AJ'S POV
~
The scent of charred wood and roasted fish drifted over the lake, but the air felt heavy, suffocating my lungs and making it hard to breathe.
I kept my back turned to them, my fingers tightening around the wooden roasting spit until the timber creaked under my grip. I shut my eyes.
The Crescent Pack? Their mating ceremony?
I wanted to say "over my dead body" just like her past forgotten mate did, but I'm not him. I can't stop Diana if she wants to go.
Damn, why does it have to be him? I leaned my head back, catching her every breath. She thought she was hiding it: the way her shoulders turned slightly, the way her heels dug into the grass as if to anchor herself against a current no one else could feel.
The mating ceremony.
