Jason checked his watch for the third time in fifteen minutes. He loved his sister, but the crawling sensation under his skin was only getting worse. After the incident with Nickelova that morning, his vice should have been appeased for at least twenty-four hours, but the release proved superficial. His wolf was already begging for more, his need like a spring coiled too tight, ready to snap. He pumped his leg and wished Artemis would talk faster.

“Jason, I want you to carry the gifts for the goddess in the processional.” Laina pointed at a prop platter with plastic fruit.

“Huh?” A bead of sweat narrowly missed his left eye, prompting a swipe of the back of his hand across his forehead.

“Silas is walking me down the aisle. I thought this would be a good way to involve you in the ceremony.”

With a tight smile, he picked up the tray, blinking rapidly. “Of course. I… I’m happy to.” Surely he could carry a platter of fruit? He licked his lips, his mouth as dry as the Sahara.

After a nod of appreciation in Jason’s direction, Preotka Artemis began walking them through the ceremony from start to finish. She took extra time with Kyle and his brother Nate since their human upbringing meant they were unfamiliar with pack traditions. Night was upon them, the half-moon bathing the venue in a subtle glow. When Laina and Kyle were in position, practicing their vows, Gerty waved her wand in the air and sent a legion of fireflies to light up the space above their heads. Everyone oohed and ahhed at the display.

Jason tried to appreciate the beauty around him, but he couldn’t. His hands trembled beneath the tray of fake fruit. He was sweating in earnest now. At the first opportunity, he set the offering down and removed his leather jacket, despite it being a cool spring day.

“What’s the matter with you?” Silas whispered. “You’re sweating like a wiener on a Fourth of July grill.”

Jason ran a finger along the inside of his collar. “Feeling a little under the weather. I need a drink.”

“Did you… feed the wolf?”

“This morning.” It wasn’t a lie. No need to tell him about Nickelova.

Silas frowned. “It’s getting worse.”

“Like a bad flu.”

“How did this happen? You’ve had this under control for years.”

“Hell if I know.” The lie was quick and firm, his eyes focused on the altar to make it harder for Silas to detect. Running a hand over his face, Jason decided to do something he never thought he would do. “Can you alpha this out of me, Silas?” He gave his brother a tired laugh. “You know, take the edge off.”

“That bad, eh?” Silas rubbed the stubble of his chin and contemplated his brother in silence. “I wish it were that easy. When Laina discovered her need for Kyle, I researched breaking a vice with an alpha command.” Silas grimaced. “If history is to be believed, it wouldn’t end well. With a vice like yours, you might not be capable of obeying me. You’d likely do it anyway. The result would be painful, a perpetual hell where you increasingly wanted sex but couldn’t have it without pain. It would drive you insane.”

“Sounds unpleasant.” Jason rubbed the base of his skull. His headache was back with a vengeance.

“There is a way to break a vice, though. I read about it in the same texts.”

“Yeah? How?”

Silas pointed his chin toward the gray-haired woman reviewing the ceremony at the front of the aisle.

“Artemis?” Jason scoffed. “Yes, I’m sure a celibate woman twice my age will have helpful tips on how I can wrestle my sexual vice under control.”

“She’s not just a priestess in name. She and her followers have gifts from the goddess. A little of her voodoo would do you good, give you the advantage to break the hold this vice has over you.”

“I can’t think of anything more humiliating than talking to the priestess about this.”

A burly palm slapped his shoulder and shook gently. “She knows, Jason. Everyone knows.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “I stand corrected. Knowing she knows is far more humiliating. Do you talk about my vice over coffee?”

“No. No one had to tell her outright. You’ve been with half the pack, brother. Word gets around.”

With a deep breath, Jason glanced toward Artemis, but it was the acolyte, Selene, standing behind her that commanded his attention. Dressed in that elegant blush-colored robe, she stared at him as if he were a puzzle she wished to solve. More accurately, she stared through him. She knew, he realized. Those violet, self-righteous eyes cut right through him, no doubt analyzing his soul.

“Just think about it,” Silas said.

Jason stared at Selene, picturing her naked and tied spread-eagle to his bed. He wondered if her sex was the same petal pink as her robe. No, Artemis couldn’t help him and neither could Selene. Hell, the way his wolf was eyeing her as his next meal, he’d be wise to stay as far away from her as possible.

* * *

Why is he staring at me? Selene locked eyes with Jason. The look on the man’s face was that of a drowning man. Indeed, the intensity of his stare made her uncomfortable, stirred something deep inside her she hadn’t known was there. Her heart rate increased, its thump steady in her ears, and a tingle started deep within her abdomen. Deep empathy, she thought. A level of compassion she’d never achieved before. With a start, she recognized it must be the goddess calling her to help this man. The strong swelling in her chest was a sign from above.

But could she do it? Although she’d been trained to treat addictions in general, she knew little about sex. Plus, she’d never put what few skills she had to use before. Not because she didn’t want to, of course. It was simply that an opportunity hadn’t presented itself.

Jason was obviously uncomfortable. Even from a distance, his face looked flushed and his hands trembled by his sides. His brother and pack alpha, Silas, seemed genuinely concerned. If she could convince Jason to let her help him, not only would she save a member of the royal family from the pain she sensed he was in, but she could ease an obviously strained familial relationship.

Helping Jason was her first priority, but in the back of her mind, she also felt an urgent need to prove to Artemis she was right for the priesthood. She must talk to him, must convince him to let her help.

“I believe that covers everything,” Artemis announced from the altar in front of her. “I’ll see you all back here tomorrow for the real thing.”

As the wedding party broke up and a swell of chatting signaled the happy couple’s departure from the altar, Selene drifted toward Jason, hoping for another chance to convince him to work with her. But when she reached the place where he’d been standing with his brother, he was gone.