CHAPTER 2

Ainsley

The kitchen smelled like coffee, toast, and my father’s rising stress level.

“Morning,” I said as I slipped in, hair still damp from the quick shower I took after the run.

Dad barely glanced up from the mountain of papers spread across the table. “Good morning, sweetheart. We need to go over the guest list, security arrangements, and the food order.”

I blinked. “…For my birthday?”

“For your mate,” he corrected, completely serious.

I dropped my head into my hands. “Dad.”

“What? This is important!”

Mom brushed past him and slapped the back of his head lightly with a dish towel. “Let the girl eat breakfast before smothering her.”

“Smothering? I am ensuring her safety,” he argued.

“By scheduling a military operation disguised as a party,” Kieran said as he walked in, stealing a piece of toast.

Dad pointed at him. “Don’t start with me. When you were turning eighteen, I had three anxiety attacks and a full security team.”

“Yeah,” Kieran said dryly, “but I wasn’t the type to look an alpha in the eye like I was about to challenge them to a duel at sixteen.”

“That was one time,” I muttered.

“And he deserved it,” Mom added.

Dad gave her a betrayed look.

Mom rolled her eyes. “He grabbed her arm, Thorn. Hard. I nearly ripped his throat out myself.”

I smiled into my cereal.

Chaos. Normal, comfortable chaos.

But under it, tension hummed.

My birthday was becoming this unspoken countdown everyone tiptoed around.

“Speaking of”—Dad shuffled through his notes—“Alpha Rowan, Alpha Reed, Alpha Mercer—”

“I thought we were keeping this small,” I said weakly.

“We are,” Mom said, though she didn’t sound convinced. “Only close allied packs and a few important families.”

“How many?” I asked.

They both paused.

Kieran coughed. “Around… one hundred and sixty?”

My spoon clattered into the bowl. “What?!”

“Relax,” Dad said, patting my hand. “Most are coming for the food.”

Kieran snorted.

Mom stepped in before I could start hyperventilating. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to talk to everyone. You just need to be present. Open. Aware. If your mate is from another pack, he might be there.”

My stomach twisted.

“But what if he’s… wrong for me?” The words escaped before I could stop them. “What if he doesn’t want a mate who trains or studies or—”

Dad’s expression softened instantly. The Alpha vanished, leaving just my father. “Ainsley. Any wolf worthy of you will value exactly who you are.”

Mom leaned in, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “And if he doesn’t, he’s not your mate.”

I wished it were that simple.

Before the mood could get too heavy, Kieran nudged me with his elbow. “Speaking of training, Dr. Mari asked if you could help in the clinic today. Something about organizing new supply shipments.”

“Yes!” I jumped up, grabbing my bag. “Finally. Something normal.”

Dad opened his mouth—probably to tell me not to overwork myself days before the party—but Mom swatted him again.

“She’s going. And you’re going to breathe.”

“But—”

“Breathe, Thorn.”

He inhaled deeply, though it sounded more like a growl.

I grinned and kissed both their cheeks before bolting for the door.

Clinic days were my escape.

My purpose.

And with only three days left until everything changed, I needed purpose like air.

I got to the door of the Alpha apartment and walked straight into Bata Aaron. My father’s Bata was standing there hand raised to knock.

“Aaron what’s happened” my father asked instantly tense.

“We got another request for the party Alpha…… from the Blood Moon pack”

The entire room went quiet as my rather yelled “WHAT…..”

I slipped from the room at that and ran for the pack hospital to escape.