I’d asked Sophie to help me pick out the right outfit to wear. There was an expectation for the Alpha to dress in black and his Luna to wear all white at formal events. It was a visual representation of their duality. I still hated wearing white, always afraid it would get dirty. She’d picked this blouse for the bare back and sleeves that were slit open from my wrists to my shoulders. The open spaces showed off the necklace and cuff they’d given me. She let me swap out the tight pencil skirt for a pair of dress pants. Being able to shift should keep my body running hot enough for the crisp winter air not to bother me, and if I got cold, she teased that I could always snuggle with Dmitri. She’d pinned my hair half up with opal set pins, my curls cascading over the shoulder opposite of the cuff. We kept my makeup simple, just trying to highlight my green eyes. “I wish you guys could see how good you look together!” Her beaming smile brightened the whole

I thought it would be impossible for anyone to beat us to locker room bunker in the woods, until I saw the rows of motorcycles and dirt bikes parked among the trees. It seemed like most of the shifters in the pack could be mistaken to the outside world as a biker gang. I’d have to remember to have Dmitri teach me how to ride one on my own if I managed to survive through the night. Without a wolf of my own, I didn’t know if I could form a link with the pack. How was I supposed to accept anyone’s pledge of loyalty or challenge for that matter if I couldn’t communicate with them? I could feel the moon, as it lifted into the darkening sky, beckoning my body to shift the same way they did. But I didn’t have a second consciousness, at least not the same way they all did. Mine wasn’t constant; I could feel her just out of reach, but she only seemed to commune with me when it suited her. Dmitri and I had tried a few times last night to link together through his bond to me, but

                The sun peeked over the edge of the horizon just before we started making our way back down to the clearing. Nathan and Dmitri had been quiet the last few hours. I assumed it was because they were having a conversation the rest of us weren’t meant to hear. I didn’t know if I could listen in, or even if I should try. It wouldn’t be fair of me to keep my own secrets but intrude on theirs.                ‘Anyone want to race down?’ Blake found new enthusiasm as the sky changed to a bluish-pink.                ‘I’m game,’ Lalita challenged, his cheerful attitude seemed to perk her up as well. They set off down the hillside, followed by a handful of enforcers and most of the females. The

I feel asleep with a sense of serenity I’d never felt before. Waking now and stretching my arms, I can’t help but worry if I’d dreamt it. Blue eyes, not black pools when he said he loved me. I jerked upright when my hand found only empty space beside me. ‘Dmitri?’ I tried to picture his face as I reached my thoughts out to him. Relief settled over me like a warm blanket, ‘Welcome back to the land of the living, Princess.’ I could feel his relief as well, ‘You looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you. I’ll wrap things up here and be up in a few minutes.’ I settled back into the pillows, feeling like I could float up to the ceiling at any moment. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so content,” his adoration washed over me, with a tinge of jealousy. My cheeks hurt from smiling so big, “You love me,” butterflies swirled in my stomach as he looked down at me. He frowned, “Have I really made you question that?”

                ‘Sophia would like to know if you two are going to be indisposed all day,’ Dmitri’s groan told me that Nathan had linked both of us and awoken him as well.                ‘Has she had breakfast set up in her rooms,’ his thought sounded more annoyed than he felt as his mouth kissed my shoulder, making my skin tingle.                ‘No, Alpha,’ Nathan sounding just as annoyed, ‘As per your mate’s suggestion, she’s had our breakfast meeting set up in the main dining room today.’ I wondered if he could feel my eyes roll through the link.                ‘Coffee,’ I tr