#Chapter 22: Suspicion

DEREK The Alpha Ball was meant to be a display of strength, of unity. Instead, it had become a personal battlefield, and I stood in the center of it, seething in silence. Elena was radiant. The deep blue of her gown hugged her frame, the copper mass of her hair swept up to expose the delicate curve of her throat—the spot where my mark should have been. Instead, she stood beside Logan, his hand hovering too close to her lower back, his smile too smug. The way she leaned into him, the way he murmured something against her ear that made her lips twitch upward—it was too familiar. Too intimate. My jaw tightened. How long had this been going on? The thought burned like acid in my gut. Elena had lost her memories, yes, but had she fallen into Logan’s arms so easily? Had she been with him even while we were together, planning our own wedding? A slow, measured breath did nothing to calm me. I forced my attention away, scanning the ballroom, only to have my night worsen. Cassan