She sounded tired and defeated even to herself. “Dante, you know it’s best for me to—”

“You’re not leaving me. You promised me you wouldn’t, Jaime. Yes, she was strong. But you were stronger. And you’ll keep getting stronger.”

“Yeah, but so will she.”

Just as Dante had anticipated, Josh had gone totally over the top for his birthday. Colored lanterns, balloons, and birthday banners were everywhere, particularly in the opening of the forest. Hey, Dante loved a good party like everyone else, but the whole thing was set up in a way that suggested the guy was all-important and deserved to be worshipped. Being Alpha didn’t mean the pack owed him that.

It was his job to earn their trust and respect.

“Is it just me who’s thinking that he’s gone a little overboard?” grumbled Jaime. Although she wasn’t at all interested in celebrating Josh’s birthday, she was quite enjoying seeing her old packmates.

“Nope, not at all.”

Seeing that yet another guy was ogling Jaime, Dante curled an arm around her and gripped her hip possessively. Not that he could really blame the guy. She was always beautiful to Dante, but she looked particularly stunning tonight in her white strapless dress and white stilettos. He’d barely resisted taking her hard and fast before they left. He was looking forward to rolling up that dress and bending her over while he f**ked her until she forgot how to breathe.

Seeing so many males admiring her had his wolf on edge, as if waiting to be challenged. Dante couldn’t help wondering if any of those guys from this pack were ex-boyfriends of hers. It was probably best that he didn’t know. He couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t punch them if it turned out that they were.

Snapping him out of his thoughts, an elderly couple approached. Immediately he recognized them from when he was younger. Just as many other members of his old pack had done that night, they shot question after question at him: How had he been? How was the rest of the Phoenix Pack doing?

Were he and Jaime mated? Then they would ask Jaime if she had any intention of returning and all about how Gabe was doing. He quickly came to realize that Jaime and Gabe had been popular in the pack, and he had to wonder why it was that they left.

Although it was nice seeing old pack members, he often found his mind drifting. He was very much aware of just how much work he had waiting for him back at his office, and it was playing on his mind. Being here was taking away valuable time he could have used on getting all that done.

Several times people had had to repeat their questions at least twice before it even registered to him that they were talking to him. Luckily, Jaime was a good conversationalist.

“You know, you could at least look like you’re enjoying yourself.” He blinked at her words, only then realizing the elderly couple was gone. He supposed it was kind of obvious that he was eager to leave. “Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.” Yeah, and that was always the problem with him, thought Jaime with a sigh. She wanted to be understanding, she really did, but sometimes she couldn’t help resenting how little consideration she got. It was one thing for him to be tending to his duties, but it was another thing for him to be off in a world of his own when he was supposed to be spending time with her. Resisting the urge to argue with him was difficult, but she managed it.

“Dante,” drawled a voice that was almost as gruff as Dante’s. Jaime inwardly rolled her eyes.

God, she despised this guy. Out of all the brothers, he looked the most like Dante, but he was nowhere near as attractive.

“Josh,” said Dante with a nod and a shake of the hand. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks. This is my mate, Rhea. You saw her briefly when we came to your territory with some of the others to ask about Taryn.”

Dante gave her a nod. “Congratulations on the pregnancy.”

“Thank you,” she said, placing a hand on her flat stomach. Josh turned to Jaime then.

“Jaime, it’s been a while. How’ve you been?”

“Super,” she replied flatly before quickly switching her attention to Rhea, giving her a brief hug. The redhead was a lot like Ryan in the sense that she didn’t say much, but she had a keen pair of eyes and a strong set of morals.

Dante frowned when Josh didn’t even arch a brow at Jaime’s lack of respect toward him. It was clearly no surprise to him.

“She’ll never forgive me for the way I was with you when we were kids,” he told Dante. “She didn’t feel that she could respect and follow me as she should be able to with her Alpha.” That was what her behavior was all about? That was why she left the pack? Dante swallowed hard, touched by the idea, and ran a hand down her hair. He’d known she was angry at all his brothers, but he hadn’t suspected that this anger was what made it impossible for her to follow Josh.

He hadn’t suspected it was enough to make her leave the pack she had been born and raised in.

Another redhead suddenly approached and gently nudged Rhea. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

As Rhea’s sister’s gaze raked over Dante, Jaime had the urge to poke those ogling eyes right out of her head. That same urge had repeatedly come to her throughout the night when various females had flashed him smiles that said they were remembering good times with him. Jerk.

Rhea nodded. “Dante, this is my sister, Marley. Marley, this is Josh’s brother. He’s also Beta of the Phoenix Pack.”

Marley gave him a dazzling smile and began chatting away to him, not even sparing Jaime a glance. Not that she and Jaime had ever been good friends or anything. Quite the opposite. It was kind of hard to be friends with someone who once tried to shove your face in a toilet, and Jaime was a grudge holder. Seeing that Marley was now licking her bottom lip invitingly at Dante and had moved even closer, Jaime clenched her fists. Her wolf was urging her to bare her teeth. “I take it the staring and drooling are side effects of your meds?”

Marley’s eyes finally went to Jaime, and she actually blushed. “Oh. It’s you.” She turned back to Dante. “Please tell me you’re not with her. I mean, she’s had nearly every guy here.” Just like that, Dante’s blood was boiling. His attention shot to Jaime, who, rather than looking angry or defensive, appeared bored.

Jaime sighed. “You never let the facts get in the way, do you, Marley?”

“She’s lying?” Dante had to hear her say it loud and clear.

Offended, Jaime gawked. “Of course she’s lying! How could you think she wasn’t?!” Insulted, her wolf flexed her claws, wanting to take a swipe at him.

Marley’s expression was sympathetic when she spoke to Dante. “Oh, you didn’t know? Well, I guess I wouldn’t want to broadcast that if it was me. I can understand why she’d lie about it.” Seeing that Dante was actually looking doubtful, Jaime wasn’t sure who she wanted to hit more. It wasn’t as if the guy was the Virgin freaking Mary anyway, was it? How hypocritical was that! What hurt her most was that he would actually think Marley was telling the truth.

“Marley, enough,” chastised Rhea.

“He has a right to know. I actually figured he already knew.” She shook her head at Jaime.

“You really have no one to blame but you, though.”

Somehow suppressing her wolf, who was eager to slice open Marley’s stomach, Jaime simply gave her an unpleasant smile. “You know, I watched an old episode of Friends yesterday. It was so damn funny it could have made your boobs fall off…Oh, you saw it.” Startled laughs burst out of both Rhea and Josh. In an instant, Marley’s expression went from amused to horrified.

Jaime jabbed Dante in the chest with her finger. “And you…It’s almost as though you have a curiosity about testicle retrieval surgery.”

As she began marching off, Dante strode after her and looped his arm around her, pulling her back against his chest. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Get off me.”

“I shouldn’t have doubted you, I’m sorry. My head’s just full of all kinds of stuff right now.” Of course it was. She sharply shrugged out of his hold and turned to face him. He stiffened as if bracing himself for impact. What, did the workaholic jerk think he’d actually cracked her hard-won self-control and she was going to lunge at him? He should. She was thinking about it. Now would be good.

“Don’t be mad, baby—”

“We’re leaving.”

“What?”

She couldn’t believe that he sounded genuinely surprised. “You might be standing right there, but you’re not actually with me. Your head’s somewhere else, just like always. Sorry to see that spending time with me bores you so much.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you. You know I do.”

“When there’s sex involved, sure. Or when you know that sex will soon be involved, sure.” He felt his face harden. “It’s not like that.”

Ignoring him, she continued, “But any other time, your head is back in your office.”

“You knew my job was demanding, Jaime.”

“Yeah, I knew I’d have to share you with your job. What I didn’t know was that I’d come second to it.”

“You’re not second.” How could she even think that?

“Yes, I am. But I don’t deserve to be.” He looked about to say something, but then a tall, regal-looking brunette decorated in pearls appeared, and his mouth dropped open wide, making Jaime frown inwardly. Was it admiration? Shock? Horror? All three?

“Laurie,” he muttered to himself, stunned.

The bottom fell out of Jaime’s stomach, and suddenly it felt as though her lungs had been pierced. God, not her. Not the woman he’d once loved enough to imprint with. Her wolf instantly growled, viewing her as competition. Then Jaime looked down and saw the boy at her feet, a boy who looked just as Dante had when he was ten years old, and a sickening feeling overcame her. It was well known that female shifters couldn’t get pregnant by anyone they weren’t mated to, but Laurie had been partly imprinted with Dante. She had been his mate—well, half mate—for a short while.

Could that count?

“Dante, how are you?” Laurie stepped forward and hugged him hard. When Dante’s hand left Jaime’s back and he awkwardly returned the hug, Jaime honestly thought she was going to be sick. Or slaughter them both right there and then.

Stepping back and trying to regain his sense of equilibrium, Dante replied, “I’m great. You?”

“Fabulous, thanks. Who’s this?”

Double-blinking, he turned to Jaime and saw how stiff she was. Her face was totally blank, but he could sense that she was pissed with him. Hugging another female was asking for trouble. Hugging a female he had once been partially imprinted with was pretty much suicidal. He had a feeling that he might have to do some serious groveling tonight. “Jaime, this is Laurie, Blane’s mate. Laurie, this is Jaime, my—”

“Packmate,” Jaime finished.

Dante winced. Oh yeah, he was in deep shit. It wasn’t as though he’d wanted to hug Laurie.

He’d just been in shock, and she’d practically dived on him. He’d always thought that if he saw her again, he’d at least feel a mixture of sadness and yearning, but there was nothing. There wasn’t even anger at the pain she had once put him through. That pain had been dulled since being with Jaime and was now nothing more than a slight prick of betrayal. How could he possibly yearn for someone else when he had a woman as amazing and perfectly suited to him as Jaime?

Despite recognizing Laurie as the female he had once been partially mated to, his wolf paid her no attention. He was more concerned about Jaime, fretting over how agitated she was. Right now, Dante was thinking of killing Josh for not warning him that he’d invited their eldest brother and his mate. “Where’s Blane?”

“He couldn’t make it. So it’s just me and Leif.”

Dante hadn’t even noticed the kid until then. He felt the color drain from his face. He decided to ignore the fact that the kid looked so much like him. He also decided to ignore that the boy was approximately ten years old and it had been ten years ago that he and Laurie were together. Lots of people had kids who resembled their siblings. It didn’t mean anything.

Laurie curled an arm around Leif and hugged him to her side, smiling proudly. “Isn’t he the best looking boy you ever saw?”

Jaime noted that Leif tensed at the contact and was peering up at his mother with a confused expression, almost as if her affection and pride in him was unusual.

“It’s the Garcea blood, isn’t it, kid?” Dante said to him.

Leif smiled a crooked smile that looked so much like Dante’s, and Jaime’s heart almost broke.

The possible implications were just too much for her to take in right then. She needed to get away, even though it wouldn’t be a good move to leave while the only woman he’d ever loved was practically lounging all over him, talking madly about a kid who was quite possibly his. The jerk wasn’t even removing her hands from him!

At any other time, Jaime would have clawed the bitch and made her claim on Dante clear, but what was the point in her making any kind of possessive gesture? Jaime cared for Dante—more than she was willing to admit, in fact—but that was part of the problem. Just as she’d anticipated, it ate at her to be with him, caring so much for him, when those feelings weren’t returned.

She “mattered,” he’d say. Yeah? Well, “mattering” to him wasn’t enough to make her feel secure in the relationship. Because of that, he didn’t feel like he was hers. If the delighted look on his face was anything to go by, he was still very much in love with Laurie anyway. He looked the happiest he had looked all night. Far be it for her to ruin the prick’s cozy reunion with the female who had once betrayed and left him. If he actually stupidly preferred someone so disloyal and fickle, they deserved each other.