We pulled up at a five-star restaurant in the center of town, and I was relieved that I had slipped into a nice dress for our date. It was not the kind of place that you could wear jeans to. Gabriel bent his arm toward me, and I looped my hand through the crook of his elbow. I loved the way his other hand moved over to lay on top of mine. It was a timeless move. The doors were opened by a Valet as we entered. I was immediately taken aback by the beautiful chandelier hanging in the front foyer. The hostess seated us immediately, without asking for Gabriel's name or reservation. Just a simple, "Welcome Back, Sir. Ma'am, right this way." If the place were empty and they were trying to fill seats, I wouldn't have resorted to wondering if Gabriel had taken other women here in the past. Since he was recognized, I had to wonder, even though he told me he had always been faithful. The low lighting, red velvet upholstery, and dark wooden tables made it feel li

Mrs. Miller, or Maggie as she asked me to call her, excitedly babbled on while Mr. Miller examined me with an unreadable stare. I had hoped he would be as welcoming as his wife, but it seemed I had my worries backward. Mrs. Miller wasn't the one I needed to worry about disapproving of me. It was the man sitting across from me with a carefully masked expression. If it weren't for the slight twitch in his cheek whenever I answered a question, I wouldn't have been aware of his dislike of me. The happy man from earlier seemed to have disappeared the second his eyes pulled away from the bubbly woman he was mated to. I held his gaze, waiting to see if he would say something or if he was just going to continue to stare me down. There was no doubt that I looked crazy. About thirty seconds in, I decided I wouldn't just be holding his glare. If I was going to maintain eye contact with him, it would be a challenge to see who would blink first. I didn't say anything, but

I tried not to overthink it as I stood off to the side of the clearing with Maggie. She seemed to have picked up on my nerves and grabbed my hand to offer her support. I couldn't even see all of them yet, but I could hear them. It was loud as they all conversed. There had to be at least a hundred of them based on their volume alone. Even with the thundering sound coming from the pack, I was acutely aware of Gabriel's footsteps on the wooden platform as he walked up the stairs. My breathing hitched, and I tried to hold myself still as I began to shake like a Chihuahua. "Hold your head high. You were chosen to be this pack's Luna for a reason. They all love you already and are excited to meet you. Be brave. Be strong." Maggie whispered to me. I hoped that none of the wolves were able to hear her pep talk, then they too would know just how weak I was. From a dog the size of a New York City rat to a leader of wolves. Silence fell over the crowd as soon as Gabriel began to speak, and I

Elena sat at the foot of my bed, loosely hugging a pillow as I told her all about the evening. She was absorbing everything I had said and asked me for every person's name and a description so she could be prepared. I was wondering where she had snuck off to at the party. I had assumed since Athena was nowhere in sight either, that they snuck off together. It had never crossed my mind that my parents freaked out after I left and refused to let Elena go to the 'Barbeque' being held in my honor. "I hate that I was stuck here while you got to meet the pack without me. I know that you're important since you're their Luna, but it would have been nice to be there too so I could put faces to names." She whined. Her eyebrows pulled together, and I could genuinely see the stress pouring off of her. "Athena said she was going to be in trouble for bailing on the gathering to be here with me." "Don't worry about that. I'll text Gabriel. She will be fine." I assured her,

It was dark when I was finally able to open my eyes. My chest hurt with each inhale, sending shocks through my body as I did so. It took me several minutes to realize that I had been put in my bed, presumably by my father. I blinked several times. My mind was fuzzy, and my tongue dry. A quick glance around the room confirmed that Gabriel was nowhere to be found, and that was unusual. Ever since we had gotten past our fight, he always slept next to me. I figured he was just kept late again today. That would be nothing new. My neck and jaw protested when I turned my head to get a peek at my alarm clock. The green numbers flashed that it was 4:35am. I couldn't think straight as my mind was fuzzy, but I knew he should have been here by now. As I painfully pulled myself to an upright position, a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over me. It was stronger than normal, more intense. Everything about it felt wrong. She had given me too much. I needed