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Brandon ignored my comment. “And I miss my brother. We used to go out on the town all the time.”
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“Go and find Jill and have fun. Go dance.”
He turned me to face the ballroom and would have given me a shove, but I didn’t want my little brother telling me what to do anymore. I needed to keep some sort of dominance over him. I made myself walk back into the ballroom at the same time Becca walked out.
“Oh, Luc, Jill’s by the masks,” she said in passing.
“Yes, I heard.”
She stopped suddenly and placed a hand on my arm. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Yes . . . .” Becca had never asked me for a favor before.
“Brandon didn’t eat dinner tonight because he was running late to meet me, but I know he’s starving. Do you mind if we go out to eat now that you’re here? I don’t want to leave Jill on her own without knowing anyone’s here for her.”
Brandon has no idea how good he has it.“Of course, you two go. I’m here now.”
“Thank you!”
I continued walking through the throngs of people, who were all laughing and dancing and having a merry time. The atmosphere was starting to rub off on me and memories of us as kids running around the hallways peeking into the ballroom came back. We used to rush and hide if a grown-up came to see what the noise was about.
I knew every nook and cranny in this house, but it was so big that it was non-personal. I liked my apartment a lot better. The museum Mom had curated was in front of me, and I could see the crowd of people by the masks.
Jill’s heartbeat was strong and content, and my body loosened at the sound of it. She was mine. My wolf knew it, but I couldn’t bear the thought of her breaking my heart.
I decided to watch her from the sideline and make sure she stayed safe. I ventured into the gallery and saw her immediately. Her black hair blended in with her dress and mask, and in contrast, her skin glowed with warmth. She was all I could focus on. No one else mattered. Her heartbeat was calm, and I found my feet moving toward her of their own accord.
But wait! Who was that man with her?My fists clenched at my sides, and I drew in a breath before reminding myself that she didn’t know I was there. We weren’t an item, and she had no loyalty to me.
. . . But the sight of his hand reaching out to take hers, and then Jill readily giving herself over to him for what looked like a dance, sent my heart racing. My body felt primed for a fight. I could feel my muscles rippling under my skin as I followed them into the ballroom.
I watched as he gathered her in his arms and twirled her around the room. Just as I was about to go and separate them, I saw Jill smile. It was the brightest thing I’d seen in a long time. She looked so happy compared to how I had left her. Who was I to tell her who she could or couldn’t dance with? I had no claim over her.
I took a deep breath and walked to the bar, content on hearing her heartbeat and knowing she was okay. I’d catch the next dance; no need to burst her bubble just yet.
By the time I came back, though, she was already dancing with another man, and she was absolutely glowing and having the time of her life. Then the first guy came back again, and she readily let him pull her against him and dance to the next song too.
My heart couldn’t take this. I was a fool to have come here. She was perfectly fine without me. Why in the world did I let my brothers get to me? They knew nothing about love or how much it hurt to be left behind, to be discarded like you had never meant anything to that person. I’d vowed I wouldn’t let a girl do that to me ever again. Yet here I was . . . .
I turned and left. She’d be just fine. No side-stop at an ice cream parlor tonight. No chance of looking into dark warm eyes and luscious lips that had the cutest pout when she was thinking. My wolf was clawing to get out, and I would let it. There was no need for me to be here anymore—no reason for me to have ever come!
I ran toward the woods and shifted, howling a lone tune as soon as I was deep into the trees.
Luc
The runthrough the woods was just what I needed—fresh air, quiet, and best of all, none of my brothers ribbing me. It should have been calming, except it wasn’t. A nagging feeling had started to grate at my nerves. It was telling me to go back. I shook my head, telling myself there was nothing back there for me. Jill was better off without me. Broken and unsettled by relationships, I could never be what she needed.
But the feeling wouldn’t go away. It lingered on like a bad smell . . . just like that odd scent I’d detected when I arrived at the mansion. Something was wrong, very wrong.
I ran back to the ball as fast as I could. It seemed the woods were never-ending, and when I got back, people were starting to leave. I nodded at people I knew as I weaved in and out of guests in the ballroom, looking for Jill. But I didn’t see her, and I wasn’t able to find her heartbeat among the remaining guests. I next looked for Brandon and Becca, but it appeared they had not returned.
That tingling sensation had muted, but it hadn’t gone away, telling me something still wasn’t right. I did one last sweep of the ballroom before running to my car to head home. I drove like a mad wolf desperate to get back to his mate, slamming the steering wheel and cursing myself for not staying at the ball. If Jill was hurt, there would be a price to pay.
The drive seemed to go on forever. I pulled into the garage and willed myself to take some deep breaths, trying to calm my heart rate down before heading upstairs. If I didn’t, I might just charge straight to her room to make sure she was okay, and I knew if I did that I’d scare her away for sure. She would move out immediately, too afraid to show her face in front of me again. I couldn’t have that. If I couldn’t have her, at least I would watch over her while she lived in my building.
After I calmed down, I got out of my car and started for the elevator, passing her car on the way. A slight shadow caught my attention, and I turned to look straight at her car. What I saw inside made all my breathing exercises fall to the wayside. She was slumped in the front seat, still in her ballgown.
