Page 64 of Forsaken

I was wrong.

Nathan is on Gayle’s arm, and the jealousy that thrums through me almost brings me to my knees. It’s debilitating. It’s humiliating. It’s downright painful.

Panic shoots through me. What if he won’t come? What if he’s forgotten about me?

All of my worst fears might be materializing in front of my face, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Sean leans over, his foul fingers trailing up my arms. It’s a good thing this dress has fabric all the way up my shoulders because I’d be forced to puke about now if he makes skin-on-skin contact. “I guess they found their way back to each other.”

His hard voice is nothing compared to the beating of my heart. It’s a real, tangible warning drum, every pound threatens to move my feet forward and rip her away from him. And what a spectacle that would be.

I gaze around the beautifully decorated room for Kinsey. Jonah picked her up, and they said they would meet us here, in the ballroom of Alpha Richard’s mansion—because, of course, every house of the alpha has to have a ballroom. Sheer white draperies cascade over large windows that circle the space. The gauzy fabric drops from ceiling to floor ethereally. Everything is white, from the marble floors to the chair covers to the fine china. The only pop of color are the silver candelabras on each table.

“Mia.”

I recognize that surprised voice. As I scan the room, my mother comes into view. She looks downright stunning in a sequined emerald gown. Her long train trails behind her like she’s a queen from the days of old. “You clean up quite well. Nice to see you and Sean here together.”

Sean loops his arm through mine, and I stifle the roll of nausea that sweeps through me and place a composed grin on my face. Truth be told, this is the first time I’ve thought about my parents since Kinsey told me I was escaping tonight, leaving on my own terms so my pack can’t flip the script and decide a different fate for me. I can’t muster any sympathy for what this might do to them. In my eyes, they abandoned me when I was left to rot at Greystone.

“Hello, Mother. You look beautiful,” I relent.

My father moves forward and gives me a hug. My shoulders stiffen as he does so. Though, he’s a nice man, my mother is almost the exact opposite of him. She makes no move to embrace me, but the relief on her face that I’m currently with my assigned mate is clear as day.

I never thought of them having a bad pairing. I only saw it for what it was: fate approved. Now that I really look at him, though, I wonder if he feels the same way. Maybe he’s felt the brunt of my mother’s harsh words the same as I have. Everything is appearances to her. Nothing made that clearer than when I was at Greystone and barely heard anything from her. “Thank you,” she beams. “What do you think of the decorations?”

“Absolutely stunning,” Sean quips, inadvertently saving me from having to answer, I’m sure. He doesn’t understand my strained relationship with my parents. How could he? He’s been at Daybreak this whole time. He’s only trying to act the part of interested mate so he can bide his time with ruining me.

Mom wears a prideful smile. It lingers on me for far longer than it has as of late, and I can only imagine she’s dreaming about me finally being accepted back into pack life on Sean’s arm. To any outsider, this is exactly what us coming here together looks like.

My mother waves at another couple and then threads her arm through my father’s, dragging him off. He peeks at me over his shoulder as he’s being ushered away, but I can’t worry about him right now. If he really wanted to talk to me, he certainly didn’t need my mother’s permission to pick up the phone and call me while I was at Greystone.

“Where are your parents?” I ask, scanning the crowd and attempting to not spy Nathan and Gayle again. I need something to keep my mind off them before I go crazy.

“They’re around, I’m sure.”

His disinterested tone makes me look at him. The cut of his jaw is solid steel. “What?” I ask, knowing there’s something that he’s not offering up.

“None of your business,” he grinds out, flashing me a warning look.

I swear, if we weren’t surrounded by all these people, I’d punch him in the jaw. My wolf flicks her tale in solidarity with me. She’s been itching to get out. Inside, she’s mentally preparing herself for the escape tonight. She can’t wait to run, to get away—something that also lends credibility to Kinsey’s theories. My wolf should want to stay with her pack at all costs. The group mentality is strong.

I guess bonds don’t withstand everything, though. The people in charge haven’t attempted to help me at all, so her base animal instincts are kicking in. We’re ready to do it by ourselves.

Well, by ourselves with Nathan, of course. He’s a part of us now.

Inadvertently, I seek him out in the crowd. He and Gayle are sitting at a table together. She’s wearing a gorgeous, flowing, yellow dress. The diamonds in her ears sparkle. She’s blocking my view of Nathan, but it appears as if they’re sitting a little too close together.

My stomach squeezes. What bit of food I ate is threatening to come up and mar this beautiful white marble floor.

“Come on,” Sean states, dragging me toward a table. For some odd reason, he takes me to one in the front, next to the area where the pack alphas will more than likely be giving speeches later. Nathan and Gayle are almost on the other side of the room, closer to the area where couples dance to the string section currently playing off to the side.

Before I sit, I spot Jonah and Kinsey entering the room. I lift my hand to show her where we are, and Sean growls. “She’s always around.”

“They’re my friends,” I counter. “Wouldn’t it look weird if we didn’t sit with people we like?”

“I don’t like her. She’s much too...independent,” he says.

That she is.

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