#Chapter 37: In The Crosshairs

ELENA I couldn’t breathe. Dawn was grinning like she’d just won the lottery. Aiden was bouncing beside her, clapping like it was the best day of his life. And the bouquet? Firmly in my hands. The damn thing had sailed through the air like it had a tracker locked onto my scent and landed squarely against my chest. I hadn’t even tried to catch it. In fact, I’d dodged. And still, it had landed in my hands like the Moon Goddess herself was playing matchmaker with a sick sense of humor. Before I could blink, the garter was flying through the air, and like some twisted joke from fate, Derek caught it. His smirk as he held it up? I wanted to slap it right off his face. “Oh no,” I muttered, eyes scanning the crowd for an escape route. “Make it a long, slow dance!” someone called gleefully. The crowd was already parting, heading back to the tables that surrounded the dance floor so everyone could watch my humiliation from the comfort of their seats. “No,” I said under my