"I would like to present a toast to my best friend and good friend, Jasmine and Eli," I began while clinking my glass. "I'll keep this short and sweet...Ever since high school, they've been going strong and even though a lot of guys have hurt Jasmine, I know that Eli won't be one of them. But if that ever happens, you know I'll hurt you, right Eli?"

"Nothing less than expected," Eli laughed from his seat on the other side of Jasmine.

"As you know, I hope for the best. And I thank you—Jasmine—for not being a complete bridezilla while planning this wedding," I concluded. The crowd clapped and laughed. "I'd like to continue the reception with the newly wedded couple's first dance," I added. Jasmine and Eli stood and grabbed hands. They made their way to the dance floor and danced in a classy and crazy fashion, not at all choreographed. But there was sentiment in the song and moment.

"Hello. I couldn't help but notice your beauty from afar," a familiar voice said from behind while I gazed at the happy couple now that the song had ended and other couples joined the dance floor. "Can I have your hand in a dance?"

"Eh. You seem cute," I complimented in a joke towards Torrance. I stood up and grabbed his hand so we could start dancing.

"How does someone as gorgeous as you not have a date to this joyous event?" Torrance flirted.

"Oh trust me, I do," I said seductively.

"Well where is he?"

"He's around...probably."

"Well he's stupid to leave you alone for one moment or else someone else will snatch you up," Torrance said.

"Hmm. Maybe he won't mind if it's you," I figured before reaching up and pressing my lips to his.

"Man, my girlfriend's gonna be pissed," he complained. He locked his eyes to mine. "But you're worth it."

He leaned down to kiss me, but I leaned away once I felt his pocket start vibrating.

"Sorry. I got to answer this," he said.

"Go," I allowed. He left and walked out of the ballroom to take his call. I found my way to the bathroom so I could finally use it now that I wasn't waling down an aisle or organizing reception seating.

"Yeah. I just got in," a female voice said as I was in a stall. Wait...that voice was familiar... "Yup...okay...I'll talk to you later. Bye."

How was she here?! I waited until I heard footsteps walk away and the bathroom door close before I exited the stall. I washed my hands and cautiously left the bathroom. My jaw dropped when I saw who was currently on the stage with the mic in hand.

"—so Eli and Jasmine. I hope you have an incredible life together," the speaker concluded as the crowd clapped.

I felt like I was choking on my own air. I turned to leave and Wes stopped me with apologetic eyes by the time I made it to one of the exits.

He knew.

"I'm sorry. I meant to tell you the other night, but Torrance—"

I interrupted him by leaving to find Torrance outside and leave. Lucky me, I couldn't find him. I put my hands on my head and turned back to the receptions entrance and paused when I saw the last person I wanted to. Once again, I was choking on air. I couldn't say anything especially when he strode over to me. I avoided looking in his eyes and then suddenly he was closer than I thought he was, yet still kept walking. My body was torn because I felt both gravitated towards him while also struggling to stay apart.

"I missed you," Chase rushed before trying to connect his lips with mine. I took a step back immediately. I was glad I did because when I looked to the side, I saw Torrance walking in while pulling the phone down from his ear. Without one look to the unwelcomed visitor, I began walking towards Torrance.

"Hey," he greeted me with a concerned expression.

"I think it's time to go. Yes?" I rushed.

"What? You're the maid of honor. Aren't you supposed to be running this whole thing?" he reminded with a nervous smile.

"I guess you're right..."

I suddenly pulled him back into the reception because he was right. I was helping to run this thing. I shouldn't let Chase Cane run me out of anywhere.

"We didn't finish our dance," Torrance reminded despite his uncertainty from my shift in motivations.

"Then let's finish it," I replied. We started spinning and dancing as I got my mind off of the unwelcomed visitor that seemed to disappear. But I found myself glancing around to see the other pack members exiting the reception hall maybe for their alpha's sake.

***

I admired Jasmine's bouquet in my left hand as my right hand was laced with Torrance's. I caught the bouquet completely at random. It literally fell into my hands after bouncing off the greedy hands of eager women. I unlocked my door and we entered, full of fatigue.

I looked onto my balcony and saw lightning. It had been a great weathered day until tonight. Now it was raining hard and booming thunder. Of course I didn't want Torrance driving home in the rain so he stayed with me since he already drove me home. He helped me unzip my dress so I could slip on pajamas and he did the same since some of his clothes were here. Five minutes later, I was laying in his arms on my bed as it was pitch black and storming outside.

"I hope Eli and Jasmine have a nice honeymoon," I sighed tiredly.

"I bet they will," Torrance laughed suggestively. I lightly hit his chest.

"I meant at the fact of being newlyweds," I clarified.

"Oh...well I meant how they'd have a nice time with the consummation—"

"You may actually be the most perverted virgin that I know," I commented with a laugh.

He shrugged. "I'm okay with that."

I scoffed playfully. A crack of lightning brightened the room and I jumped a little. Torrance's embrace tightened protectively and made me smile. It was a calming place to be in the arms of my boyfriend and knowing my best friend was out in the world as a married woman.

And then it was ruined when my phone rang, piercing through the room's silence.

"Hello?" I asked confused at the unknown number.

"Hey. I'm really sorry. I meant to say hi at the wedding, but I kinda—"

I hung up on her. Yes. I, Alicia Lindros, hung up on Carina Cane.

"Who was that?" Torrance asked.

"No one," I lied.

"Alright..." he dismissed and reminded me of something I loved about him even more. He trusted me. Unless he was honestly concerned with my well-being, h never pressured me into answering any of his questions. He didn't even question the time spent with Wes because he was confident in our relationship so why would he question a phone call?

Safe to say, I fell asleep in his arms, but knew I wouldn't wake up in them because he informed me that he had to go to work tomorrow. He was on his journey into becoming a journalist, but that involved him interning at New York Times in the meantime.

I was prepared to spend Sunday alone, but I wasn't prepared for was the horrific nightmare waking me at ten in the morning. I sat up in my bed and pushed my hair back to see the dark rain and lightning still active outside the window. Riley had entered back into my cranium during my sleep to cause the fright. I just kept picturing his fangs in my neck. It wasn't so pleasant, especially when I imagined the killing spree I would go on. The first to die: Torrance.

"You know, they say that you're the next to get married if you catch the bouquet," I voice muttered, startling me so much that I hit my head on the wall behind the head of my bed. Oh my God.

"You know, they say that if someone breaks into your house and you kill them within property, you can get away with self defense," I responded angrily. I was glad he wasn't Riley, but I wasn't exactly glad to see him either. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I watched him carefully as he walked around my dorm and looked at everything in his path after admiring Jasmine's bouquet. I stayed away from eye contact. It wasn't very hard considering he still wore what he wore to the wedding, only his shirt was unbuttoned and his sleeves were rolled up. His hair was drenched and much shorter than the last time I saw him. He kept the same build though. Maybe more muscular.

"You didn't honestly think I'd miss my best friend's wedding did you?" he asked while slightly turning to me. I heard the incredulousness in his voice.

"You've missed everything else since you left," I retorted. "I meant why are you here?"

"I'm sorry."

"Get out," I ordered.

"What?" he choked.

"Get. Out," I repeated. "I don't know why you're here. The wedding's over. You can go back to wherever you've been."

"I came back for you," he whispered.

"Maybe I didn't want you to come back..." I muttered, crossing my arms. "So leave."

"Is this a joke?" he asked. "You've got to be kidding me, Ali."

"Don't call me that," I demanded. "Leave."

"Did you forget?" he asked in a quieter voice, trying to figure all of this out.

"Unfortunately not..." I breathed. To me, he was the one forgetting. He had said if my feelings changed, he would understand, but here we were...and he didn't understand. I heard him walk over.

"Alicia, look at me," he said. I refused. "Look at me!"

I stayed put looking at the blue and gray sheets on my bed. If I looked at him, I'd look in his eyes. I'd get lost. I'd fall back in love with him. He had been out of my life for over three years. I didn't need him. My feelings had changed. I didn't want to be hurt by him again.

"Why are you mad at me like I did something to you?" he yelled as if he was innocent.

"Because you did do something!" I shouted. "You left me. You left me and then came back and assumed I wanted to still be with you. You tried to f*cking kiss me and I didn't want that. That's what you did."

"I left you because I had to okay? You know that. And I assumed you wanted to still be with me. That's why I tried to kiss you. It was the right thing to do," he responded.

"I pushed you away because it wasn't the right thing," I corrected. "You said you would understand if my feelings changed. That was a long time ago—"

"It didn't matter how long it was, you're supposed to wait," he said.

"I was done waiting for you a year ago!" It fell silent. "Yeah. So you can turn right back around and leave again," I shooed in a broken voice.

"No," he declined. Excuse me? "I'm not leaving again. Not without you. I'll prove to you that I was worth the wait and I'm gonna keep my promises."

"It won't work," I assured.

"You don't know that. You don't know—"

"I have a boyfriend," I interrupted. He laughed.

"So? You think I can't take out some guy? Be reasonable," he replied.

"If you think taking him out of the picture will get me to like you again, you're dead wrong. It'll make me hate you more," I notified. I remembered all the times when I said I hated him, when I was lying. I could never truly hate him. It was impossible. I could say it a million times and my thoughts and feelings wouldn't sway. But he didn't need to know that.

Chase was quiet for a moment.

"Do you love him?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Bullshit," he called.

"Get out," I suddenly ordered. "Get out of my dorm and get out of my life."

"You don't mean that," he was certain.

I didn't respond to him and then he appeared right next to me, inches away. Please don't try to kiss me again.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you hate me," he ordered.

"Look me in the eye and admit you've hurt me too much for me to take you back," I demanded back as a refusal. He rose off of my bed and chuckled.

"Alicia, you don't know the war you just started," he warned before doing his signature move by jumping out of my bedroom window like years ago. War between who? Me and him? Him and Torrance? He didn't even know him. He should be thinking about running his pack, not messing with me. And thank God the pack was miles away.

"What the hell are you calling me for at ten in the morning?" Wes grunted over the phone.

"Tell your f*cking Alpha to stay away from me and my boyfriend," I ordered.

"I'm Alpha now. What'd Chase do?" he asked lazily as if he was sleeping.

"It doesn't matter what he did. I want him gone," I said. "He needs to go back to wherever the hell he was."

"You have no right to tell him to leave, Alicia. This is his home with his pack and his family. Stop being a baby and deal with it like a woman," Wes scolded. I was speechless. "I'm sorry. I'm just not in the best mood right now. Chase pissed me off at the wedding and I'm not over it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I mumbled. "You're right. This is his home."

"No. His home is here, not up in New York bugging you and Torrance," Wes corrected. "But fine. I'll tell him to drop out and take care of the pack."

"Drop out?" I asked.

"Yeah. He got into NYU for next semester. Didn't he tell you? I guess not..." Wes responded. "But you can't honestly think he'll leave you alone, do you? He told you that when he came back, it'd be you he was coming for."

"Well I didn't think I'd have a boyfriend so..."

"So break up with him," he suggested. I stayed silent at his ridiculous request. "Hello...?"

"I am not breaking up with Torrance for someone that left me years ago," I stated.

"Chase is gonna find a way around all of this," Wes guessed after a brief moment.

"Over my dead body," I scoffed.

"Don't say that. You know he can't kill you," Wes assured, "but Torrance on the other hand..."

"You tell him that if he so much as talks to Torrance the wrong way, I'll make his life a living hell," I threatened. "That goes for you too."

"Whatever. I'm going back to sleep. Good luck with your boy problems," he concluded with no real care. "Bye loser."

"Love you too, jerk," I finished in a sarcastic and mocking way before hanging up.