[Meredith].
How long had he stood there? What had he felt? Pride? Shock? Betrayal?
I swallowed hard.
I tried to imagine it from his side—the mate bond humming with excitement that wasn't his, the scent of adrenaline, the unmistakable truth that something monumental had changed, and that I had chosen silence instead of him.
Just as I was still wallowing in my sorrows, footsteps crunched softly nearby.
I stiffened, half-expecting to turn and find Draven standing there already. Instead—
"By the moons," Dennis groaned, staggering slightly as he came into view. One hand pressed to his temple, the other hanging uselessly at his side. "If the moon ever invites me to drink again, remind me to insult it and walk away."
I blinked. "Dennis?"
He froze, too, his eyes widening. "Meredith?"
We stared at each other for a second, equally surprised.
"What are you doing out here?" we asked at the same time.
