Celine. She was a vision in silver silk, a literal angel with a heart beating inside her that shared Kaeren's blood. The moment the pregnancy was revealed—the moment the room went silent—I felt the ground dissolve beneath my feet.
"The pup!" Pia screamed, a sound of such profound agony that I nearly collapsed. "The Alpha has a pup with the silver female! He is lost! We are lost! The bond is breaking, Waverly! Look at him! He is looking at her!"
I couldn't be myself for the rest of the Gala. I was a ghost inhabiting a beautiful dress. I moved through the dances, I accepted the "congratulations" from people who were clearly celebrating my downfall, and I watched Kaeren.
I watched the man who was my mate, the man who had marked me, turn into a stranger before my very eyes.
When he finally left the hall, his face was hardened, and he didn't look at me. He didn't offer a word of comfort or a promise of protection. He just walked away, leaving me standing in the path of a landslide.
