Chapter 1

I'd barely replied to Celia when a private message from Blake popped up.

[Since your project got canceled, you don't have to work late today, right? Can you swing by our usual bakery and pick up Emma's dessert for me?]

Back at Werewolf Academy, one failed herb experiment had been enough to send Blake running through the rain to find me. He'd stayed in the lab until late, doing everything he could to cheer me up.

Now he'd seen the message about my project getting shut down. He just didn't care. He could bring it up as casually as if I'd told him I'd missed the bus.

I almost said no. But that bakery made my favorite cheesecake. I could pick up a slice for myself while I was there.

After a day like this, I deserved something nice.

At the bakery, the woman behind the counter checked the order and handed me a beautifully wrapped box.

“Caramel custard, extra caramel sauce, and a card inside. Is that right?”

A card?

I opened the box to check.

[Remember that wish you made by the lake that night? I told you it'd come true.]

I gave a bitter little laugh. Apparently, Blake and Emma had memories together that I'd never even heard about.

Eli had booked a restaurant by the river. When the hostess showed me to our table, Emma was holding Blake's arm and laughing at something he said.

“Paige! You're finally here!” She came over with a smile. “Sorry you had to go all that way.”

“It's fine.”

I handed her the dessert.

Blake took it from her and set it on a side table. “Let's eat first. We can have dessert later.”

Once the food arrived, all anyone wanted to talk about was Emma's certification exam.

She told them how hard it had been to treat her last patient, who'd been poisoned with wolfsbane. Blake immediately asked if she was exhausted from treating him.

Emma rubbed her wrist. She said it had been aching after all the treatments she'd done lately.

Eli put down his fork.

“You've been working nonstop. I'll book you a hand therapy session for Saturday.”

Zane spotted crushed peanuts in Emma's salad. He moved the plate away from her and waved the server over.

“She’s allergic to peanuts. Can you get her another one?”

Emma smiled. “You still remember that?”

“Last time you ate something with peanuts, we almost had to rush you to the ER. Kind of hard to forget.”

They all laughed.

I held my fork, trying to find a chance to speak.

“Something happened to me today…”

Blake turned to Emma before I could finish. “Tell us about your next assessment. What's involved?”

And just like that, the conversation moved on. No one noticed I'd been trying to say something.

After dinner, Blake reached beside his chair and brought out a long gift box.

“This is for you.”

Emma lifted the lid. Inside was a moonstone bracelet. The silver chain was delicate, and the stones caught the light as she picked it up.

“Wait, isn't this the one I liked last time?”

“I had them resize it for you.” Blake fastened it around her wrist. “How does it fit?”

Eli gave her a new set of healer's tools, each one tucked into its own slot in a leather case. Zane brought out a bottle of custom-blended herbal room spray.

“You said your treatment room always smells like disinfectant. This one's a lot nicer.”

I looked down.

When I made my first successful herbal remedy, all three had promised to celebrate with me. But Emma was nervous about an exam that day, so they took her out to cheer her up instead.

I waited all night. None of them showed up.

“Paige, can you take a picture?” Blake held out his phone. “Before we dig into dessert.”

I took it and stepped to the other side of the table.

Emma stood in the middle with her caramel custard. Blake leaned in on one side, with Eli and Zane beside them. All four were shoulder to shoulder, grinning at the camera.

I took the picture.

Emma looked at it and waved me over. “Come on, Paige! Let's get one with all five of us.”

I started toward them, but Blake spoke up.

“Let's get Emma's pictures with her gifts first. We'll do the group shot after.”

“Sure.” Emma held her bracelet up for the camera.

They spent the next several minutes trying different poses, choosing pictures, and posting them online. They finished the caramel custard, and the staff cleared the table.

By the time we left, no one had mentioned the five-person photo again.