Open door

The guest room still held the quiet of early morning. I sat cross-legged on the bed in an old sweater and shorts, laptop closed beside me. The head designer’s note from yesterday sat in my inbox like a small, polite disappointment

"Clean, but safe. Push harder next time Lily. I thought you really wanted to prove everybody wrong"

I had finished the minor revisions before the sun fully rose. Now the tablet screen stayed dark. Safe work. Safe life. I could not make myself open it again. I groan.

My mind quickly drifts to other matters.

The heat had not left with the night.

It stayed low and constant, a soft flush under my skin that made the air in the closed room smell faintly sweet no matter how many times I cracked the window. Every time my thoughts drifted, they drifted straight to him. Dominic Blackwood’s eyes across the crowded hall. The way he had not looked away. The controlled line of his mouth. The breadth of his shoulders. My stomach tightened. Heat pooled lower, slow and unwanted, and my thighs pressed together on their own. My wolf stirred with a restless little roll that left my pulse uneven. I exhaled through my nose and tried to think about anything else.

Just then, there was a quick knock, then the door swung open.

Emily bounced in with two mugs and the exact energy of someone who had already decided the morning would be interesting. Her hair was still damp. She looked entirely too pleased with herself.

“You’re awake! Perfect.” She shoved a mug into my hands and dropped onto the bed like she owned it. “I brought coffee and gossip. You’re welcome.”

I took a sip to hide the way my face still felt warm. “You’re suspiciously happy for someone who hosted half the region last night.” I say craving some light gossip to take my mind away from my earlier thoughts.

“I’m always happy when I have material.” She grinned and bumped my knee with hers. “Okay, listen. Uncle Marcus tried to set me up with the timber Alpha’s son again." She said with an eye roll

"And?" I ask.

"Well what do ya think?!! The guy spent twenty minutes talking about sustainable forestry like it was supposed to make me weak in the knees. I smiled so hard my face hurt." She says feigning tears. I laugh "That must've been difficult"

She cut me again "Ugh duhh.. Then I escaped to the powder room with the girls and we ranked every male under thirty by how fast they checked their phones. Ten out of ten convo by the way"

I snorted despite myself. “Your taste in gossip is terrible.”

She shrugged with a laugh then leaned in, eyes sparkling. “Now you. You were weird last night. Quieter than usual, which is a code black. and then that scent on the dance floor? Babe. You smelled like warm honey and bad decisions. I’ve known you for years. That is not your normal ‘I want to leave the party early’ scent.”

My fingers tightened around the mug. The leftover heat under my skin flared once, sharp enough that I had to shift on the bed. “Maybe I’m just bad at parties.” I say trying to sound casual

“You’re legendary at being bad at parties. This was different.” Emily’s voice dropped into pure bestie conspiracy mode. She poked my leg. “I’m choosing the fun option. You either found THE one… or at least one of them. The kind you get a stupid huge crush on and then pretend you haven’t. And for the record” she raised her mug like a toast “I have your back either way.”

I tried to laugh. It came out thin. I don't think she would be saying that if she truly knew.

I let my mind brush against Dominic’s face again. the silver at his temples, the way his gaze had held mine. And how my body embarrassingly reacted.

It was first a slow, liquid pull low in my belly. Then my breath caught again and then the sweet edge of heat thickened in the air between us.

Emily misread the silence completely and kept going, delighted.

“Okay, buckle up buttercups. It's strategy time! Your love doctor is here to help you."

I laugh again "Really? And how do you plan on doing that?" Emily responds with a scoff. "Please. If it’s a crush, and I’m like ninety percent sure it is, you can’t just pine in corners looking tragic. That’s how you end up with sad playlists and avoiding family dinners. You have to do something. Eye contact that lasts a second too long. Accidental proximity. A conversation that isn’t about the weather.” She was fully animated now, waving her free hand.

“And if you obviously have someone in mind...”

Instantly my face went white as I stared at the door. I opened my mouth.

She didn’t notice and before I could stop her she blurted

“....you must do your absolute best to seduce him.”

The words landed bright and careless in the quiet room.

A shadow filled the doorway.

Dominic Blackwood stood there, one hand still lifted as if he had been about to knock. Black shirt, sleeves rolled once, expression unreadable. His eyes moved from Emily to me and stayed. The bond slammed through me so hard my thighs pressed together again. Heat flooded my cheeks, my throat, lower. I could not look away. Neither could he.

Emily kept smiling for half a second longer before the silence registered and she turned around letting out a little yelp.

I sat frozen on the bed, mug cooling in my hands, face pale, the sweet scent of unfinished heat still hanging in the air and the most ruthless Alpha in the region standing in the open doorway with my best friend’s advice still echoing between us.