Elaine could feel the faint thrum of her wolf deep within her chest. The thread was stretched so thin it felt like it would snap with her next breath.
She sat beside Liam at the gala table, the chatter and clinking glasses around them muffled as her pulse roared in her ears. The pain coiled in her ribs like a serpent, pressing until her vision blurred. She placed a trembling hand on the table to steady herself.
Liam, engrossed in a quiet conversation with an Alpha beside him, turned when he felt her shift. His golden brown eyes narrowed in concern.
“Elaine?”
She forced a small smile, her lips dry and cracked. “It’s nothing. Just… my period.”
It was a lie so easy it almost tasted sweet on her tongue. Period pain was something men rarely questioned. She stood quickly, br
