Chapter 5

Gideon was Cassian's oldest friend, and Marlowe's husband.

I couldn't risk tipping him off. Not yet.

Cassian had told me the trip would last seven days. In those seven days, I didn't call him once.

On the sixth day, he called me.

"Tills," said that familiar voice. "I'm flying home tomorrow. Did you miss me?"

"Mm."

"Wow, so cold. You were totally dying without me, weren't you? I'm still in Denver. I picked up that salted caramel you love, the one from the little shop downtown. I'll bring it home tomorrow."

"Mm."

He must have caught my tone, because his voice dropped into something softer. "What's wrong, Tills? Are you mad I left in such a hurry?"

"Don't be mad. I'll make it up to you when I'm back."

"Seriously, I missed you like crazy. My wolf's been restless the whole week."

He knew how much I hungered for his body. Eight-pack abs, broad shoulders, a narrow waist. Cassian had been voted the hottest guy in his year at Cascade, and back then he'd used every ounce of that face to eat me alive.

I'll admit it. I had a weakness for that body.

But a young, strong body isn't one of a kind. The world is full of them.

Before his flight, he sent me a text. He was craving my honey garlic ribs. Could I make dinner and wait for him at home? Gideon would pick him up.

So Marlowe and I played Gideon like a fiddle. We told him Cassian had switched to a later flight and didn't need a ride after all. Then I came up with a perfectly innocent reason to borrow his truck.

Which was why, when Cassian climbed into the passenger seat of Gideon's truck, with Valerie right behind him, he froze with one foot still on the pavement.

"Tills?" His face went white. "What are you doing here?"

"Why wouldn't it be me?"

Valerie yanked the bag out of Cassian's hand and slung it over her own shoulder. Then she lowered her head, eyes down, the picture of manners.

"Hello, Alpha Silverfang."

I almost smiled.

So she knew. Of course she knew. She'd known he was mated the whole time.

Cassian twisted around to snap at her. "Go on ahead, Val."

"But," she said in a small voice, "it's really hard to get a ride out here."

"She can ride with us," I said pleasantly. "A girl alone at this hour. It's not safe."

Valerie started toward the door.

"I said go on." Cassian's voice cracked across the truck. "Are you deaf?"

She looked ready to burst into tears. She stood there dragging that enormous suitcase, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Goodbye, Alpha Silverfang."

She walked away, glancing back three times before she finally disappeared.

I picked up the coffee sitting in the cupholder, took a slow sip, and frowned. "You really don't know how to be kind to a pup, do you? Sending a girl off alone. Not very gentlemanly. Not very wolf, either."

Cassian's face was a storm. "What are you trying to do, Tills?"

I set the cup on the dashboard.

Then I pulled the Severance Pact out of my bag and handed it to him.

"I'm done," I said. "Sign it."