CHAPTER 4

Ainsley

The house smelled like pine cleaner, stress, and far too many baked goods.

“Don’t you dare touch that,” Mom warned as I reached toward a cooling tray of lemon tarts.

I froze, hand suspended midair. “I was just checking one.”

“You were about to eat three,” she said, shooing me away.

“Maybe.”

Kieran laughed from where he was stringing lights across the entryway. “She’s stress-eating. Honestly, same.”

I shot him a glare. “I’m not stressed.”

My wolf snorted.

Liar.

I mentally shoved her back—though it felt like trying to push fog uphill. She’d been restless all morning. Last night too. She wouldn’t settle, shifting and pacing inside me like she was searching for something.

Or someone.

The closer we got to the party, the stronger the agitation became.

It wasn’t nerves.

It wasn’t fear.

It was… something else.

Something that made the hair on my arms lift at random moments as if the wind carried a scent I couldn’t quite detect yet.

Mom bustled past me with her list—her third list today. “We have fifteen packs arriving between today and tomorrow. Some are staying at the guest cabins, the others at the pack-run lodge.”

“Fifteen?” I squeaked.

“Relax. That’s small for an allied-region event.”

I sank into the couch. “Define small.”

Mom hesitated.

Kieran snorted. “Under two hundred people.”

I buried my face in a pillow. “I’m going to pass out.”

Dad stepped into the living room at that exact moment, holding a clipboard and looking like he was preparing for war. “Alpha Rowan’s pack is arriving by sunset. Blue Ridge in the morning. And Blood—”

He stopped.

Mom shot him a look that said, Do not even think about it.

“What?” I asked, sitting up. “Blood what?”

“Blood Moon,” Kieran said flatly.

My pulse spiked. “Blood Moon? As in the Blood Moon? The ruthless warriors? The ones who single-handedly deter rogues from three borders away?”

Dad rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes. But don’t worry—their alpha requested permission to attend respectfully.”

I blinked. “They asked to come here?”

“Yes.”

“And you said yes?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Dad hesitated.

Mom answered for him. “Because denying them would’ve started rumors we insulted their pack. And… because they say their alpha is struggling. He needs to find his mate soon.”

My wolf, who had been pacing relentlessly, froze so hard it stole my breath.

She lifted her head.

Him.

A jolt shot through my chest.

Sharp.

Unexpected.

Intense.

My heart skipped, then slammed hard against my ribs.

I swallowed, trying to steady my breathing.

“Him who?” Kieran asked, brow furrowed.

“Nothing—” I said too quickly.

My wolf pushed forward again—uneasy, agitated, focused in a way that scared me.

Not afraid.

Not angry.

Searching.

I forced myself to stand. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Mom frowned. “Maybe you should rest. You’ve been on your feet all morning.”

I nodded and headed for the stairs, but halfway up, a strange sensation washed over me.

Like heat.

Like pressure.

Like being tugged by a thread tied around my ribs.

My wolf inhaled deeply, chest expanding, ears pricked.

He’s coming.

The words vibrated through me, soft but absolute.

I gripped the stair railing, heart racing.

Three days ago, I’d been worried about what kind of mate I’d end up with.

Now?

I wasn’t sure I was even ready to meet him.

Later That Night

I stood in front of my closet, towel wrapped around my body, dripping onto the hardwood floor. Getting ready was normally easy—jeans, hoodie, ponytail.

But tonight?

Tonight felt different.

My wolf kept nudging me toward certain things.

The dark blue dress instead of the black one.

Natural curls instead of tying my hair back.

No heavy makeup—“just enough,” she murmured.

She had opinions suddenly.

Lots of them.

We should look strong, she said.

But not like we’re hiding.

I don’t know why she cared so much all of a sudden I was only going to help mum delegate guests rooms and welcome them to our pack lands with her, dad and Kieran

I sighed. “You’re making this very complicated.”

He will see us.

That did not help my anxiety.

I slipped into the dress—a simple, soft fabric that hugged my waist and left my arms free. Practical enough to move in. Comfortable enough that I didn’t feel like I was pretending to be someone else.

As I turned toward the mirror, a strange warmth pulsed low in my stomach.

My wolf’s voice was a whisper of breath against my spine.

He’s close now. Closer than before.

I pressed a hand to my chest.

Tomorrow, packs would begin arriving in full.

Tomorrow, scents and energy would fill the territory.

Tomorrow… I might cross paths with the one wolf who could change everything about my life.

And for the first time, that thought didn’t just scare me—

It thrilled me.