Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Hypocritical & EmotionalChapter 85: Hypocritical & Emotional

    “Wedding date?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.

    Bethany’s smile faltered slightly as she looked between Lucas and me. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’re still here.”

    Lucas’s jaw tightened. “Bethany—”

    He was cut off by Bethany’s chirpy voice. She completely missed the tension radiating from him.

    “Oh, Lucas. Daddy is so excited about finalizing everything. He’s been talking about our union since we were pups.”

    My stomach dropped. They were talking about it like it was already set in stone.

    “What exactly are you talking about?” I asked, my voice smaller than I intended.

    Bethany turned to me with enthusiasm. “Lucas and I have been promised to each other since childhood. Our packs have hoped to join together through matrimony for years now. My father is the Alpha of Ironhound, and this alliance would strengthen both our territories.”

    She reached for Lucas’s arm again, but he stepped away from her touch.

    “Bethany,” Lucas said firmly. “Nothing has ever been finalized.”

    “But Daddy said—”

    “Your father and mine discussed possibilities,” Lucas interrupted. “That’s all they were. Discussions.”

    Bethany’s face scrunched in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you want to marry me? We’ve known each other forever, and I thought we got along well. We even dated for a bit, so you obviously like me enough.”

    My heart was pounding so hard I was sure everyone could hear it. Lucas had been promised to someone else? How had I never known about this?

    “Because I’ve already found my mate,” Lucas said.

    Bethany’s eyes widened. “Your mate? But I thought... when did this happen?”

    “Recently,” Lucas replied. He moved closer to me, his presence both comforting and overwhelming. “And I’ve made it clear to your father that neither I nor my brothers are interested in arranged marriages. We intend to marry our fated mate.”

    “Brothers?” Bethany looked even more confused. “What do your brothers have to do with—”

    She stopped mid-sentence, her gaze shifting between Lucas and me. I watched realization dawn across her features as she took in how close he stood to me, how protective his posture was.

    “It’s her, isn’t it?” Bethany whispered, staring at me. “You’re their mate.”

    Before I could respond, I heard familiar voices calling my name.

    “Hazel!” Liam’s voice carried over the festival noise. “Where did you go?”

    “We need to talk,” Levi added, both of them approaching quickly.

    Great. The last thing I wanted was to deal with all three of them while Bethany was asking uncomfortable questions about our mate bond.

    “Hazel, please don’t run off like that again,” Liam said as he reached us, completely ignoring Bethany’s presence.

    “We’re sorry about the hair clip,” Levi added. “We can replace it, I promise.”

    Bethany looked between all four of us, her confusion growing.

    Lucas frowned. “Hair clip? What’s going on?”

    “It’s complicated,” Levi said tersely.

    “No, it’s not,” I snapped, my earlier annoyance quickly returning. I turned to Lucas. “Your brothers made a scene at the festival because Callum was helping me with my hair. They destroyed a gift Cassandra gave me and embarrassed everyone involved.”

    “We were protecting you,” Liam protested.

    “From what?” I turned on him. “From a friend helping me with a broken hair tie?”

    “He had his hands all over you,” Levi growled.

    “He was fixing my hair!” I shouted, not caring that people were starting to stare again. “Meanwhile, you two were chatting intimately with your ex-girlfriends like nothing had changed.”

    “Bethany, could you give us some privacy, please?” Liam asked.

    “But—”

    She didn’t say anything more when Lucas shot her a warning look. Bethany pursed her lips, took one last glance at the four of us, and stormed off. Likewise, the triplets guided us to a more secluded corner away from possible eavesdroppers.

    “We were just being polite earlier,” Liam insisted once Bethany was out of earshot.

    “Polite?” I laughed bitterly. “I watched you laughing. They were obviously flirting with you!”

    “That’s not true,” Levi protested.

    “Hazel, perhaps you’re just tired,” Liam said. “It’s been a long day, and I know you’ve worked very hard for this festival.”

    “Yeah!” Levi chimed in. “Maybe that’s why you’re feeling so emotional.”

    The words hit me like a slap. “Emotional?”

    Maybe I was. Everything was piling up. The triplets being so dismissive, their laundry list of ex-girlfriends who were still interested in them, their mother absolutely detesting my guts... the list was endless.

    “Hazel—”

    “You know what? I don’t want to talk about this right now,” I interrupted. “I’m going back to the packhouse.”

    I started walking away, but Lucas caught my arm.

    “We’re sorry,” he said desperately. “We didn’t mean to upset you.”

    “I just need some time alone,” I said, tugging my arm free.

    My nose was starting to sour, and I didn’t dare to turn back lest they notice the tears welling in my eyes. I could feel my wolf yearning to talk things through with them, but I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t say something I would end up regretting.

    Before they could respond, I turned and walked away quickly, not looking back even when I heard them calling my name.

    The walk back to the packhouse felt endless. My head was pounding, my emotions were all over the place, and I felt completely overwhelmed by everything that had happened today.

    Instead of going inside the packhouse where someone might find me, I walked around to the back, toward the tree line.

    The woods were peaceful, unlike the lively atmosphere of the festival. I sat down on a log and finally let myself breathe properly for the first time in hours.

    Birds chirped overhead, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves. For a few minutes, I felt my anger start to fade, replaced by exhaustion.

    It was tiring having to deal with all these women who were more than eager to throw themselves at my mates. Jessie, Annie, and now even the she-wolves from Ironhound.

    I trusted the triplets to stay away, but jealousy couldn’t help rear its ugly head, especially when those women were more than happy to test my boundaries time and time again. Sёarch* The ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Then, I heard the unmistakable sound of twigs snapping underfoot. My ears pricked to attention. I really needed some time to cool off away from them right now.

    “I thought I told you guys to leave me alone!” I called out without turning around.

    The footsteps stopped, but something felt wrong. I stiffened. This scent didn’t belong to any of the triplets. Their scent was warm, homey, and comforting. This one smelled faintly like blood.

    I started to turn around, but before I could see who was behind me, a massive wolf lunged from the shadows. Pain exploded through my arm as sharp teeth bit down hard, and I screamed.

    Before I could fight back or shift, several men emerged from the trees. One of them pressed something sweet-smelling over my nose and mouth.

    Chloroform.

    Darkness quickly engulfed me. The last I saw was a woman bending down to face me, a familiar, wicked smile curving her lips.