“No fuckin’ way.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
For one suspended second, no one moved. No one breathed.
The music still pounded through the ballroom, hundreds of voices still blended together around us, glasses clinked, people laughed—but somehow all of it seemed impossibly far away.
Because Cole was staring at me.
And I was staring at him.
My mate.
Cole.
My Alpha.
My brother’s best friend.
Cole.
A sharp laugh burst from somewhere beside me. “No way, dude.”
I barely registered my brother until he stepped between us, looking from Cole to me and back again like the universe had just played some elaborate joke on him.
“That’s my sister.”
Cole’s eyes never left mine.
“Back off.”
My brother’s head snapped toward him. “Excuse me?”
“I said back off.”
