The Day I Married His Uncle

Evelyn's flight landed in Silvercrest City with barely enough time to send her luggage home. She changed into a gown at the airport lounge, picked up the gift she had chosen for Damian, and went straight to Eclipse Club. Today marked Damian's birthday. It also marked the second anniversary of their engagement. She had planned a surprise. The door of the private room stood open by a narrow gap. Voices spilled through it, cheering in unison. "Kiss her! One more time!" Evelyn stopped outside the door, her finger pressing against the edge of the gift box. Through the gap, she saw Damian's arms wrapped around Bianca Vale. His head bent low, his mouth covering hers. Their bodies pressed close, the motion practiced, familiar. A faint red mark showed at the side of Damian's neck. His scent drifted through the gap, tangled tightly with Bianca's. Evelyn's fingers went slack. The gift box slipped and hit the floor. The engagement ring inside struck the tile with a sharp, clear sound. She stared at the ring. Heat rose behind her eyes. The exhaustion of a long flight pressed down on her shoulders, and pain pulled through her chest with every breath. She lifted her hand and wiped the corner of her eye. Her fingertip came away damp. 'What am I crying for.' She straightened her back and smoothed the front of her gown. The hallway stayed quiet outside. Laughter kept spilling from inside the room. Footsteps sounded behind her. "Evelyn?" She turned and saw Marcus, a Lowell Pack member, standing a few steps away. His expression shifted. His eyes moved past her to the gap in the door, and his voice dropped. "Don't get the wrong idea. Damian was only—" "Only kissing her?" Evelyn bent down and picked up the ring, closing her fingers around it. Marcus opened his mouth. "It's a game. Everyone was cheering her on. Bianca lost a round and needed someone to complete the penalty. Damian was helping." "A game." Evelyn pushed the door open. The music inside cut off. More than a dozen faces turned toward her at once. She walked in and stood under the light, her golden curls settled behind her shoulders, her green eyes moving over Damian and Bianca. Damian wiped his mouth, discomfort crossing his face. "Why are you back?" he asked. "You said you couldn't make it tonight." Evelyn looked at the red stain still on his lips and let out a quiet laugh. "I came back to celebrate my fiancé's birthday. The timing worked out." Bianca stepped back from Damian and adjusted her dress strap, her eyes filling with tears. "Evelyn, I lost one round of the game. I asked Damian to help. Do you mind?" "What if I did?" Bianca's expression froze. Evelyn's smile deepened, her eyes settling on Bianca's neck. An unstable private mark sat hidden there, its scent sharp in the air. She turned to Marcus. "Since it's only a game, you kiss her. Let her complete the penalty with you, and I'll pretend tonight never happened." Marcus stayed still. "Me?" "You're single too. You qualify." The color drained from Bianca's face. "No!" The word left her before she could stop it. A few guests drew in quiet breaths. Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Why not? You didn't mention any boundaries when you let Damian kiss you." "What kind of person do you think I am?" Bianca bit her lip, and tears slid down her cheeks. "What do you think?" Evelyn's voice went cold. "Someone who knows a man has a fiancée and presses close to him anyway. A woman who steals what belongs to someone else." Bianca's shoulders shook. "So many people stood in this room, and you chose an Alpha with a fiancée to target. You used him as a penalty for your own game and put yourself in his arms. Bianca, does this count as being wronged?" Damian's face darkened. "Evelyn, that's enough." "What does it hurt to hear?" "Can you stop talking like this?" Evelyn looked at him. "When you kissed her, did you remember you had a fiancée? Or did you only remember her scent?" Damian's throat tightened. The laughter in the room had already gone silent. "I told you, it was just a game!" His voice rose. "Do you have to turn this into a scene?" "It seems I ruined your birthday show." Evelyn picked up the wine glass from the table, her fingertip circling the rim. "One of you kissed willingly. The other cooperated without hesitation. You even prepared a mate mark for the occasion. And you still call this a game?" Bianca's crying grew louder. She rushed toward Evelyn. "This is my fault. Evelyn, I'm sorry. Don't blame Damian for this." She reached out to grab Evelyn's arm. Evelyn stepped aside and pushed her palm against Bianca's shoulder. Bianca stumbled backward. Her palm struck the corner of the table, and the skin split open. Blood ran down her fingers. "Ah!" Damian rushed to her side and lifted her injured hand. "Have you lost your mind?" He looked up, his voice sharp. "Apologize to her, now." Evelyn watched him shield Bianca with his body. The ring in her palm dug into her skin. She lifted the wine bottle and poured it over Damian's head. Dark liquid soaked through his golden-brown hair and ran down his forehead to his collar. Damian stood without moving. Evelyn set the bottle down. "Awake now?" He wiped the wine from his eyes, his stare turning red. "A trick this clumsy can only work on someone as foolish as you." Bianca's crying stopped at once. Damian's anger built across his face. "Evelyn, put away your princess temper. That's enough." The words landed, and the room went still. On her eighteenth birthday, Damian had stood before her holding roses, his face flushed, and told her she would live as a carefree princess for the rest of her life. When her father turned his temper on her because of her stepmother, Damian had stood between them. When she agreed to the family engagement, he had held her hand and promised to stay beside her. Now, for another woman, he told her to put away her princess temper. Evelyn looked down at Bianca's injured palm. She had used barely any force. Bianca had struck the exact corner of the table, and her tears had arrived on cue. This game had been a trap from the start. Bianca wanted her to lose control in front of everyone. She wanted Damian standing at her side, and she wanted every Lowell Pack member watching Evelyn fall apart. Bianca had miscalculated one thing. Evelyn never gave a second chance to someone who betrayed her. She took the ring from her closed fist and placed it on the table. "Since the two of you already have half of a mate mark between you, the engagement ends here." Damian's expression shifted. "Think about the consequences." "Consequences?" Evelyn walked toward Bianca. Bianca stepped back, cradling her injured hand against her chest. Evelyn leaned close, her lips curving into a cold smile. "You said it yourself. I have a princess temper." She reached out and wiped the tears from Bianca's face. "How could a princess ever be wronged?"