Chapter 84: Chapter 84: PossessiveWhispers started spreading through the crowd like wildfire. More and more people heard the commotion and had turned their heads to watch. But they didn’t seem to care about the attention.

    Levi grip on Callum’s shirt tightened. “I asked you a question.”

    “Let go of him!” I stepped between them, placing my hands against Levi’s chest. “Callum was helping me because my hair tie broke. That’s all.”

    “He had his hands in your hair,” Liam growled from behind me. “Why does he need to help you with that?”

    “It’s a funny looking hair clip!” Callum protested, his voice strained. “Cassandra asked me to give it to Hazel as a gift, and unfortunately, Hazel didn’t know how to use it. I was just showing her how.”

    “Where is this supposed gift then?” Liam demanded.

    I looked down at the ground where the clip had fallen. My heart sank when I saw the mangled pieces of metal scattered across the festival dirt. In their fury, one of the brothers had stepped on it, crushing it completely.

    “You broke it,” I whispered, staring at the destroyed gift.

    Levi followed my gaze and cursed under his breath. “Hazel, we didn’t mean—”

    “You didn’t mean what?” I turned on both of them, anger flaring in my chest. “You didn’t mean to act like complete animals? You didn’t mean to embarrass Callum and me in front of everyone?”

    More people were staring now. I could see phones being pulled out, probably recording this whole scene.

    “Hazel, please,” Liam released Callum and reached for me instead. “We just saw him with his hands on you and we—”

    “You what?” I stepped back, avoiding his touch. “You lost your minds over nothing? You destroyed a gift that someone gave me out of kindness?”

    I knelt down and picked up the largest piece of the broken clip. The metal was twisted beyond repair, the delicate mechanism completely destroyed.

    “Cassandra specifically bought this for me,” I said, my voice shaking with rage. “And you crushed it like it was garbage.”

    “We can get you another one,” Levi offered weakly.

    “That’s not the point!” I stood up, clutching the broken metal. “The point is that you two can’t control yourselves. You see me talking to another guy and you turn into possessive monsters.”

    “We’re your mates,” Liam said quietly. “It’s natural for us to feel protective.”

    “Protective?” I laughed bitterly. “This isn’t protective. This is ridiculous. Callum wasn’t even doing anything out of line!”

    Sophia cleared her throat. “Maybe we should take this conversation somewhere more private?”

    She was right. The crowd around us was growing, and I could hear people whispering about us. But I was too angry to care about discretion anymore.

    “No,” I said firmly. “I’m done with this conversation entirely.”

    I turned to Callum, who was straightening his shirt and looking uncomfortable. “I’m sorry about them. And I’m sorry about the clip. Please tell Cassandra I appreciated the thought.”

    “Hazel, wait—” both brothers called after me as I started walking away.

    “Don’t follow me,” I called back without turning around. “I need space to cool down before I say something I’ll really regret.”

    I pushed through the crowd, ignoring their calls behind me. People stepped aside as I stormed past, probably recognizing the anger radiating from me. The festival suddenly felt suffocating, too bright and too loud. It didn’t help that my headache was still there.

    I needed to get away from everyone, especially Liam and Levi. Their possessive behavior was getting insane. I hadn’t even said anything about them talking to their ex-girlfriends in such an overly-friendly manner, and yet, they dared to point fingers first.

    I ducked between food stalls and around groups of families, using the festival crowd to lose them. After several minutes of weaving through the busy grounds, I finally stopped hearing their voices calling my name.

    Breathing heavily, I found myself near the edge of the festival area, close to where the tree line began. The noise was quieter here, giving me space to think.

    But as I caught my breath, I felt someone bump into my shoulder from behind.

    “Oh!” A feminine voice exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

    I turned to see a girl with striking black hair. She was beautiful, with high cheekbones and full lips. Her dark eyes were wide with apology.

    “It’s okay,” I said automatically, still trying to calm down from my argument with the brothers.

    “You wouldn’t happen to know where Alpha Lucas is, would you?” she asked hopefully. “I’ve been looking everywhere for him.”

    I studied her face more carefully. There was something familiar about her features, but I couldn’t place where I might have seen her before.

    “Alpha Lucas?” I repeated. “Um, no, I haven’t seen him. Sorry.”

    Her face fell with disappointment. “Oh. I was really hoping to find him. My father sent me to speak with him about some pack business.”

    Pack business. That meant she wasn’t from Emberfang. Probably one of the visiting wolves from the neighboring packs here for the festival.

    “I’m sure he’s around somewhere,” I offered. “Have you tried the main stage area? The Alphas should be having their welcome speech soon.”

    It wouldn’t be for another hour at least, but it was still a good place to start. Knowing Lucas, he would want to prepare a little ahead of time.

    “That’s a good idea, thank you,” she said with a grateful smile. “I’m Bethany, by the way. From the Ironhound Pack.”

    My eyes widened with realization. That was why she looked so familiar. She was one of the girls that Liam and Levi were talking to just now. Only, they stood so far away that I couldn’t see their features clearly then.

    “Oh,” I managed to say. “I’m Hazel.”

    “Nice to meet you, Hazel,” Bethany said warmly, not recognizing my name or its significance. To her, I was just another Emberfang pack member.

    Suddenly, her expression brightened as she looked past me. “Lucas!”

    I turned around to see Lucas walking toward us, looking as composed and serious as always. His green eyes met mine briefly, a flash of surprise crossing his features when he saw me talking to Bethany.

    Bethany didn’t hesitate. She ran toward him with obvious joy, throwing her arms around his neck in an enthusiastic embrace.

    Lucas stood frozen for a moment, clearly shocked by the sudden contact. His hands remained at his sides as Bethany hugged him tightly, her face pressed against his shoulder.

    It took him several seconds to react, his hands finally coming up to gently but firmly remove her arms from around his neck. He stepped back, putting distance between them.

    “Bethany,” he said carefully. “What are you doing here?”

    She beamed at him, seemingly oblivious to his uncomfortable body language. “Daddy sent me to find you. He wanted to know if you’d finished speaking with him about the arrangements.”

    “Arrangements?” Lucas glanced at me, his expression unreadable.

    “For our engagement party, silly,” Bethany laughed, reaching out to touch his arm. “And he wanted to know if you had any preferences for the wedding date. Spring or summer?” Sёarch* The n?vel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The words hit me like a physical blow. Wedding date?