Page 84 of The Gamma's Second Chance

“Hello, Suzanne. And thank you for helping us with such short notice,” I say, shaking her hand across the counter.

“It’s my pleasure! As soon as I read Alpha Harrison’s email, I knew exactly which rings in my inventory fit the description you gave him.”

“May I see both of them?” I ask. “It was difficult to tell in the photos what the differences between the two are.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” she says, climbing off her stool and walking to a case, unlocking it and pulling two rings out as she continues speaking to us. “There are differences, but they are subtle. Photos can’t do either ring justice, but proper lighting can.”

She sets them on the counter between us, and I look down, my eyes darting between the two.

At first glance, there are no differences. They are both beautiful, sparkling diamond rings set in yellow gold. The center diamonds are a round cut, and surrounding them are marquise cut diamonds, creating a glittering flower. A diamond daisy.

On further examination, though, the differences become obvious. The ring on the left has a yellow diamond in the center, while the ring on the right has white diamonds only. The left ring has a simpler, traditional setting, while the right ring is embellished with swirls and diamonds within the band.

“That one,” I say, pointing at the ring on the right. “It’s perfect.”

My wolf yips out his agreement in my mind, tail wagging as he sits up straighter. Pride emanates from him, as if he was the one who picked the jewelry instead of me.

“Wonderful! Will you be needing it resized?” Suzanne asks.

My eyes widen, and I mentally smack myself. Her ring size. I don’t know what it is.

“Five and a half,” Harrison says, and I quirk a brow at him. “Her mom messaged me the size after you spoke with her last night,” he says with a shrug and a wink.

I sigh, and the tension in my body eases. “Thank the Goddess.”

“I can resize the ring today—push some non-urgent projects down on my list—but it will take some time. Are you able to stick around?” Suzanne asks as she cleans up the ring I didn’t choose.

“How long?”

“A couple hours. Maybe less.”

I grit my teeth and clench my fists, but I nod. I hate to leave Cassandra alone for too long, but I need the ring resized so I can bring it home with me to have it before the ball this weekend. Since I won’t be able to get away again, it has to be now.

“We can wait.”

When Suzanne finally finishesresizing the ring and Harrison and I head back to the pack, the sun is already descending towards the west. My knee bounces in the car the entire drive as I stare out the window, and my wolf paces inmy mind, whining and antsy. This all took way longer than I anticipated, and all I can do is hope my Daisy understands and forgives me.

Harrison drops me off at my house, and I rush inside and upstairs to hide the ring until this weekend, my steps slowing when I reach the bedroom. I stare down at the small box in my hand and perch on the edge of the bed, facing the window, my thoughts racing again.

Should I wait? Should I spend the next few days stressing and tense and trying to hide my nerves from Cassandra? Or should I ask her now? I want to make it special—romantic—but maybe I can do that without waiting for the ball.

The ball, where she might meet her true mate, leaving me all alone.

Again.

But if I ask her now, I can mark her before the weekend. I can make her mine and—

The creak of the pesky loose floorboard on the landing jolts me back to reality, and I jump off the bed, staring at where Cassandra stands in the doorway. “Cassandra! I—”

“Save your breath, Nolan,” she says, her fists clenched and ice in her voice. “I thought we had something special together. Something real. Turns out you were just pretending. I should have realized sooner you were using me as a Band-Aid.”

Chapter 30

NOLAN

Cassandra spins to leave,her words flying across the room like sharpened, poisoned darts, hitting their mark with precise accuracy. My heart. I rush forward, my hand encircling her wrist and tugging her back into the room, spinning her to face me with her body pressed to mine.

She glares up at me, fury flaring to life in her green eyes, setting the gold aflame. Tears rim her lids, and I growl, angry with myself for being the reason behind the pain overflowing from within her. The sound reverberates in my chest and around the room, and she flinches, but I keep her close, holding her gaze with steadfast sincerity. “You’re not a Band-Aid, Cassandra. You are my sun.”

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