A rough hand yanks the woman away from his side, a snarl cutting through the air. Gasps ripple through the crowd as the offender rips the scarf from her neck, revealing whatever secret Diego had desperately tried to conceal.

I drop my plate to the table and rush to help him. There is no sense in this. “What is going on? Why are you bothering her? Can you not see she came with Diego?”

“The woman isn’t mated. He is trying to masquerade her as mated so she isn’t in the mating chase. ...