Page 7 of A Pack for the Wedding
What the hell is going on?
I run toward the mess and manage to grab Mason's arm. Knox gets a fistful of his jacket, and between the two of us we haul him upright. His whole body strains forward.
"Stop," I shout. "Mase.Stop."
"Let me—" He fights the grip, voice shaking. "This sneaky little—he—"
"STOP!"
We all go still.
Jessica.OurJessica.
I turn toward her voice, a stupid, desperate flicker of hope flaring in my chest as she runs our way. Whatever she's doing here, she still cares. She can't stand the thought of her alphas ending hurt and—
She blows right past us and drops to her knees beside the stranger on the floor. Her hands fly up to cup his face. So gently. So agonizingly carefully.
"Are you okay?" she murmurs. Her thumb traces his jawline. "Baby, look at me. Are you hurt?"
Every drop of blood in my body goes cold.
Baby...?
3
Beth
"I'm going to be the worst maid of honor in the history of weddings." My voice cracks onweddings, and I swipe at my cheek with the heel of my hand. It comes away black. Great. Now my mascara is even more ruined.
"Come on, Beth." Harper's hand finds my shoulder, her thumb tracing a slow circle against the fabric of my dress. "Of course you won't—"
"Harper. I just stood watch by the buffet eating shrimp all night, then disappeared. I didn't evengivemy toast as I was too busy crying by the lake." I press my forehead against my cool water glass. "Three hours. I was gone for three hours."
Behind the bar, the bartender runs a cloth through the same spotless pint glass for the fourth time, offering the professional courtesy of a man who has seen this kind of meltdown a dozen times before.
"You're doing that thing," Harper says.
"What thing."
"That thing where you apologize for having a normal human reaction to something that would've knocked anyone sideways."She pulls her feet up onto the stool rung. "Your ex-fiancé walked in with a brand-new fiancée on his arm. You're allowed to not be okay."
My eyes sting again. I blink hard. "But I was awreck. I was the wreck that other wrecks look at and think,oh, at least I'm not that bad. The Maid of Honor is supposed to be there for the bride, not the other way around."
Harper takes my hand, her warm fingers wrapping mine.
"I promise I'll be better," I say, and I hate how small it sounds. My eyes are wet again, and I stare at the bar's wood grain so I don't have to look at her. "I was caught off guard tonight, that's all. I didn't know he'd be there. But the wedding—I'll be ready for the wedding. Three months is plenty of prep time." I turn my head slowly toward her and try a smile. "And before the big day, I'll throw you a bachelorette party so good it'll feel illegal."
Harper's face softens. "I know you will," she smiles. "And in the meantime, I need you to stop punishing yourself for having feelings. You didn't do anything wrong. You just hurt."
I open my mouth to argue, because recreational self-loathing is the cornerstone of my current vibe, but before I can get the words out, a voice cuts through from somewhere near the back of the venue.
"—I lost it, Ben. I know." Mason's voice, rough and stripped down to something raw. "I shouldn't have touched him."
"You tackled him, Mase." Ben's voice, tired but not angry.
Harper puffs, shaking her head. The ghost of a smile tugs at her mouth. She nudges my arm.
"See?" She nods toward the voices. "At least you didn't commit assault, I'd call that a massive win."
