Penny didn’t know what to do. There was no way she was going back to Blackstone. Ever. Not after what had happened.

Ben and Mia. She didn’t want to believe it. Mia was a liar, calling Ben a monster. She didn’t want to believe they’d been screwing around behind her back. But she’d seen it with her own eyes. Mia’s shirt. Ben drunk off his ass and not even trying to defend himself. How could he when the evidence was there? And then he did turn into a monster and she knew it was all true. It had terrified her, seeing his bear come after her, and brought back memories of that night she had locked herself in the bathroom to get away from John.

Her brain was screaming that she’d been stupid to believe Ben. He’d just wanted to get into her pants, telling her that he was her mate. It was obvious none of that was true, not if he was seeing Mia on the side.

But her heart. Oh God, her heart. It hurt so bad. She knew why it was called heartbreak. She could feel her heart tearing itself apart. She crawled into a ball in bed, willing the pain to go away. She cried until she didn’t have any tears left and then closed her eyes and let exhaustion take over.

The sun was high in the sky when she woke up. But it wasn’t the sun that woke her; it was the knocking on the door. “Go away!” she shouted, throwing a pillow over her head. But the knocking didn’t stop.

“Arrggghhh!” She sat up and rolled out of bed, stomping to the front door. She threw it open. “I said go—Dutchy?”

Dutchy was standing on the porch, a dress bag in one hand and a rolling suitcase in the other. “Penny! I’ve been calling you all morning! I have the dress ready, and I thought I’d come over to help you.” Dutchy’s brows knitted. “Are you okay?”

She had forgotten the wedding was today. “I’m … not.” It was embarrassing, really, breaking down in front of a near-stranger. But she couldn’t help herself, and the tears just poured out of her.

“Oh my Lord!” Dutchy marched into her house, putting her things to the side. She put her arm around Penny as she sobbed. “There, there now,” she soothed. “Penny, honey, what’s the matter?”

“Oh Dutchy … it’s … you don’t have to ….”

“Oh shush! C’mon now, tell me what’s wrong.”

Penny hiccoughed, then took a breath. “I’m not going to the wedding.”

“What? Why?”

“Because Ben … we broke up. He … he’s not my mate.” Though it embarrassed her to tell Dutchy what had happened, the whole pathetic story just spilled out of her mouth.

Dutchy placed a hand on her chest. “What? I can’t believe he would do that!”

“I’m sorry you came all the way here for nothing,” Penny said.

“What are you talking about?” Dutchy put her hands on her hips. “I didn’t come here for nothing. You are going to that wedding.”

“What? I just told you … Ben, he—”

“So, he’s a cheating bastard!” Dutchy was shaking with anger. “And you know what the best revenge is, right?”

“What?”

“Showing up and looking so good that he regrets it.”

“Dutchy, no! I don’t want to go!” Penny just wanted to stay home in her pajamas and curl up in bed.

“No way, I won’t allow it,” Dutchy said.

“What are you going to do? Tie me up and dress me? Push me into the hotel in a cart?”

“C’mon, Penny! Live a little,” Dutchy pleaded. “Besides, you need to do this for me! I need you to be there and wear my gown. Please? Pretty please? I’ll dress you up and drive you. You don’t have to stay long. Kate and Sybil will be there, right?”

And so will Ben. “I can’t.” But the forlorn look on Dutchy’s face made her resolve falter. Dutchy really was kind to drive all the way here to lend her the dress. “Fine. But I’m only staying an hour. I’ll talk you up nonstop during that time, but then I’m leaving.” It was a big wedding, right? Surely she could avoid him for an hour.

“Oh, thank you, Penny! You won’t regret this.”

* * *

As she stood in line, waiting to get into the ballroom of the Blackstone Hotel, Penny dug her fingers into the soft tulle fabric of her skirt, wiping the perspiration that had built on her palms. She suddenly pulled away, not wanting to destroy the delicate fabric.

This was a bad idea. What if she’d been uninvited? Ben had said she didn’t need a paper invitation. Christina had put her on the guest list because he would be at the private ceremony at Blackstone Castle, which was for family only, and they had planned to meet at the hotel.

As she neared the front of the line, her heart began to beat a mile a minute. It would be humiliating if she was told she wasn’t on the list. She was all dressed up and everything. Dutchy had done a fine job with her makeup and hair. Penny felt like one of those glamorous Hollywood actresses from the 50s, with her hair in waves and her lips painted red.

When she reached the front and gave her name to the severe-looking woman in a tight-fitted suit, Penny held her breath. The woman looked down at her tablet, scrolled on the screen, then narrowed her eyes at Penny.

“You can go in, Ms. Bennet,” Guest List Lady said, her expression unchanging. “Have a good time.”

She breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the ballroom, carefully avoiding the gaze of the two very large and very intimidating men who were standing guard by the door.

The easy part was over. Now came the hard part. Mingling with guests and avoiding Ben at the same time. She wasn’t sure how she was going to do that. She really only knew Kate, Sybil, and Christina. Catherine, she’d met only twice.

This was awkward. She came here for Dutchy, nothing more. Not even Dutchy’s plan of ‘making him drool and regret what he gave up.’ She nodded while Dutchy was giving her tips on how to make Ben jealous, but all the while thinking of ways to avoid him.

As she walked around the ballroom, trying to make it seem like she was going somewhere, rather than stand awkwardly alone by herself, she was saved by the announcement over the PA system that the bride and groom had arrived.

Everyone hushed, and the lights dimmed. Music began to play, and the doors opened. Jason and Christina walked in, and everyone applauded.

“Oh.” Penny put her hand over her mouth. What was it about weddings that made almost everyone cry? Christina looked beautiful, and Jason, well, he just looked so happy. He wasn’t paying attention to anyone else in the room; in fact, it was like no one else existed but Christina. Penny brushed the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She truly was happy for them, but there was that stabbing pain in her heart she couldn’t ignore for long.

And then, as if on cue, Ben walked in behind them. He looked so tall and handsome in his tux, she nearly forgot to breathe. Had it only been a few hours since the incident? It felt like a million years ago. Only the fresh pain in her chest reminded her how it was just last night he had shattered her heart.

To make matters worse, he was strolling in with a beautiful blond woman. She was gorgeous, tall, and elegant. She grinned at him, and he smiled back and drew her in for a side hug.

It was too much. Penny thought she’d be able to handle it, but seeing Ben with someone else was making her chest hurt again. Much more than it did last night. Ben was drunk last night, but today, he knew what he was doing.

She waited for the people to settle down, and, once the coast was clear, turned around and headed for the exit, going past Guest List Lady and the two guards.

“I swear I’m on the list. Can’t you just let me in, please? I’m already dressed up.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t, miss,” Guest List Lady said.

Penny froze. She knew that voice. Slowly, she pivoted on her heels. “Mia?”

Mia, dressed in a long red dress, turned around. “Penny?” Her eyes flashed with surprise for a moment, then a cool mask slipped on. “Leaving already?”

“Well, at least I was invited.”

Mia’s face twisted into an expression of hate. “I am invited. When you ran away, Ben asked me to be his date.”

Penny knew that was a complete lie. Ben already had a date. “Really? Then how come you're not on the list?” Score one for Penny.

Mia's lips curled into a vicious smile. "Well, last night—"

“Penny!”

Her damn heart nearly leapt out of her chest at the sound of Ben’s voice. He was standing by the entryway to the ballroom, disbelief on his face. “You came,” he said. “You—” He stopped suddenly, and turned to Mia. “You,” he snarled, then stalked toward her. “What are you doing here?”

“Ben!” Mia cried. “Ben, please!”

“You fucking liar!”

“No! Ben!” Mia cowered as Ben towered over her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her to Penny. “Tell the truth. Now.”

“The truth?” Mia sneered. “That you’ve been sneaking around with me these past weeks?”

“Shut up! Tell her the truth! I’ve never seen you before, and you’re not from Blackstone.”

“Ben, you’re scaring me,” Mia said. “I am telling the truth.”

Ben ran his fingers through his hair. “Penny, please, you have to believe me. You’re my mate! I swear I would never cheat on you.”

Ben’s words stunned her. Oh God, she wanted to believe him. She looked at Mia and then at Ben. Had she been wrong this whole time? She had to trust her instinct. Ben. It was screaming Ben. She opened her mouth to tell him but was interrupted by a shout from behind.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Kate was standing behind Guest List Lady, hands on her hips. Sybil was behind her, as was Ben’s date.

“Kate!” Ben exclaimed. “Have you seen this woman before? Have any of you seen her? Do you know her?”

Kate shrugged. “Never seen her before.”

Sybil shook her head. “Should we know her?”

The third woman walked closer and narrowed her eyes at Mia. Her nostrils flared, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Who is she?”

Mia stood there, unmoving, her face a cold mask. She turned to Penny. “You should have stayed away, Penny. He’s mine! He was meant to be mine!”

“Get her out of here,” Ben barked to the two guards standing by the door. “Put her in the holding cell for a couple of hours.” The men nodded and approached Mia. “Don’t even think of shifting,” Ben warned. “Those wolves are armed with special weapons to take you down. This entire hotel is surrounded by snipers, too.”

“No!” Mia screeched as the two guards grabbed her by the arms. “Damn you Ben Walker! This was your last chance!” She let out a laugh as she was being dragged away. “You’ll regret this! You and your mate are going to die!”

Penny felt a pit in her stomach slowly growing. Mia had been the one lying. All this time. She whirled around, covering her face with her hands. It was all clear now. Mia, manipulating her. Making her trust her. She’d bet everything she owned that Mia was the one spreading those rumors at The Den.

“What’s going on? Ben, is she really your mate?” The tall blonde woman stared at Penny with a curious look on her face.

Oh no. Ben’s date. Without a second thought, Penny picked up her skirts and ran.

“Penny!”

She ran as fast as she could, down the long hallway and into the lobby. She made it past the door to the outside, but she was no match for a shifter's speed.

“Penny. Stop.” Ben was right in front of her, and she collided into his chest. He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “Why did you run?”

Humiliation burned in her cheeks. “Ben, I should go.”

“No!” he roared. “Why? I don’t understand. You know she was lying. I was telling the truth, I swear. I would never cheat on you.”

“That’s why I ran!” she burst out suddenly. “Because you were telling the truth, and I didn’t believe you!”

“What?”

She pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around herself. “Ben, I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve any of this! I should have believed you last night, I’m sorry.”

“Sweetheart,” he said. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Last night wasn’t your fault. Mia poisoned me. That’s why I acted like I was drunk.”

“She poisoned you?”

“Yeah. And she tried to make it look like … well, I don’t really know what she was up to.”

Penny could guess. “She wanted you for herself.”

“I guess.” He frowned. “I just … please don’t run.”

“Ben, I should have trusted you. Don’t you see? I don’t deserve you.”

“No!’” He grabbed her gently by the arm. “She was manipulating us. There’s nothing to forgive, but if it makes you feel better, then I forgive you.”

“I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve you. What do you want with me, anyway? I’m just poor trash from the wrong side of town who—”

He cut her off with a kiss, pressing his lips to hers as he wrapped his steely arms around her. He kissed her until she was breathless and limp in his arms. “I won’t have you talking like that. You’re my mate, and I love you.”

“You what?”

“I love you. You’re mine and mine forever, if you’ll have me.” All of a sudden, his expression changed. The air shifted around them, and he let go of her. “Last night, I saw your face when I shifted. I know you were scared.” He turned away, raking his fingers through his hair.

She reached out and touched his arm. “I wasn’t scared of you. I was scared of my own demons. Seeing you like that brought up memories, but I know you would never hurt me.” He remained silent as a stone. “Ben, talk to me.”

He turned around slowly. “Mia was a liar, but she was telling the truth about one thing. I am a monster.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Penny, I need to tell you the truth. And if you don’t want to be with me, I’ll respect your wishes.”

“What truth? Please just tell me.”

Ben’s face was pure anguish. “It’s the bad blood in me.” Then, he told her the whole story. As he relayed it, Penny felt her heart breaking, imagining Ben as a young boy. Because she knew what it was like to have someone who was supposed to take care of you use you instead.

“Ben, I don’t believe you’re a monster.”

“You’ve seen my bear twice. How could you not think that was a monster?”

“The first time I saw your bear, it was trying to protect me. How could I think of it as a monster?” She moved closer to him, placing a palm over his chest. “I know you, Ben. The real you. You told me you are your bear. Well, why can’t the bear be you? You’ve got a good heart, so your bear can’t be a monster.”

He looked at her, his eyes like brilliant blue sapphires, the anguish on his face heartbreaking.

She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I love you, Ben. Both of you. All of you.”

As he leaned down to kiss her, a warm feeling crept into her belly. It was faint, but it began to grow. Despite the chill in the air, she felt cozy, and not just because of Ben’s body heat. Goose pimples broke out over her skin, and she shivered. A feeling washed over her, one she couldn’t name, but it felt pleasant. For the first time in, maybe, ever, she felt calm. At peace. Whole.

“Penny?” Ben asked when he pulled away.

“Huh?”

“You felt that, right?”

“You did, too?”

He nodded. “The mating bond. We’re really mated now.”

“Oh my God.” It was strange. She had always felt a pull toward Ben, but now it was like they were tied together. The warmth buzzing inside her felt incredible.

“I love you so much. You say you don’t deserve me? It’s me who doesn’t deserve you.” He smiled at her. “How did I ever get so lucky?”

“Ben,” she said with a sigh. “I love you, too. Oh no!” She pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did Mia say something else?”

“No. It’s just that … what about your date?”

“My date?”

“Yeah, the blonde.”

“The blo—” Ben laughed. “Amelia? My sister?”

“She’s your sister?” Huh. She did kinda look like Ben, now that she thought about it. She was definitely tall enough to be related to him. “Oh poop, I feel silly now!”

“Don’t be,” he said. “I want you to meet everyone. Amelia. Mom and Dad. But,” he pulled her back into his arms, “I think that can wait. I want to be alone with you for now, my mate. Let’s go home.”

“But the reception?”

“I’ve done my duty, and everyone will understand.” He winced. “I’m sure Kate has told everyone that you’re my mate by now. And they’ll be looking for us, my mother especially. She’s not going to be happy everyone else got to meet you first. We should go before she sends out a search party.”

Penny was looking forward to meeting Ben’s family, but it had been too long since they were alone together. “All right, let’s go home.”