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“Oh, okay,” I replied, not knowing what in the hell to say, and despising the awkward tension between us.

“My parents have sprung a last-minute ball to celebrate our marriage. That’s why we had to cut the honeymoon short.” He paused, finally meeting my gaze and seemingly waiting for my reaction. “I completely understand if you say you don’t want to go, and given what’s happened, I wouldn’t blame you.”

“Jacob, what’s the favor?” I interrupted, unable to hear the humiliation in his tone.

He grimaced. “I wondered if you’d consider coming with me. It’s tonight, and as soon as it’s over, I’ll arrange for you to stay at a hotel on your own. I know it’s a big ask after everything, and if I have to explain to my parents why you’re not there, then that’s the consequence of my actions, but-”

“I’ll go with you.”

Jacob blinked at me several times before relief washed over his features. “You will?”

“Yes.” I didn’t regret the instant decision. While I didn’t know what the future held, I knew that in this moment, I didn’t want Jacob to have to face his parents and disappoint them by not having me by his side. If his father was anything like my mother, I knew all too well what it felt like to disappoint them. “I do have one condition, though.”

I held my breath, waiting for the slightest hint of a reaction that told me he didn’t like me giving him conditions, and I would be punished for daring to impose one. But it didn’t come. “Anything.”

“I want to choose my dress, and it will be a dress that covers up the tattoo and bite marks on my chest.”

Once again, shame contorted on his features, and he dropped his gaze to the tattoo. “Of course, angel. And when the tattoo is healed in a few weeks, I can put you in contact with a cosmetic surgeon to get it removed if that’s what you want.”

I didn’t reply, too busy trying to understand why the thought of removing his name from across my heart felt like I’d just swallowed a gallon of acid.

Chapter 30

By the time the plane landed, it was two in the afternoon. Jacob didn’t return to the bedroom after he asked me to attend the ball with him; we sat in thoughtful silence until I fell back to sleep, telling myself that I shouldn’t feel safe under the watchful gaze of a wolf disguised in sheep’s clothing.

A car waited for us at the private airfield, which drove us into the city, stopping outside a department store. From there, a personal shopper met me and guided me around the level where all the ball gowns were held, encouraging me to try on any that I liked.

I spent too long browsing; every dress I picked up, I internally questioned whether Jacob would like it. In the end, I asked the assistant to pick for me, wishing that Jacob hadn’t disappeared to buy a tux for himself and was here to choose for me.

Perhaps him choosing what I wore on occasions wasn’t such a bad thing.

We settled on a silk, midnight-blue gown that clung to my body like a second skin, but had a halter-neck top to hide the marks coating my chest. A few hickeys remained on my neck, but they were quickly hidden when I was whisked to a beauty parlor within the store and my hair and make-up done by a stylist.

By the time they were finished with me, I barely recognized myself. They’d plaited my hair and tangled it into an intricate bun, held in place with a stunning crystal butterfly hair clip, and several curled tendrils falling around my face. My eyelids were dusted with a light silver eyeshadow, and with the black mascara and eyeliner, my eyes looked brighter than ever.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled with awareness, and I turned to find Jacob standing in the doorway of the changing room where I’d slipped into to change into my dress and high-heeled silver sandals.

His gaze traveled over every inch of my body, just like mine did with his. He looked divine in a tuxedo. He’d styled his hair so that it was swept back, and somehow, it made his features seem more chiseled than usual. “Angel, you look breathtaking.”

He crossed to me, his hand raising as if he was about to grab me, pull me against his chest, and claim my mouth, but at the last second, he paused, dropping his hand and sending a bolt of disappointment through me. Why did it feel like years had passed since I last felt his mouth against mine?

“Uh, thanks. You look good too,” I replied, my cheeks heating from the fire blazing in his eyes.

He cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly. “Are you ready to go?”

Holding his arm out for me, I didn’t hesitate to loop my arm through it, craving his touch. “Yes.”

He smiled down at me as I moved to his side, but like earlier on the plane, it didn’t reach his eyes, and his sadness was palpable. “Actually, before we go, there is something I need to tell you.”

A lump of dread landed in my stomach at his ominous tone. “Okay?”

Jacob pulled in a deep breath, twisting to stand in front of me. “Your parents will be at the ball tonight; I’ve only just found out.”

My brows shot sky high as I blinked at him. “My parents,” I repeated dumbly, as if I’d forgotten that I had a mother and a father.

“Yes.”

“Oh.”