozens of innocent humans surrounding bus/b. Kane’s boldness ining here meant bhe /bwas dangerous enough to hurt them if provoked.

Nadia was instantly on our heels, her dark eyes shing with barely contained rage. She positioned herself directly in our path, blocking bKane’s /bprogress toward the center of the dance floor.

“Let her go,” she growled, her voice pitched low enough that only werewolf hearing could catch it over the music.

Kane leaned forward, his lips almost brushing Nadia’s bear /bas he whispered, “You’d better behave byourselves/b. Without Adrian to protect you, you’re nothing butmbs in the presence of a wolf. My wolf.”

Nadia didn’t back down, her chin lifting defiantly. ‘Why don’t you try finding out just how defenseless we are?”

I could see the subtle changes beginning in Nadia’s posture–the slight elongation bof /bbher /bfingers, the faint reddish bglow /bbeginning bto /bbseep /binto her irises. Signs that her wolf was dangerously close to the bsurface/bb. /bIf she shifted hereb, /bsurrounded by humansb… /b

bChapter /bb61 /b

bKane /bbseemed /bbto /bbrecognize /bthe risk as well. His smile turned cruel as he bspoke /bbdirectly /bbto /bbme/bb. /bbYou /bbwouldn’t /bbwant /byour bfriend’s /bwedding to JUIN (RO) bfuneral/bb, /bbwould /bbyou/bb? /b

His words bsent /bice through my veins. bThese /bweren’t empty threats. I’d heard stories of Kane’s brutality, of entire familles ughtered for encroaching on bwhat /bhe considered his territory.

“Nadiab, /bdon’tb,/b” bI /bcautioned, meeting her beyes /bwith silent pleading. “Not here.”

Something in my bexpression /bmust have reached her, because the red glow in her eyes dimmed slightly. Kane took advantage of her hesitation to pull me onto bthe /bdance floor, one hand firmly gripping my waist while the other maintained its vise–like hold on my wrist.

“That’s better,” he murmured, forcing me into a mockery of a dance as the music pulsed around us. “You’re learning to be reasonable.”

His grip tightened painfully against my skin.

b“/bWhat do you want?” I demanded, keeping my voice steady despite the fear coiling in my stomach.

bHe /bdidn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned closer, inhaling deeply against my neck in a gesture that was both invasive and deliberately provocative. Thenb, /bwith horrifying boldness, he pressed his lips against my bskin/bb, /bbthe /bcontact burning like acid.fnc1d4 Newest update provided by find?novel/fnc1d4

b‘/bbGet /boff!” I jerked backward, but his grip only tightened,

b“/bbYou /blook delicious in formal wear,” he murmured against my throat.

Before bI /bcould respond, a blur of white and pink thrust itself between us. bJessie /bbstood /bthereb, /bher wedding dress slightly baskew/bb, /beyes zing with bprotective /bfury as she shoved at Kane’s chest.

“What bthe /bhell do byou /bthink you’re doing?” she demanded, her voice cutting through bthe /bbmusic/bb. /b“bGet /byour filthy hands off bmy /bfriend, you disgusting bcreep/bb! /b

Kane looked momentarily stunned–clearly unustomed to humans standing up to him. His surprise quickly gave way to amusement, then darkened binto /bsomething dangerous as Jessie continued her tirade.

‘I don’t know who you think you areb,/bb‘ /bshe spat, “but nobody acts like that at my wedding!” With surprising force bfor /bbsomeone /bher bsize/bb, /bshe delivered ia /istinging p across Kane’s bface/b.

The sound seemed to echo across the dance floor, conversation dying as guests turned to stare. For one terrifying moment, I thought Kane might lose control right there. His eyes shed with inhuman rage, his body coiling like a spring about to brelease/bb. /b

Then, with deliberate slowness, he grabbed Jessie by her shoulders band /bthrew her to the ground with enough bforce /bbthat /bshe bslid /bseveral feet bacross /bbthe /bpolished floor.

“Jessie!” I screamed, lunging toward her.