Sofia's smugness grated against my nerves as I rose from the chair, my wolf stirring uneasily within me. Nicholas's sudden appearance had silenced Sofia, but her words still echoed in my mind.

My chest ached—not just because of what Sofia had said, but because I’d had to hear it from her and not from my mate. Nicholas, my mate, had chosen to keep it from me. The betrayal burned and I wasn’t thinking straight anymore.

I walked past him without sparing him a glance, even as he tried ...