I wasn’t letting his ghost linger in my life.
Jaxen POV
The charity gala buzzed with networking bullshit, too many suits, too much cologne masking fear-sweat and ambition. Charlotte stuck close, eyes darting everywhere as if she were cataloging power players for future reference. First time in the deep end. She was wound tight, practically vibrating.
“Alpha! Long time.” Some guy waved us over. Charlotte spun faster than I did.
The man’s face fell. “Wait... not Luna?”
The words landed like a cheap shot. Charlotte flushed, shifting her weight. I caught the faint spike in her pulse.
I forced a half-smile, voice cool. “This is Charlotte, my new assistant. Mr. Walter, are you hitting the bottle early or what? She looks nothing like my wife.” My wolf rumbled, irritated at the comparison,
