While everyone was busy celebrating outside, the Trios were inside the cottage, in the kitchen area. The muffled sound of the party music leaked through the walls, but inside, the only loud noise was the steady rushing of the sink water.

Kiara was busy doing the dishes, Princess was wiping the plates dry, and Beam was preparing to take out the trash. She had just finished clearing the sitting room. They had to do it because Eriko told them to. It was his house, and he didn’t want to wake up to a messy house.

That was the deal Princess made with him before using his house to throw a baby shower for her girlfriend. She had promised him everything would be spotless by midnight.

"Thanks to you two, I am going to be a mom. Even though you had bad intentions... I am glad you did it." Princess said with a smile as she was busy arranging the plates into the cabinet. She stacked the heavy ceramic bowls neatly on the shelf, her chest rising with a relaxed breath.

"Awwn, you’re welcome, and I am happy you are happy..." Kiara said, then scrubbed the stainless spoon. She kept her head down, her hands moving in quick, rhythmic circles under the warm water.

"You cheating on me with my best friend was the best thing that ever happened to me." Princess added, then looked at Beam, who had been silent lately.

She was waiting for Beam’s reply, but she hadn’t said anything. Princess paused, her hand hovering over a dry glass as she narrowed her eyes at her friend.

She was about to press further when a strawberry-blonde girl entered the kitchen.

"Beam, are you done? I need to go home, and you promised to take me home." the girl said. She leaned against the doorframe, twisting a lock of her bright hair around her finger.

"Okay, I will be there with you in a minute. Let me throw these out, and I will take you home." Beam said. Her voice lacked its usual sharp edge, sounding strangely light and airy.

Then the girl walked towards her, leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

"I’ll be waiting, okay." she said sweetly, then smiled and went outside the house.

Beam was also smiling at her, even though the girl had gone outside. She watched the doorway for a long moment, her expression completely vacant but happy.

Then she turned to Princess and Kiara, who were staring in surprise at what had just happened right in front of them. Kiara’s hands had completely stopped moving in the water, a thick layer of soap bubbles popping quietly on her skin.

"Is she a fling, or what was the meaning of what we just witnessed?" Princess said. She dropped the dish towel onto the counter, crossing her arms as she demanded answers.

"Her name is Tisha, my new girlfriend. She looks gorgeous, right?" Beam said, smiling as she continued staring outside at Tisha, who then waved at Beam when she saw she was being watched. Beam waved back quickly, her movements looking almost robotic.

Princess was surprised by this. This was what she had wanted for Beam, finally dating someone who made her smile. She had spent months worrying about Beam’s obsession, hoping she would find someone normal to settle down with.

But that was too soon, because just yesterday, when Princess and Beam were moving some stuff to Eriko’s cottage to decorate it, Beam was talking about Kiara, saying she was going to love her no matter what, and she had even spent the night with her the night before.

The sudden shift didn’t make any sense.

"Are you in love with her?" Princess said. Her voice dropped, her protective instincts starting to prickle.

"Yes, I am in love with her. It was love at first sight." Beam answered without a single hint of hesitation.

"Like today?"

"Yes. I went to the convenience store to get a bear, and she was just by the counter smiling at me..."

Princess raised her brows, staring at her best friend, trying to figure out what was happening. Her pulse began to quicken as she studied Beam’s unblinking eyes. Then she looked at Kiara, who was now too focused on the dishes, over-scrubbing a glass cup. Kiara was pressing the sponge into the glass so hard her knuckles were turning pale.

"So you are over Kiara now?" Princess said, testing the waters.

Beam turned to Kiara, then scoffed in disgust. Her lip curled up, an uncharacteristic expression of pure hatred flashing across her face.

"Why would I be into Kiara? Like you said, whores don’t deserve to be loved. The bitch ain’t worth it."

Princess was speechless.

She stood there as she watched Beam carry the trash bag outside the cottage.

Princess stayed in that position for like 30 seconds before saying her next words to the girl behind her.

The kitchen felt completely cold all of a sudden.

"What did you do to Beam?" she demanded. Her voice was low, vibrating with a dangerous Alpha rumble that made the plates in the cabinet rattle slightly.

Immediately, Kiara stopped what she was doing, then continued. She dunked the glass back into the water, trying to act natural.

"I don’t understand what you mean by that statement." Kiara said. She didn’t look up, her shoulders hunching forward.

"Don’t fucking play dumb, girl." Princess said as she turned to Kiara. "Beam is a devotee. She is not someone who can easily move on. You did something to her. I have noticed that since morning. I won’t ask again. What did you do to that girl?" she said, stepping closer to Kiara.

Princess stared into Kiara. She tried to move back, but the kitchen sink was behind her. There was nowhere to run. The cold metal edge of the counter pressed into Kiara’s lower back, trapping her.

"I don’t know what you are talking about..." Kiara whispered, her eyes darting toward the exit.

Princess grabbed her by the neck. Kiara gasped in shock. Princess’s fingers locked around her throat, squeezing just enough to cut off her breath and pin her firmly against the sink.

"What did you do to Beam?"

Now it was a command, a furious one. The full weight of Princess’s aura flooded the small kitchen, making the air thick and hard to breathe.

Princess knew her friends. She knew what they were capable of. Beam’s manner of speaking had changed, and the affection Beam had for Kiara had changed too. It was like someone had completely wiped a part of Beam’s brain and replaced it with something fake.

Love at first sight. That was bullshit.

Beam goes into that store every day and night, and she didn’t fall for the salesgirl the first time they met.

Why was it just today she fell for the first girl she saw this morning? The timeline was completely warped.

Kiara gasped as she tried to talk. Her fingers clawed weakly at Princess’s wrist, her face turning a slight shade of red as she struggled for air.

"Isn’t this what we wanted? You wanted her to be over me, and I wanted her to stop loving me. So why get mad? You are hurting me, Princess. Stop before you..."

"I don’t fucking care if this place burns. Whatever you did to her.... if there’s blowback, I don’t mind ripping your heart out." Princess said, then withdrew her hand from Kiara’s neck. She shoved her back slightly, her chest heaving as she tried to control the sudden rage exploding inside her.

Kiara held her neck, trying to catch her breath. She coughed sharply, her lungs burning as she dragged in the cool air. Then she located her purse, which was sitting on the dining table, and brought out her mirror to check her neck. She breathed out when she saw there wasn’t any trace of a cut or blood around her neck. Only a slight red mark from Princess’s grip was visible, fading slowly.

"Do you always have to be this rough..." she said, her voice shaking as she tucked the mirror back away.

Princess, who was still staring through the kitchen window, turned to reply, then paused the moment she saw Faye standing by the couch, staring at them.

Faye’s hands were resting on her pregnant stomach, her eyes wide and dark as she took in the entire scene. The kitchen went completely dead silent, Princess’s breath catching in her throat as she realized how much her girlfriend had just witnessed.