Chapter 7– My Dinner.

Morgan’s POV:

My feet were literally on fucking fire.

Not figuratively.

Not dramatically.

They were burning.

I felt like I'd run a marathon in high heels while carrying another person on my back.

I kicked my shoes off the second I walked into my bedroom and watched them fly across the floor.

"Fuck you."

One landed underneath my dresser.

Good.

It could stay there and think about what it had done to my feet.

I collapsed backward onto my bed.

I knew going to the mall with Allison would leave me even more exhausted than I already was. Had she forgotten I'd gotten practically zero sleep in the last twenty-four hours?

No.

Of course she hadn't.

She simply didn't give a shit.

Shopping did something unnatural to that woman.

The longer we stayed at the mall, the more energetic she became. Meanwhile, I was deteriorating by the fucking minute.

And Allison hadn't simply bought a gown for tomorrow's Wolf-Ball.

Oh, no.

Apparently, Luna Allison had decided the Eastern Kingdom was suffering from a severe clothing shortage, and it was her responsibility to personally stimulate the economy.

She bought dresses.

Shoes.

Blouses.

Skirts.

Accessories.

More perfumes.

At one point, I stopped asking what was inside the bags because I was afraid she'd make me carry another one.

Her closet had to be the size of a second Pack House by now.

I wasn't judging.

I was merely stating facts.

Instead of studying computer engineering, Allison should've pursued something related to fashion.

Model.

Designer.

Professional shopper.

Closet architect.

Something totally different.

And apparently, she'd decided that returning home meant I needed an entirely new existence too. I'd gone to the mall needing one gown. And I came home with shoes, jewelry, makeup, perfume, and two fucking dresses.

Two.

Because Goddess forbid I wore something I already owned to my own welcome-home dinner.

What exactly was wrong with jeans and a sweater?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Jeans were one of the Moon Goddess's greatest inventions.

"I don't think she invented jeans," Kira muttered.

"You don't know that."

"Morgan."

"Were you there?"

Silence.

Exactly.

I smiled smugly.

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to enjoy being right.

My welcome-home dinner was tonight.

I groaned into my pillow.

Couldn't they welcome me home tomorrow?

Or next week?

Maybe after I'd slept for seventeen consecutive hours?

But beneath all my bitching, I was excited.

Tonight wasn't some random Pack dinner.

It was for me.

For my return.

For becoming a doctor.

For finally coming home after nearly four years.

And Alpha John and Luna Gloria had insisted on being part of it.

Technically, Usher and Allison were our Alpha and Luna now, but John and Gloria would probably always be Alpha and Luna in my heart.

They'd been much more than my parents' best friends.

They were family.

And after Mom and Dad died, they became two of the rocks Alex and I leaned on when everything underneath us seemed to collapse.

Dad had been Alpha John's Beta.

But before titles, duties, and Pack hierarchy, they'd simply been best friends.

They'd grown up together.

Fought together.

Gotten into trouble together.

And eventually raised their families together.

Mom and Luna Gloria had been just as close.

The four of them were practically inseparable.

The fantastic fucking quartet.

At least that's what Alex and I used to call them. And there was one story about them I could never forget.

The story of how my parents met.

Mostly because Dad had almost frozen his ass to death in the process.

Literally.

They'd both been attending one of the quarterly Alpha conventions. Dad had accompanied Alpha John as his Beta, and Mom had been there as one of the invited physicians.

A brutal winter storm hit the region during the convention.

Somehow—and the details changed every damn time Dad told the story—my father ended up falling through the ice of a frozen lake while helping with an emergency.

By the time they pulled him out, his body temperature had dropped dangerously low.

His hands and feet were showing signs of frostbite.

Everyone panicked.

They called for the most experienced doctor available — and who walked in? None other than Adeline Miller.

My mother.

According to Alpha John, Mom entered the room looking completely professional.

Calm.

Focused.

Doctor mode activated.

Then she saw my father.

And all that professionalism went straight to hell.

She froze.

Dad froze.

Well...

He was already fucking frozen.

But emotionally this time.

Then Mom rushed across the room, threw her arms around the half-dead patient she'd never met before, and kissed him.

Right on the mouth.

I laughed every time I pictured it.

Imagine being one of the other doctors in that room.

Excuse me, ma'am. That's not part of the hypothermia protocol.

Apparently, everyone stared at them like they'd lost their minds.

Dad was too weak—and probably too shocked— to explain anything.

So Mom did it for him.

"We're mates."

That was all she had to say.

The entire room cheered for them.

Dad used to swear that the second Mom touched him, warmth flooded through his body.

His wolf was half dead but he recognized her immediately.

And her wolf recognized him.

And apparently, the mate bond did whatever miraculous shit the mate bond does.

Of course, Mom still treated him because she was an actual doctor and not an idiot.

She never let Dad romanticize that part.

"David, I gave you fluids, warmed you gradually, treated your frostbite, and monitored your heart. My vagina did not cure hypothermia."

“Eww!” Alex and I would always groan whenever Mom got to that part of the story. No child—grown or otherwise—needed to hear about their mother’s vagina. Ever.

Dad, of course, thought our disgust was fucking hilarious.

Now, I laugh aloud just remembering it.

That was my mother.

Dad would always respond:

"Your love cured me."

And Mom would roll her eyes so hard I was surprised they didn't get stuck.

Four days later, Alpha John returned to Crescent Moon with his Beta...

And my mother.

A new Pack member.

A new doctor.

And apparently, the woman Dad intended to annoy for the rest of his life.

They were disgustingly in love.

The good kind of disgusting.

The kind that made everyone around them believe maybe the Moon Goddess really did know what she was doing when she created fated mates.

My smile slowly faded.

I stared at the ceiling.

Sometimes I wondered what that recognition actually felt like.

Mom said she'd known immediately.

Not suspected.

Not hoped.

Known.

One look at my father and her entire world had changed.

Dad described it the same way.

There hadn't been a decision to make.

No list of pros and cons.

No wondering whether they were compatible.

Their wolves recognized each other before their human minds could catch up.

"Exactly," Kira whispered.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't start."

"I didn't say anything."

"You said exactly."

"One word."

"One annoying word."

She huffed.

I pushed myself off the bed.

I wasn't doing this tonight.

Not again.

Tonight was supposed to be happy.

My parents' love story wasn't evidence for Kira to use against me.

It was simply...

Their story.

Mine didn't have to look the same.

At least that's what I told myself.

I glanced at the clock.

"Shit."

I had less than an hour.

So much for resting.

I took a quick shower and stood beneath the warm water long enough to contemplate abandoning the dinner altogether.

Maybe if I fell asleep standing up, nobody could blame me. Unfortunately, Kira wasn't going to allow that.

Neither was Allison.

That woman would probably come upstairs herself and dress me if I didn't show up on time.

And she had been very specific.

Pink ombré dress tonight.

Olive-green gown tomorrow.

Apparently, I was no longer allowed to make decisions about my own wardrobe.

I dried my hair, curled the ends into soft waves, and kept my makeup relatively simple despite the ridiculous amount of cosmetics Allison had convinced me to buy.

The pink ombré dress hugged my body beautifully before loosening around my legs. It was elegant without being over the top.

I turned in front of the mirror.

Okay.

Maybe Allison knew what she was doing.

"We look beautiful," Kira purred.

"I look beautiful. You're covered in black fur."

"Our body."

"My dress."

"Our ass."

I stopped.

"Did you seriously just say our ass?"

"Yes."

I shook my head.

Crazy wolf.

I sprayed some of my new perfume onto my wrists and neck, grabbed my purse, and headed downstairs.

Alex was waiting for me in the living room.

The moment he saw me, his entire expression changed.

His eyes softened.

"You look beautiful, Princess."

And just like that...

My throat closed.

Damn it.

I had promised myself I wouldn't get emotional tonight.

Apparently, my emotions hadn't agreed to those terms.

I walked straight into his arms.

Alex didn't hesitate.

His arms wrapped around me tightly, and I buried my face against his chest.

Home.

That was what his hugs felt like.

Home.

"I missed these," I whispered.

His arms tightened.

"My hugs?"

I nodded against him.

"You could've said me."

"I missed your hugs more."

"Brat."

I laughed softly.

He kissed the top of my head.

For several seconds, neither of us moved.

And Goddess...

I needed that.

Alex had taken care of me for as long as I could remember.

He'd always been my big brother.

My protector.

My personal pain in the ass.

But after Mom died, something between us changed.

We became closer.

And when Dad followed her eighteen months later, Alex somehow found the strength to become whatever I needed him to be.

Brother.

Protector.

Parent.

Friend.

He had been grieving too.

I knew that now.

Back then, I'd been drowning so deeply in my own pain that I hadn't understood how much he was hurting.

He'd lost the same parents I had.

But while I fell apart, Alex held me together.

That was a debt I could never repay.

Not that he'd ever consider it one.

"You okay?" he murmured.

I nodded.

Then shook my head.

Then laughed at myself.

"I don't know."

Alex pulled back enough to look at me.

"That's convincing."

"I promised myself I wasn't going to cry."

"Who the hell made you promise something that stupid?"

"Me."

"Well, you're terrible at making agreements."

I smacked his chest.

He grinned.

Then his expression softened again.

"They'd be proud of you."

There it was.

The sentence I desperately wanted to hear and absolutely did not want anyone to say.

My eyes immediately burned.

"Alex..."

"They would."

"I know."

But knowing didn't make their absence hurt any less.

Tonight, people would raise glasses to me.

Congratulate me.

Welcome me home.

Call me Doctor Miller.

And the two people I wanted to hear those words from the most wouldn't be there.

"I wish they could see us," I whispered.

Alex swallowed.

"So do I."

"I wanted Mom to see me in my white coat."

"She'd probably complain that you weren't wearing one of hers."

A watery laugh escaped me.

"Probably."

"And Dad would've told everyone at dinner that his daughter was a doctor at least fifty times."

"Sixty."

"Sixty-five."

I smiled.

Then Alex touched my cheek.

"But they don't have to physically be sitting at that table for you to carry them into that room."

My chest tightened.

"You sound like Mom."

"Don't insult her."

I laughed through the tears.

"There she is," he whispered.

I wiped beneath my eyes carefully.

"If you made me ruin my makeup, Allison is going to murder me."

"She'll have to get through me first."

"She's your Luna."

Alex paused.

"Fuck."

I burst out laughing.

And that was exactly what I needed.

He offered me his arm with exaggerated formality.

"Shall we, Dr. Miller?"

I looked at him.

Dr. Miller.

My heart squeezed again.

But this time, I smiled.

"We shall, Beta Miller."

He groaned.

"Don't call me that."

"Why?"

"Makes me sound old."

"You are old."

"I'm twenty-four."

"Ancient."

"Shut your mouth."

I laughed as he ushered me toward the door.

For the first time all day, I wasn't thinking about Lily.

I wasn't thinking about mate bonds.

I wasn't thinking about any of the doubts that had been crawling around inside my head.

I was going to my welcome-home dinner with my brother.

I was going to see the people who had watched me grow up.

Tonight was supposed to be about family.

About coming home.

About everything I'd accomplished.

And for once, I intended to enjoy it.

I had absolutely no idea that someone else had already made plans for my evening.

Our house sat directly across the field from the Pack House.

Dad had been Beta, so living close to the Alpha wasn't simply convenient—it had been necessary. If something happened in the middle of the night, Alpha John needed his second-in-command nearby.

Not that Dad had ever complained.

He loved being close to his best friend.

And our home wasn't exactly a hardship.

Dad made an incredibly good living as Beta, and Mom's career as a doctor had been successful in its own right. Money had never been something Alex and I heard our parents argue about.

We'd grown up in a large Victorian home with five spacious bedrooms, tall windows, an enormous wraparound porch, and the beautiful open-concept kitchen Mom had designed herself.

The house was filled with us.

Literally.

Mom believed blank walls were depressing, so family pictures were everywhere.

The staircase.

The hallways.

The living room.

The kitchen.

Even the damn laundry room had a picture of Alex and me covered in mud when we were pups.

There were school pictures.

Birthdays.

Vacations.

Graduations.

Pack celebrations.

Pictures of Mom kissing Dad.

Pictures of Dad making stupid faces behind Mom's head.

Pictures of Alex holding me when I was little.

Thousands of captured moments.

And somehow...

They still weren't enough.

I would have traded every possession inside that beautiful house for the opportunity to take one more picture with the four of us together.

Just one.

I swallowed the ache.

Not tonight, Morgan.

Alex must've sensed the shift in my mood because his hand slipped into mine.

"Ready?"

I looked up at my ridiculously tall brother.

"No."

He smiled.

"Perfect. Let's go."

"Asshole."

"Brat."

Hand in hand, we crossed the field.

The Pack House was glowing beneath the evening sky.

Lights poured through the enormous windows, and voices carried all the way outside.

I slowed.

"Holy shit."

Alex glanced at me.

"What?"

"How many people did they invite?"

His mouth twitched.

"A few."

"Alexander."

"A few dozen."

I stopped walking.

"What?"

He pulled me forward.

"Come on."

"I thought this was a small dinner!"

"It is."

"Compared to what? A royal fucking coronation?"

He laughed.

"Wait until tomorrow."

"Oh, Goddess."

Tomorrow.

The Wolf-Ball.

I wasn't ready to think about that yet.

The moment Alex opened the doors, warmth, conversation, and the smell of food wrapped around me.

Then—

"Oh, my Goddess! The doctor has arrived!"

Heads turned.

My face immediately heated.

Mr. Parker stood near the entrance with his arms stretched wide.

Even in his later years, the man carried himself with elegance. Tall, straight-backed, perfectly dressed.

An Elder through and through.

But to me, he'd always simply been Mr. Parker.

I released Alex's hand and went straight into his arms.

"Morgan."

His voice softened as he hugged me.

"My sweet girl."

I squeezed him tighter.

Mr. Parker had adored my mother.

He'd been one of her closest mentors after she joined Crescent Moon and had loved her almost like a daughter.

After Mom died, some of that affection transferred to Alex and me.

He pulled back and held me by the shoulders.

"Let me look at you."

I laughed.

"Do you need a magnifying glass? I'm still short."

His booming laugh drew attention from several people nearby.

"Still your mother's daughter, I see."

That did it.

My eyes burned.

Damn everybody tonight.

Apparently, the entire Pack had collectively decided to make me cry.

Mr. Parker's expression softened.

"Morgan, I am extraordinarily proud of you."

"Thank you."

"Your mother would be beside herself."

I swallowed.

"I hope so."

"Don't hope."

His voice became firm.

"Know."

My smile trembled.

"Thank you for coming to celebrate with me."

"I wouldn't have missed this under any circumstances."

He kissed my forehead.

"Welcome home, Doctor Miller."

Doctor Miller.

I wondered how long it would take before hearing that stopped making my chest swell.

Probably never.

"Beautiful."

I turned.

Ryan was approaching us.

He looked handsome tonight.

Very handsome, actually.

He'd dressed in dark slacks and a fitted button-down that made it abundantly clear the man spent an unreasonable amount of time training.

He greeted Mr. Parker respectfully before his hand settled against the small of my back.

Then he leaned toward my ear.

"We need him on our side."

I frowned.

"Our side?"

Ryan winked.

"Later."

Later?

Before I could ask what the hell that meant, Mr. Parker was called away by another Elder.

I turned toward Ryan.

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"What?"

"We need him on our side."

Ryan smiled.

"Nothing bad."

"That's not an answer."

"Beautiful."

He kissed my temple.

"Tonight is about you. Enjoy it."

Then someone called my name from across the room.

I stared after Ryan for half a second.

What the fuck?

"I didn't like that," Kira muttered.

"Neither did I."

That admission apparently surprised both of us.

Before she could make anything out of it, I shut the door between us.

Not tonight.

I wasn't spending my welcome-home dinner analyzing Ryan.

Especially when I had a room full of people waiting to see me.

"Morgan!"

I turned.

Luna Gloria.

My heart melted.

"Come here, sweetheart."

I walked directly into her arms.

She hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead.

"Welcome home."

"I missed you."

"Oh, sweetheart. We missed you terribly."

Another pair of arms surrounded us.

"Leave some room for me."

I laughed.

"Alpha John."

He joined the hug, wrapping both of us in his arms.

For one tiny second...

I closed my eyes.

And I was seventeen again.

Before Europe.

Before India.

Before medical school consumed my life.

Before everything changed.

These two had been there through the worst years of our lives.

When Alex and I lost Mom.

When Dad began fading afterward.

When we eventually lost him too.

They never tried to replace our parents.

That would've been impossible.

Instead, they simply made sure we never felt completely orphaned.

"I can't believe you're finally home," Luna Gloria whispered.

"This time for good."

She pulled away.

"Promise?"

I smiled.

"Promise."

"Good."

Alpha John kissed the top of my head.

"Because Crescent Moon needs its doctor."

"And we need our girl," Luna Gloria added.

My throat tightened.

"Please stop before you destroy my makeup."

She laughed.

"I haven't even started."

"Oh, Goddess."

Someone else called my name.

Then another.

And another.

Suddenly I understood why Alex had been suspiciously vague about the guest count.

There were so many familiar faces.

Friends of my parents.

Old neighbors.

Warriors who'd fought beside Dad.

Nurses who'd worked with Mom at the hospital.

People who'd watched Alex and me grow up.

Even several of my former teachers had come.

Mrs. Thompson.

Mrs. Bartolozzi.

Mrs. Sarmiento.

Mr. Kellner.

And Mrs. Leeah, my former principal.

I stared at them.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Mrs. Leeah raised an eyebrow.

Oops.

"Doctor Miller," she said sternly, "I see Europe did absolutely nothing for your vocabulary."

Everyone around us laughed.

I covered my mouth.

"Sorry."

"No, you're not."

"No."

She smiled.

"At least you're honest."

Then she hugged me.

One after another, people welcomed me home.

Some congratulated me.

Some told embarrassing stories about me as a pup.

Mr. Kellner reminded everyone that I'd once corrected one of his equations in front of the entire class.

I reminded him that the equation had, in fact, been wrong.

Mrs. Leeah said absolutely nothing.

She merely pointed at me as if I'd just proven her point.

I laughed harder than I had in months.

Then a familiar deep voice came from behind me.

"You did it, Princess."

I turned.

Usher.

My Alpha.

My brother's best friend.

My unofficial second brother.

I barely had time to smile before his arms wrapped around me.

"You fucking did it."

I hugged him tightly.

"Apparently."

He pulled back.

"I'm so damn proud of you, Dr. Miller."

There was something about hearing it from Usher that hit differently.

Maybe because he'd known exactly how close I'd come to quitting.

He'd taken more than one late-night call from Europe when I was overwhelmed and homesick.

He knew.

"I can't wait to have you at the hospital," he continued. "They've been preparing for you for weeks."

"Don't tell me that. Now I'm nervous."

"You? Nervous?"

"Doctors get nervous."

"Not Adeline Miller's daughter."

My heart stumbled.

Usher saw it immediately.

"Sorry."

"No."

I shook my head.

"Don't apologize. I want people to talk about her."

His expression softened.

"Then we'd better clear everyone's schedule because I have stories."

I laughed.

"I know you do."

I kissed his cheek.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything."

His eyebrows lifted.

"I'm serious."

I squeezed his hands.

"Thank you for encouraging me when I wanted to quit. Thank you for giving me a place at the hospital before I even came home. Thank you for taking care of this Pack."

My voice softened.

"And thank you for taking care of Alex when I couldn't be here."

Usher's expression changed.

He glanced toward my brother—Alex was standing a few feet away talking with one of the warriors.

Then Usher looked back at me.

"Your brother doesn't need taking care of."

I gave him a look.

"Usher."

"Okay. He needs supervision."

I laughed.

"A lot."

"A fucking ridiculous amount."

"I can hear you!" Alex shouted.

"Good!" Usher shouted back.

Several people laughed.

I shook my head.

Some things hadn't changed.

Thank the Goddess.

Usher leaned closer.

"Seriously, Princess. You never have to thank me for loving your family."

My eyes immediately burned again.

"Goddamn it."

"What?"

"Everybody keeps saying emotional shit to me."

He grinned.

"Want me to insult you?"

"Please."

"Your dress is ugly."

I gasped.

"You son of a bitch."

"There. Better?"

"Much."

Allison appeared beside him.

"What did you say about the dress I picked?"

Usher's face changed instantly.

Oh.

This was going to be good.

"Nothing."

"You said it was ugly."

"I was helping Morgan."

"By insulting my taste?"

"Baby—"

"Don't baby me."

I laughed and walked away.

Not my problem.

Dinner was announced a few minutes later.

Everyone began making their way toward the dining area while I stood there for a moment and simply watched.

My people.

My Pack.

My family.

My heart felt so fucking full.

Then I noticed something.

The Elders were all here.

Not only Mr. Parker.

All of them.

That wasn't necessarily strange.

They'd known my parents.

They'd watched me grow up.

Of course they would attend my welcome-home dinner.

Still...

My eyes drifted toward Ryan.

He was speaking quietly with one of them.

The moment he noticed me watching, he smiled.

Then he winked.

Again.

A strange little sensation crawled through my stomach.

"Morgan," Kira murmured.

"Don't."

"But I haven't told you anything yet."

"And we're keeping it that way."

Ryan excused himself from the Elder and walked toward me.

"You ready to eat, beautiful?"

"Starving."

He offered me his hand.

I looked at it for a moment before taking it.

Maybe I was reading too much into everything.

I was exhausted.

Emotional.

Overwhelmed.

That had to be it.

Ryan lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles.

"Tonight is going to be special."

I smiled.

"It already is."

Something flickered across his face.

Satisfaction, maybe.

Then it disappeared.

"Come on."

He led me toward the dining room.

And because I still believed this dinner was nothing more than a celebration of my return...

I followed him.