At dinner that evening, Adrian poked at a piece of steak on his plate and asked casually, “Why haven’t I seen my mom around lately? Where did she go?” Robin chuckled. “She went on a trip with her girlfriends. You won’t see her for a while.” “The last time I tried calling her, she didn’t even pick up. She’s out having fun but still can’t find the time to answer the phone?” Robin shot him a look. “She finally got the chance to take a trip, and you’re calling her every day to bother her? Can’t you just let her enjoy herself?” Adrian laughed. “Fine, fair point. But once my brother marries Raelyn and they have kids, Mom will probably be stuck at home taking care of grandbabies anyway.” As soon as the words left his mouth, the table went silent. I bit my lip and said nothing. Adam lifted his head and stared at me, eyes full of quiet pain. Robin forced a dry laugh. “Yeah, yeah; by then, she’ll be busy with grandkids.” My heart sank. Robin’s reaction told me everything I needed to know. The Alpha of Eclipse Pack clearly didn’t want me with Aiden. But why? No one in the entire Eclipse Pack would tell me. “I’m done. I’m going to bed.” My voice was flat as I pushed my chair back and went upstairs to my room. I spent the rest of the evening sitting on my bed, staring into space. I thought of so many things; yet no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t make sense of why I was suddenly being treated this way. Finally, I picked up my phone and called Jackson. “What’s wrong, Raelyn? You sound completely drained,” he said. Hearing the noise on his end, I arched a brow. “Don’t tell me—you’re at a bar again?” “Yeah, same spot. Midnight Bar. Waiting for you.”I had been ready to just wash up and sleep; but after hearing his invitation, sleep felt impossible. If I was this wound up, I might as well go blow off some steam. I got up, went downstairs, and drove straight to Midnight Bar. Inside, the lights flashed, the music pounded, and the air buzzed with voices. I walked past the crowd toward our usual booth and found Jackson slouched there, drinking alone. I sat down, immediately cracked open a bottle, poured myself a glass, and downed it in one shot. “What’s going on? You look even more miserable than I do.” I lifted my glass toward him. Jackson let out a snort of laughter. “No way. What about you? What happened? How’d Aiden let you out drinking this late?” I threw back another swallow of alcohol. “Don’t mention him.” “What happened? You two fight?” I shook my head. “Not exactly a fight… more like the end of us.” Jackson’s face went comically wide. “A breakup? What could you two possibly not work through? That’s worth breaking up?” “I don’t know.” He blinked, then asked, “Is it because of Geraldine? I saw the news—she’s Aiden’s first love, isn’t she?” I tugged at the corner of my lips. “I don’t think so.” I trusted Aiden. Even if he held Geraldine’s hand, I’d still choose to believe in him. Jackson rolled his eyes. “You really don’t get men. First love is a dream you can never quite hold; men never forget.” “Oh?” I leaned in, suddenly intrigued. “So what you’re saying is, you haven’t forgotten your first love either?” “Of course—” But suddenly, commotion erupted nearby. We both looked up and saw a hostess being shoved to the ground. The werewolf who had pushed her sneered, cursing, “Coming to a bar and not letting people touch you? Then why are you here? Who the heck do you think you are—still pretending you’re pure?” The girl was crying, her maid-style uniform wrinkled and torn; she looked utterly pitiful. The werewolf jerked his chin, and a few of his thuggish friends lunged forward to grab her arms. “Hold her down. Tonight I’m going to see just how tough this woman really thinks she is!” The girl tried to break free, sobbing, but against their brute strength she didn’t stand a chance. I was about to step in, but Jackson shot forward first; he kicked the thug gripping her hand square in the chest. “And who the heck are you, trying to cause trouble in the Midnight Bar?” The ringleader cursed. “How dare you! Who do you think you are, touching my people?” Jackson lifted a hand, and in an instant, four or five bodyguards in black suits appeared; they were all high-ranked werewolves, and they surrounded the gang with lethal precision. “Throw these bastards out,” Jackson ordered coldly. The bodyguards were efficient; within moments, they had each thug by the collar and were hauling them out. The werewolf leader glared at Jackson, shouting furiously, “I’ll be back!” I gave him a hard kick as he stumbled past. “Get lost!” He bolted, tail between his legs. The girl cowered in the corner, trembling, until the last thug was thrown out. Only then did she inch forward to the sofa, bowing her head as she whispered, “Thank you. If it weren’t for you, he would’ve hurt me…” She wasn’t exactly stunning, but she had a certain pure, delicate air about her—the kind that made her an easy target for men like that. Jackson, normally all swagger and sarcasm, stayed completely silent. I looked up at him and realized his eyes were glassy, as if he was fighting to hold something back. The girl, sensing his silence, lifted her head—and froze the instant her eyes met his. “Jackson?”