I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I went to Ridgeback Manor last night."

Chloe flinched and yanked her hand away as if she'd been electrocuted.

I figured she must have found out somehow that I was going to test Aidan. But she couldn't let on that she knew. All she knew was that I tested him, not what I discovered. So she'd been probing me all day.

I chuckled, ignoring the sharp pain in my heart, and said venomously, "I saw everything. Your little tryst, your betrayal. My dear Chloe, my best friend. You’ve got some fucking nerve."

Chloe clutched her dress, turning her face away, but I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. She glanced at Aidan, trying to send him a signal, but he didn't notice. Someone outside the car greeted him, and he got out to chat.

Chloe tried to follow him out, but I gripped her wrist.

"Where are you going?" I said coldly. "Isn't this all going according to your plan?"

"I find out about your affair before the ceremony, I dump him, and then you swoop in and become his Luna."

"You're not even afraid of being exposed, so why are you afraid of me knowing the truth? The outcome is the same, isn't it?"

Chloe stopped struggling and bit her lip, looking at me.

I composed myself. "You knew I tested Aidan, yet you still dared to come to the rehearsal. What were you hoping to find out from me? What I was going to do?"

"Well, I'll tell you what I'm going to do."

"I'm not following your script. I'm going to marry Aidan."

I watched the shocked expression on Chloe's face and laughed mockingly.

"You don't believe a player can change his ways, and neither do I."

"Powerful Alphas always have one at home and a few on the side."

"Did you really think I'd dare to mate with him without knowing that?"

"But you, you've actually fallen for Aidan, haven't you?"

"But does he really care about you? As a mistress, I mean, and not just… a plaything?"

"You're not naive enough to believe his sweet talk, are you?"

"Do you want to see what happens if I go confront Aidan about last night right now? He'll throw you out of pack lands in a heartbeat and then get on his knees and beg me to forgive him! Out of guilt, he'll cherish me even more for years to come."

"So, how do you think he'll treat you?"

Tears welled up in Chloe's eyes. My heart clenched, and I took a deep breath.

My own voice choked. "You threw away our twenty years of friendship for him? For a man like that?"

Chloe covered her ears with her hands. I turned my face away, unable to stop my own tears.

It hurt so much. It really, truly hurt. It was like ripping something out that had been rooted in my heart for decades. Every pull tore at flesh and blood, and I felt like I was suffocating.

"Why are you crying?" Aidan slid back into the passenger seat, noticing something was off. When he turned around, his brow furrowed. "Chloe, what did you say to Lia? Why did you make her cry?"