POV: Tessa

I always thought finding my mate would be the happiest day of my life.

"Or the tackiest," Lyra, my wolf, scoffed, practically rolling her eyes in the back of my mind.

I was so incredibly wrong.

The annual Pack Gala was supposed to be a night of celebration.

The extravagant ballroom was suffocatingly loud, overflowing with the dizzying scents of high-ranking wolves, expensive champagne, and the suffocating weight of Alpha dominance.

I had spent hours getting ready, wrapping my body in a delicate, silver silk dress, all for him.

Tyler. My fated mate.

I had been searching for him all evening, my heart fluttering with the innocent, foolish hope of a girl who still believed in fairy tales.

When I finally pushed open the heavy glass doors of the estate's greenhouse, the humid air hit my face, thick with the scent of blooming orchids.

And the overpowering, sickening stench of lust.

I froze behind a massive fern, my breath catching in my throat.

There, on the plush velvet lounger meant for resting guests, was Tyler.

And beneath him, her skin flushed and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, was my cousin, Mia.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to choke back the jagged scream tearing at my throat.

They were so lost in each other, so consumed by their tangled bodies and animalistic gasps, that they didn’t even notice my presence.

Tyler’s hands—the same hands that had gently held my face yesterday—were bruising Mia’s hips.

"Ew. Her? Really?" Lyra sneered, her voice dripping with absolute disgust. "So Gross"

My chest caved in.

I forced Lyra down, burying her toxic commentary under a mountain of human heartbreak.

I didn't confront them. I didn't scream.

Instead, I turned and ran.

"Ugh, fine, run away like a tragic movie extra," Lyra groaned, deeply offended by my cowardice. "But lift the dress! If you ruin this silk crying over a two-timing downgrade, I'll never forgive you."

I fled like a coward, lifting the hem of my heavy silk gown, tears blurring my vision as I stumbled back into the sprawling mansion.

I couldn't let anyone see me like this.

A beta’s daughter was already looked down upon in this ruthless hierarchy.

A beta's daughter crying over a cheating mate was nothing but fresh meat for the pack's gossip mill.

Desperation drove me up the grand staircase and down a dimly lit hallway, pushing past heavy oak doors until I found an empty, unlit VIP lounge.

It wasn't enough. I needed to hide completely.

I threw open the doors of a massive, walk-in wardrobe in the corner of the room, crawling into the pitch-black depths and pulling the heavy, expensive winter coats around me like a shield.

The darkness swallowed me whole.

I curled my knees to my chest, burying my face in my hands as the first silent, violent sobs wrecked my body.

Creak.

The sound of the lounge door being shoved open violently made my blood run cold.

Heavy, predatory footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor, moving straight toward the wardrobe.

I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my breath until my lungs burned, terrified that Tyler had somehow followed me.

The wardrobe door was yanked open halfway.

Faint, amber light from the hallway spilled into the small space, illuminating the gap between the hanging coats.

I peered through the fabric, my heart slamming against my ribs.

It wasn't Tyler.

It was Chase.

At twenty-five, Chase was the most notoriously untamed Alpha in the city.

He owned the underground fighting rings, and he moved like a predator that had just been let off a leash.

He didn't see me hidden in the shadows of the heavy coats.

He looked annoyed, rolling his broad shoulders as he let out a frustrated breath.

Without a second thought, his large, scarred hands went to his collar, roughly yanking off his silk tie and tossing it onto the floor.

Then, he gripped the hem of his black dress shirt and pulled it over his head.

My breath completely vanished.

He was standing less than two feet away from me, entirely shirtless.

The faint light danced across his torso, highlighting the sharp, brutal ridges of his abs and the powerful swell of his chest.

A thin sheen of sweat coated his skin, making the intricate, tribal tattoos winding down his ribs look almost alive.

The sheer, overwhelming force of his Alpha pheromones—sharp cedarwood mixed with raw, masculine sweat—flooded the cramped space.

"Okay, I'll admit, the abs are a solid ten," Lyra purred in my head, completely ignoring my panic to objectify him. "Way better than the garbage fire we left in the greenhouse."

It was intoxicating.

It was dangerous.

My body, already fragile from the emotional shock, betrayed me with an involuntary shiver.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from whimpering, fighting Lyra's sudden, shallow urge to step out of the shadows and touch his chest just to see if it was as hard as it looked.

The fabric of the coat I was hiding behind rustled.

Chase froze.

His head tilted slightly, his sharp, predatory eyes scanning the dark interior of the closet.

He took a step closer.

The heat radiating from his bare skin seeped through the layers of clothing, warming my tear-stained cheeks.

His large hand reached out, his knuckles lightly brushing against the sleeve of the coat that was separating my face from his chest.

The accidental friction sent a scorching spark of electricity shooting straight down my spine.

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the humiliating moment of discovery.

"Chase? You in there?"

The drawling, aristocratic voice of Spencer echoed from the outer lounge, shattering the suffocating tension.

Chase’s hand paused.

He let out a low, rough chuckle, dropping his hand from the coat.

He grabbed a fresh shirt from a nearby shelf and walked out of the closet, leaving the door cracked open.

I exhaled a shaky breath, my body trembling violently.

But before I could figure out how to escape, a new voice pierced the air, sharp and dripping with venom.

"Ugh, this party is so boring. Did you guys see Tessa’s face earlier?"

It was Chloe.

The Alpha King’s daughter. The woman who had made my life a living hell since childhood.

"Who?" came the cold, indifferent voice of Grant, the ruthless twenty-eight-year-old billionaire who practically owned the city’s economy.

"Tessa," Chloe sneered, her heels clicking on the hardwood.

"That pathetic little Beta’s daughter. She’s walking around tonight acting like some untouchable saint, guarding her precious virginity for her mate."

A cruel, mocking laugh bubbled from Chloe's throat.

"The stupid bitch doesn't even know that Tyler has been fucking her cousin Mia for months. The whole pack knows. We’re all just waiting to see the look on her face when she finally figures it out."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

Months.

They all knew.

Everyone knew.

"A tragic little Beta," Spencer mused, his tone light and completely devoid of empathy. "Though I suppose innocence can be mildly entertaining."

"Entertaining?" Chloe scoffed. "She’s a bore. But... since we're all so bored tonight, why don't we make things interesting?"

There was a brief silence.

"I'm listening," Chase murmured, the sound of ice clinking in a glass echoing in the room.

"A bet," Chloe announced, her voice trembling with malicious excitement.

"The three of you. Whoever can take that pathetic little virgin's first time, make her fall madly, desperately in love, and then break her heart..."

She paused for dramatic effect.

"Wins me."

The air in the room seemed to shift.

"Whoever ruins her gets to claim me as their chosen mate," Chloe added, her voice dripping with extreme arrogance. "My father will bless the union. You get the Alpha King's daughter, and a direct path to the throne."

"And," Chloe whispered viciously, "she belongs to the winner too. To use, to play with, to discard however you see fit."

I waited for one of them to refuse.

I waited for the so-called honorable Alphas to tell her she was out of her mind.

Instead, a low, dark chuckle came from Spencer.

"You're offering yourself, and a crown... just to crush a Beta?"

"Are you in or out, Spencer?" Chloe challenged.

"I've never walked away from a guaranteed win," Spencer replied smoothly.

"Count me in," Chase growled, the thrill of the hunt bleeding into his voice. "I could use a new toy to break before claiming my royal prize."

"And you, Grant?" Chloe asked.

There was a long, agonizing pause.

When Grant finally spoke, his deep, authoritative voice sent a chill straight to my bones.

"Consider it done."

In the suffocating darkness of the wardrobe, something inside of me snapped.

It wasn't just my human heart freezing over; it was Lyra violently taking the reins.

"A bet? How original," my wolf drawled, practically filing her imaginary claws with a vicious smirk. "Oh, honey, they want to play games with us? Let's show these arrogant frat boys how a real bitch ruins a life."

The agonizing pain in my chest vanished.

The humiliating tears dried instantly on my cheeks, replaced by an unnatural, burning heat.

A toy to break.

A pathetic little virgin.

A stupid Beta.

They thought they were the hunters.

They thought I was just a naive, helpless prey waiting to be slaughtered for their amusement and a royal marriage.

I slowly pushed the silk sleeves of the coats aside.

I reached up and roughly wiped the remaining moisture from my eyes.

Then, I looked down at my dress.

"Lower, prude," Lyra ordered, sighing heavily at my hesitation. "Give them a show, let them think with their pants, and we'll take their crowns."

With deliberate, shaking fingers, I gripped the delicate neckline of the silver silk and pulled it down just a fraction of an inch, exposing the deep dip of my cleavage and the flushed skin of my collarbones.

I pushed the wardrobe door open.

I stepped out into the dim light of the room.

I smoothed down my skirts.

And then, I walked out of the inner room, my stilettos clicking sharply against the floor.

The conversation in the outer lounge died instantly.

Four heads snapped in my direction.

Chloe’s triumphant smirk froze on her face, twisting into ugly shock.

Chase’s glass stopped halfway to his mouth.

Spencer’s eyes narrowed into calculating slits.

And Grant…

Grant simply stared at me, his dark eyes unreadable, sitting in the center of the leather sofa like a king holding court.

I didn't look at Chloe.

I didn't acknowledge the betrayal or the sick, twisted bet I had just overheard.

Instead, I let my eyes glaze over, feigning a dizzy, uncoordinated stumble.

I walked straight past Chloe, aiming directly for the center of the room.

With a soft, helpless gasp, I tripped.

I fell forward, landing perfectly, softly, right into Grant’s lap.

"Look at the big bad billionaire malfunctioning," Lyra laughed, a high, cruel sound in my head. "Now, be a good girl and make him beg for it."

His large hands instantly clamped down on my waist to steady me, his muscles rigid beneath his expensive suit.

I shifted my weight, deliberately dragging my thigh against his, settling myself fully across his lap.

I looked up into his stunned, dark eyes.

I let my lips part, my breath hitting his jaw.

"I'm so sorry..." I whispered, my voice trembling with practiced vulnerability.

"I think I'm drunk."

I leaned in, my mouth millimeters from his ear.

"Can you help me?"

POV: Tessa

I let the sob break through my lips, sounding every bit the shattered, pathetic creature they expected a Beta to be.

"Oh, this is our best performance yet," Lyra, my wolf, purred in my mind. "Look at him. He's totally hooked. Keep trembling, babe, men like him eat that fragile act right up."

Grant’s hand tightened on my waist as I pretended to lose my balance, slipping off his lap with a soft, feigned gasp.

My eyes were wide, swimming with unshed, humiliating tears as I looked up at him.

Grant didn’t say a word.

His dark, unreadable gaze traced the line of my trembling jaw, his thumb lingering for a fraction of a second against my skin before I pulled away, hugging my arms around myself as if I were freezing.

Across the room, Chloe let out a soft, highly amused huff of laughter.

"Nice dress, Chloe," Lyra sneered mentally, eyeing the Alpha King's daughter. "Too bad daddy's money can't buy you a personality that doesn't suck."

Chloe didn't look angry, nor did she look rushed.

To her, my sudden emotional collapse and desperate cling to Grant were simply the natural, pathetic reactions of a Beta girl who had just realized her entire life was a joke.

She stood there, arms crossed over her high-fashion gown, enjoying every single second of my supposed humiliation.

"Leave her alone, Chloe," Spencer murmured smoothly, a cold, elegant smile playing on his lips. "She’s had quite enough shock for one evening."

"Oh, please," Chloe scoffed, flipping her platinum hair over her shoulder. "I'm just observing the local wildlife. Have fun with your new toy, gentlemen. Don't break her too fast"

With a flick of her wrist, she turned and strolled out of the VIP lounge, entirely confident that the game was already won.

Before I could slip out after her, the heavy oak doors banged open again.

Tyler strode into the room, his flushed face and rumpled collar a glaring testament to what he had been doing in the greenhouse.

Behind him, my cousin Mia scurried in, looking terrified yet sickeningly smug.

"Oh look," Lyra groaned loudly in my head. "The garbage took itself out and brought its cheap, discount sidekick."

Tyler’s eyes locked onto me, standing just a few feet away from Grant, Spencer, and Chase.

Because of the rigid social hierarchy of our pack, an ordinary Beta had no business sharing a room with elite Warriors and Alphas without permission.

Instead of feeling a shred of guilt for cheating on me, Tyler’s male ego flared up with violent, misplaced outrage at seeing me near other men.

"Tessa?" Tyler barked, his voice carrying the harsh, commanding cadence of a pack Warrior. "What the hell do you think you’re doing in here with them? Have you completely lost your mind? Standing here looking like a desperate stray—"

"Tyler," Mia chimed in, stepping forward with a sickeningly sweet, fake-innocent pout. "Don't be too hard on her. She just found out about us... I'm sure she's just acting out because she's jealous. A Beta girl could never hope to understand what a true Warrior needs anyway."

"If I could throw up in my own mouth, I would," Lyra gagged. "Please tell me we can rip her vocal cords out later."

I didn't flinch.

I didn't drop my head in shame.

I let my lower lip tremble just enough to sell the act, keeping my eyes fixed on Tyler like a wounded animal.

Tyler took a step closer, raising a hand as if he had the right to physically grab my arm and drag me away.

He didn't even get within three feet of me.

A heavy, suffocating wave of pure, unadulterated Alpha dominance slammed into the room like a physical wall.

It wasn't even a full suppression—just a casual, bored flick of power from Grant, who remained seated on the leather sofa.

Tyler’s knees buckled instantly.

The Warrior hit the hardwood floor with a sickening thud, the breath exploding out of his lungs as Grant’s pressure crushed down on his chest.

Tyler clawed at the air, his face turning a sickly shade of purple as he struggled to drag even a single molecule of oxygen into his throat.

"Ten points to the billionaire," Lyra cheered maliciously. "I could watch this trash choke all night."

Mia shrieked, stumbling backward until she tripped over her own heels and sprawled inelegantly on the floor next to him.

Spencer didn't even look down at them.

He took a slow sip of his bourbon, his voice dropping into a razor-sharp register.

"A Warrior forgetting his place in front of his superiors," Spencer purred, stepping over Tyler’s thrashing legs as if he were stepping over trash. "How utterly disgraceful. Pack law dictates that lesser ranks who disrespect a gathering of Alphas can have their status revoked entirely."

"Please..." Tyler wheezed, his eyes bulging as he stared up at Grant in abject terror.

Grant didn’t even glance at him.

His dark eyes were fixed entirely on me, watching how I reacted to the display of absolute power.

"Get out," Grant said, his voice a low, gravelly command that vibrated in the floorboards. "Before I decide you don't deserve to breathe pack air at all."

Tyler didn't need to be told twice.

Gasping and weeping with humiliation, he scrambled to his feet, hauled a sobbing Mia up by the elbow, and practically threw themselves out of the room, fleeing down the hallway like beaten dogs.

The room fell silent once more.

I let out a ragged, shaky breath, burying my face in my hands for a second to hide the cold, calculating satisfaction burning in my eyes.

When I dropped my hands, my face was a mask of fragile, exhausted distress.

"I... I need some air," I whispered, my voice cracking on the edge of tears.

Without waiting for an answer, I turned and bolted out of the VIP lounge.

I didn't stop running until I reached the sprawling, deserted back gardens of the estate.

The cool night air hit my burning skin, but it wasn't enough to calm the storm inside my chest.

As I hurried past a carved stone terrace near the mansion's private alcove, the sound of a familiar, arrogant voice froze me in my tracks.

It was Chloe.

She was standing on the other side of the stone partition, speaking in a harsh, venomous whisper to an attendant on her phone.

"I don't care what my father says," Chloe hissed into the receiver, her tone dripping with deep-seated hatred. "That filthy Beta girl... she shouldn't even be breathing the same air as me. Every time I look at her, I am reminded of what that woman did."

I pressed my back against the cold stone, holding my breath.

"My own mother," Chloe spat, her voice shaking with long-buried rage. "The former Luna of this pack. She threw away her crown, she shattered the royal mating bond with my father, and she ran away into the filth of the human and Beta settlements just to live an ordinary life... and eventually gave birth to that bastard daughter."

My entire world tilted on its axis.

The former Luna?

"Hold up," Lyra paused, the venom draining from her voice, replaced by pure, arrogant shock. "So... the blonde trainwreck is our sister? Gross. But wait—that means we're royal blood, loser. My fur just got ten times more expensive."

My breath hitched in my throat, a cold shock piercing straight through my chest.

For the first time in my life, standing in the dark shadows of the garden, the horrifying truth crashed over me.

My mother was the royal Luna who had abandoned the throne, choosing a quiet life with a gentle Beta man—giving birth to me.

And Chloe had spent her entire life projecting her bitter abandonment directly onto me.

I wasn't just a random target of pack bullying. I was the living, breathing shadow of her greatest trauma.

Panic surged through my veins.

If Chloe turned around and saw me, the entire foundation of my ignorance would shatter.

Without making a sound, I turned and bolted away from the terrace.

Footsteps echoed behind me—heavy and fast.

Someone was following me.

Desperate to hide, I sprinted toward the edge of the estate's massive, illuminated infinity pool that overlooked the cliffside.

Unwilling to be cornered, I gripped the edge of the marble coping and slipped silently over the side, letting myself drop straight down into the deep end of the pool.

The water hit me like a wall of ice.

I swallowed a gasp, a small pocket of air escaping my lips in a string of silver bubbles as I sank into the dark, chlorinated depths.

I pressed my back against the tiled wall of the deep end, pulling my knees to my chest, letting the heavy folds of my silver silk dress wrap around my legs like a trap.

Footsteps paused right at the edge of the water above.

I strained my ears, listening to the rhythmic breathing echoing against the tile.

Splash.

A heavy shadow plunged into the water above me, creating a violent rush of current that nearly tore me away from the wall.

Before I could even process the movement, a pair of incredibly strong, unyielding arms locked around my waist.

The impact drove the last remaining air from my lungs.

I opened my eyes in the stinging water, my vision blurring in the moonlight filtering through the surface.

It was Chase.

His muscular chest pressed flush against mine, the heat radiating from his skin defying the freezing water.

In the dim, aquatic gloom, his feral, predatory eyes locked onto mine with terrifying intensity.

He didn't hesitate.

With one hand gripping my hip so hard it would leave bruises, he hauled me upward, crashing his mouth down onto mine in the middle of the dark, silent water.

"Oh, yes," Lyra purred wickedly in my head. "I told you the abs were worth it. Now shut up and kiss him back."

It wasn't a rescue.

It was an assault on my senses.

His lips parted mine with raw, untamed force, forcing air, heat, and a searing rush of oxygen directly into my lungs.

Along with the breath, a heavy wave of his aggressive cedarwood pheromones flooded my system, making my head spin.

My silver silk dress had completely soaked through, turning utterly translucent and plastering itself like a second skin over the curves of my body.

His large, calloused hand slid up my spine, tracing the soaked fabric of my back before curling tightly around the back of my neck, holding me completely captive in his arms beneath the surface.

His eyes never left mine in the water.

I was survived.

POV: Tessa

The kiss was a violent, suffocating collision of teeth, heat, and raw Alpha dominance.

"Alright, I'll admit the guy is an arrogant prick, but his tongue game is absolutely lethal," Lyra purred, practically vibrating with toxic approval in the back of my mind.

"Ten out of ten for the underwater assault, babe, but push him away. Don't let him think he gets the whole meal for free."

I planted my hands flat against his rock-hard chest and shoved him back just enough to break the seal of his lips.

We broke the surface of the water simultaneously, gasping deeply for the cold, crisp night air.

My lungs were burning, my heart slamming against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Chase didn't let me go.

His massive hands gripped my waist, pulling my soaked, trembling body flush against the scorching heat of his bare torso.

The silver silk of my dress had turned completely translucent in the pool, clinging to my curves like a second layer of skin and leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Chase’s dark eyes dragged down my neck, lingering heavily on the deep plunge of my neckline before snapping back up to my swollen lips.

He lifted a calloused thumb, roughly swiping a drop of pool water from the corner of my mouth.

His pupils were blown wide, consumed by the thrilling, blinding high of a predator who believed he had just successfully cornered his prey.

"You're shaking, Beta," Chase murmured, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that sent a treacherous shiver straight down my spine.

Before he could pull me back in for a second taste, the slow, mocking sound of clapping echoed through the dark garden.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Chase’s entire body went rigid, a dangerous, warning growl tearing through his chest.

I peeked over his broad shoulder, playing the part of a terrified, confused girl.

Standing perfectly composed at the edge of the illuminated pool was Spencer.

"Oh, great. The politician is here," Lyra sneered, her mental voice dripping with supreme sarcasm. "Hide your wallets and your virtue, babe. This one smiles while he stabs you."

Spencer had his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his impeccably tailored trousers.

The silver moonlight caught the sharp, aristocratic angles of his jaw and the cold, calculating amusement dancing in his eyes.

"My, my, Chase," Spencer drawled, his voice as smooth and deadly as liquid velvet.

"The game has barely begun, and you're already trying to drown our prize in the deep end?"

Spencer took a slow, deliberate step closer to the water's edge.

"That is incredibly poor form."

Chase’s grip on my waist tightened to a bruising degree.

"Back the fuck off, Spencer," Chase snarled, his aggressive cedarwood pheromones exploding into the humid air like a physical threat. "She jumped in. I just caught her."

"And yet, she looks absolutely terrified of you," Spencer replied effortlessly.

A wave of Spencer's own pheromones—crushed juniper berries and dark, intoxicating bourbon—rolled over the pool, violently clashing against Chase’s scent.

"Look at them puffing out their chests like a couple of stray dogs fighting over a bone," Lyra laughed mockingly, thoroughly enjoying the chaos. "Pick the snake in the suit. It'll drive the naked one absolutely insane."

I let out a soft, pathetic whimper, shivering violently in the freezing water.

I shrank away from Chase’s burning chest, wrapping my arms around my own shoulders as I looked up at Spencer with wide, perfectly weaponized tears in my eyes.

Spencer’s eyes darkened at the sight of my pathetic, drenched state.

With elegant, unhurried movements, he shrugged off his expensive, custom-made suit jacket.

He crouched down at the very edge of the pool, extending a long, elegant hand toward me.

"Come here, Tessa," Spencer coaxed, his tone dropping into a dangerously gentle register that could have charmed a snake out of a basket.

"You're going to catch your death in that freezing water. Let me take you inside."

"Don't touch him," Chase ordered, his voice cracking like a whip next to my ear.

I let out another practiced sob, visibly flinching at Chase's harsh tone.

Slowly, hesitantly, I reached my dripping, freezing hand out of the water.

Chase let out a furious, feral hiss as my fingertips slipped from his chest.

I bypassed the wild Alpha entirely, placing my small hand directly into Spencer's waiting palm.

Spencer's lips curled into a terrifyingly triumphant smile.

His grip was shockingly strong as he hauled me effortlessly out of the pool and up onto the marble ledge.

Before the cold wind could even hit my soaked skin, Spencer wrapped his heavy, warm suit jacket tightly around my trembling shoulders.

The rich, intoxicating scent of his juniper and bourbon pheromones instantly enveloped me, drowning out the pool water and Chase's lingering cedarwood.

"Good girl," Spencer murmured against my wet hair.

He effortlessly swept me up into his arms, carrying me bridal style as if I weighed absolutely nothing.

I buried my face in the crook of his neck, hiding the cold, calculating smirk that finally broke across my lips.

Behind us, a violent, raging splash echoed into the night as Chase furiously slammed his fist into the surface of the water.

Spencer carried me back into the sprawling mansion through a private side entrance, completely avoiding the crowded ballroom.

He didn't speak as we moved down a long, thickly carpeted hallway on the second floor.

He stopped in front of a heavy mahogany door, kicking it open with his foot and carrying me inside a dimly lit, lavishly decorated guest suite.

He set me down gently on the plush rug in the center of the room.

I kept my head bowed, clutching his oversized jacket tightly around my shivering frame.

Click.

The heavy, metallic sound of the door locking behind him echoed in the dead silence of the room.

"Oh, he locked it," Lyra chuckled darkly, her golden eyes flashing in my mind. "The polite gentleman mask is coming off. Show time."

I slowly raised my head.

The soft, gentle smile that Spencer had worn by the pool was completely gone.

In the dim light of the crystal wall sconces, his perfectly composed face had shifted into something undeniably predatory.

He took a slow step toward me.

I took a deliberate step back, letting my back hit the heavy wooden door behind me.

Spencer didn't stop until he was standing mere inches away, his towering frame completely boxing me in.

His eyes slowly, agonizingly raked down my body, studying the way the dripping wet silk of my dress clung to my shivering thighs beneath his jacket.

He lifted a hand, his cold, elegant fingers brushing wet strands of hair away from my neck.

His knuckles grazed the sensitive skin of my collarbone, sending an involuntary shiver through my body that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold.

Spencer leaned down, his warm breath ghosting across the shell of my ear.

"Now that we are all alone, little rabbit..." he whispered, his voice dark, husky, and utterly dripping with danger.

His long fingers slipped beneath the heavy lapels of his jacket, finding the top of the zipper on the back of my wet, ruined dress.

"Are you going to take this wet dress off yourself..."

He slowly pulled the zipper down a single inch.

"...or do you need my help?"