Lawson opened his eyes then slammed them shut when pain exploded in his head. He groaned and grabbed his head, trying to stifle the pounding noise. What the fuck happened? He tried to recall his last memory, but it was a complete blur.

He cracked one eye and scanned the dark room. It was early morning hours if his internal clock was accurate. He glanced at the bedside table and immediately realized he was in an unfamiliar place. He managed to push to a sitting position and swung his legs to the floor. Where was he? He put his head in his hands, trying again to remember what happened.

The sheets rustled behind him and he turned, expecting to see his beautiful redhead sleeping peacefully.

“Good morning, Law. Sleep well?” Kristi murmured and reached to caress his back.

Lawson jumped out of bed only to realize he was stark naked. He scanned the room, looking for his clothes. He recognized it as Kristi’s bedroom then spotted his things in a small pile at the foot of the bed.

He quickly snatched his underwear and slipped them on, barking, “What the hell happened, and why am I in your room?”

“Don’t you remember? We came back here last night and continued a private party,” she purred, sitting up. The sheet slipped, exposing her bare breasts.

Images came flooding back at hearing her words. A shot of tequila. Vomiting in the restroom and then Liv helping him back to their room. Lawson looked around, trying to understand.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” he muttered more to himself than anything.

He spotted a long red wig on the floor. It was lying on top of the iridescent material. An image of Kristi with red hair came to mind.

“That was you in the bathroom last night?” he asked as the pieces starting clicking together.

“Uh huh. You got sick, and I helped you back to my room. You were a hot mess,” Kristi said with a laugh as she got up and walked to a small refrigerator, grabbing a water bottle from inside.

Her naked body was a hard slap across the face. Lawson didn’t need any more details. His gut knotted, and he couldn’t deny the obvious. He'd slept with Kristi. Even worse than that, he betrayed Liv.

“Put on some fucking clothes,” he ordered as he grabbed his pants and proceeded to get dressed.

“That’s not what you said last night. In fact, you couldn’t get enough of me,” she replied as she twisted the cap and took a deep swig. “Want some?” she asked, offering him the water. “Better yet, how about you quench your thirst on me?” she said and tipped the container, allowing a stream of water to drip between her breasts.

Lawson walked over and swatted the plastic bottle to the floor. “Tell me something, Kristi. Why was I so fucked up last night? I remember having one shot of tequila, and that’s it.”

“I might’ve put a little something in your drink. You are always so uptight. It was nothing but a mild sedative to help you relax,” Kristi responded as she walked to the dresser and opened a drawer, sliding into a pair of booty shorts then throwing on a tank top.

“I remember thinking Liv was in the restroom helping me. You pretended to be her,” he spat. His body shook uncontrollably as rage built to the point of boiling. Kristi tricked him.

“I did no such thing. You don’t expect anyone to believe you were so messed up that you fucked me, thinking I was that pathetic human. That’s preposterous, Lawson. Face it,” she declared as she walked over and placed her hands on his chest. “Last night was meant to be. And it was incredible.”

“It can’t be incredible when one of us doesn’t even remember it,” he gritted and grabbed her hand, squeezing it with all his might.

“Ow!” she yelled and jerked it from his grasp. “You know what? Go ahead and keep living in your fantasy world where an Alpha chooses a human as his partner. It’s not going to last. Sooner or later, you’ll realize I’m better suited for you. You need a strong female by your side if you want this pack to live in harmony. I did you a favor last night,” she hissed and stormed to the bathroom and slammed the door closed.

“Pack your shit. I want you gone in the next two weeks,” Liv shouted to the closed door.

Lawson didn’t have time to deal with Kristi and her bullshit right now. He needed to find Liv and do damage repair. Did she know what happened? That was a stupid question. He didn’t go back to their room last night.

He stormed out of the bedroom and looked down the empty hallway. In the early hours, the hotel was eerily quiet. Lawson walked to the lobby. It was vacant. The large family room, as well as, the dining area was desolate, too. Part of Lawson thought he dreamt the whole thing until he spotted the decorations still in place, evidence to the Halloween party.

He bypassed the slow elevator and ran to the staircase, taking the steps two and three at a time until he reached the third floor. He rushed to his suite, praying Liv would understand and forgive him.

He didn’t give two shits about Kristi. The female drugged him. He would never willingly cheat on Liv. He loved her and nobody else. She had to believe him.

He barged into the room, his chest heaving and his heart racing. His head still pounded a drumbeat on his skull, but he ignored the pain.

“Liv!” he shouted as he entered the dark room. Silence answered his call.

He rushed inside and spotted the empty bed. It was still made, telling him he wasn’t the only one who didn’t sleep there. Where could Liv be? He remembered Cassie was in the room a few doors down, and he bolted into the hallway.

Several loud knocks and an unkempt Cassie cracked open the door to her room. “Hey, what’s up?” she asked groggily.

“Is Liv here?” he snapped, ready to barge into the room and check for himself.

“No, dude. I haven’t seen her since you two disappeared from the party. Are you feeling better?”

Suddenly, his brother Ryan walked up behind Cassie, wearing nothing but a sheet around his waist.

“Bro, what happened to you last night?” he asked and wrapped his arms around Cassie.

“I’ll explain later. If you see Liv, please tell her I’m looking for her,” he replied as he walked off. He heard Cassie yelp then laugh before the door to her room closed.

If Liv wasn’t with Cassie and she wasn’t in their room, where could she have gone? What she must be thinking. How could he have let this happen?

He glanced down and noticed he was wearing his clothes from the night before. His sensitive nose told him he smelled of sex and Kristi’s perfume. He needed to shower and clean up before he talked to Liv.

He walked back to their room and shut the door. He checked his phone to see if Liv had texted or called. Nothing.

He typed a quick text, saying that he needed to see her right away. Before he could put his phone down, he heard the familiar kissy sounds of Liv’s cell. He glanced at the dresser and spotted her phone. Wherever she went, she didn’t take her phone.

He threw his clothes in the bathroom trash can and hopped in the shower. He stood under the hot spray of water, searching for words that might explain what happened.

Everything he said out loud sounded like a sorry-ass excuse more than anything. He didn’t know how he was going to convince Liv that he thought it was Liv he was making love to and not Kristi. This whole situation was beyond fucked.

Liv smiled as a warm hand rubbed her back, and she snuggled closer to the hard body behind her.

“Good morning, TKO,” whispered a deep voice then she felt lips on her neck.

Liv froze, and her eyes popped open. Reality came crashing down as she recalled where she was and the reason why. The image of Lawson and Kristi was followed by another of her and Bart. Oh, God. She was naked and in Bart’s bed. What the fuck had she done?

Liv scooted to the edge of the bed and sat up, covering her naked body with the sheet. She was beyond mortified.

“Morning,” she muttered as she looked around, trying to remember where her clothes were. Last time she saw them Bart was removing her dress.

She remembered throwing herself at him like a cheap harlot. Luckily, she stopped things before they went too far, but she still slept in his bed. Naked.

“Hey, don’t be like that. There’s no reason to hide from me,” Bart stated and sat up, leaning on his elbow. “I’ve seen you naked hundreds of times, Olivia."

“Yes, but before last night, it had been a while,” she retorted, not wanting to say what was racing through her mind, which was Get your fucking clothes and run as fast as you can from this room.

“Then what is it? Don’t shut me out, Liv. Let me help you,” Bart offered and reached over to stroke her cheek.

Liv cringed and moved away. Being intimate with him was wrong on every level. Going to Bart was a big mistake, and it was all her fault. She came onto him, giving him the impression she was interested. It didn’t matter that she stopped events from proceeding beyond kissing. She was a terrible person. Bart was a good man and deserved better.

“I need to be alone. I have a lot of decisions to make. I’ll get out of your hair as soon as I find my clothes,” she said, thinking she’d never done the walk of shame without doing the actual deed.

Somehow this felt even worse. Liv had almost cheated on Lawson.

Images of why she’d gone to Bart in the first place filled her mind. She shouldn’t feel guilty. Lawson was the one that betrayed her.

Bart grabbed his silk robe then made his way to the fireplace, putting on the garment as he walked. Liv admitted his body would drive any woman to his bed. He was attractive, kind, and funny. Not to mention, very wealthy. No wonder he was plastered on every local paper as the sexiest governor to grace Tennessee. But she didn’t have a romantic bone in her body for Bart. No. She loved a cheating wolf. Liv wished more than anything she could erase the past twenty-four hours.

He reached down and grabbed her costume from the plush area rug. “If you don’t want to wear this, I’m sure I can find some clothes that will fit,” he offered as he walked back to the bed, laying the garment beside her.

“Yeah, I don’t ever want to see that again,” Liv confessed as she stared at the Red Riding Hood costume.

She had such high hopes for her party, assuming it would be a fun night that ended with Lawson making love to her until dawn. What a joke. He ended up in the arms of another woman, and Liv was devastated.

“Consider it history. I’ll find some clothes for you. Help yourself to the coffeemaker and shower then we’ll go downstairs and eat,” Bart instructed from a squatted position in front of her. Trust Bart to be good-natured and supportive despite the rollercoaster she brought to his room.

“I should go,” she blurted then realized she had nowhere to go. Her home was a hotel three hours away, with a man that wanted someone else.

“Don’t be silly. Take a shower while I find something for you to wear,” Bart countered quickly.

“Ugh, what am I going to do? All of my clothes are at the hotel. And so is Milo. I have to get my dog. And then what? Where am I going to live? God, this is so messed up,” she sighed and lay back on the mattress. She wanted to curl into a ball and drown in her sorrows for about a year.

Bart plopped on the bed beside her and placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “One step at a time. Get showered, dressed, and eat first. I don’t have all the answers, but you can stay here long as you want. Your furniture is already in the guesthouse, so that’s a no-brainer. If you don’t want to go back to Hollow Rock and pick up Milo and your things, I’m happy to do it for you,” Bart explained. Even after the way she rejected him, he was still there for her. She didn’t deserve his friendship.

Liv thought about his offer. Could she face Lawson right now? Could she look at him, knowing he fucked Kristi? No. She didn’t know if she could ever look him in the eyes again.

“Thank you. That would be great if you could do that. But as for your offer…I appreciate it, but I’ll go and stay at my mom’s,” she muttered. The last place she wanted to live was at Bart’s. She’d led him on enough already.

“Nonsense. You will stay here. The guesthouse will give you all the privacy you need while you get your thoughts in order. And, I’ll get to spend more time with you,” Bart divulged and pulled her hands, forcing her to sit up straight. “I want you to know something, Liv. I know you came to my bed because of what Lawson did and I know how badly you were hurting. I’m glad you stopped things when you did. I’m ashamed to admit I’m weak where you’re concerned,” he confessed and placed a tender kiss on her cheek.

Liv didn’t know what to say or do. She sat there like a cement rock, waiting for Bart to get pissed for using him. When he pulled away, she saw his love for her. She wished she could say she felt the same, but her feelings toward Bart were completely platonic. It was nothing compared to how she felt about Lawson.

Lawson ignited her like nothing she’d ever felt. The passion between them was explosive. She loved Bart as a friend, but it would never be more.

“Bart, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have thrown myself at you and given you the wrong impression. I love you as a friend, and I never meant to hurt you. You mean so much to me. I think I’ve done enough damage. It would be best to stay at my mom’s house but thank you for the offer,” she said and stood up, careful to shield her nudity with the sheet.

“Okay, I understand. If you change your mind, my offer stands. No strings, Liv. We are friends first, and I don’t ever want to lose that,” he admitted, but she heard the disappointment in his tone.

“I’m glad you feel that way. I would hate to lose your friendship,” she confessed as reality came crashing down on her.

Tears formed as she thought about her relationship ending with Lawson. She thought he was the one. Hell, she wanted him to share his life force with her. Now, she couldn’t bear the thought of seeing him again. How fast the tables turned.

She wondered what he was doing, and if he was thinking of her. Was he regretting what he did, as well? Or, were Lawson and Kristi having breakfast in bed followed by more sex? Her stomach rolled, and she thought she might vomit. How did they get to this point?

The answer was automatic.

Lawson was a shifter, and Liv was human. It was never going to work between them, and the sooner she accepted that the better off she’d be.

So, why did it hurt so bad?