Iwrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold in the warmth of my body as I stepped outside. The ground was soggy from the torrential rain that had just come through, but the air smelled crisp and refreshing. It always blew my mind how the desert always seemed so barren and devoid of life, yet after a good rain, things always managed to come back to life.Moon Valley was no exception to the rule. Even though it was surrounded by a forest and tucked near the base of the mountains, the trees still suffered when there was a drought. Still, it could have been like Vegas, where instead of evergreens, there was steel and concrete. I could only imagine how Vegas would look under a few feet of water. The last time a monsoon this bad had come through, it damaged a few of the houses here but never touched the city.“And just what do you think you’re doing?”I whipped my head around to find the groundskeeper shaking his fist at me. Vlad had been tending to Harkness Manor since before I was born

“You ready?” Cillian asked as he reached for the glass doors to the medical center.A lump of fear formed in my throat, but I nodded. Half of me felt numb like I was walking through a dream. The idea of telling my parents that I was now engaged terrified me.Although I knew everyone in the pack already believed that Cillian and I were fated mates and that this path was inevitable, it didn’t make it any easier for me. I mulled over how I was going to tell my parents about the engagement. But no matter which route I took, it seemed the words refused to come off my tongue.“It’ll be fine,” Cillian whispered as I shoved my left hand into my pocket to keep the ring out of sight. To me, it felt as if I could hide such a thing from the world. Yet, I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d have to use my hand, and then everyone would gravitate to the ring just as they did when it was on Lourdes’s finger.“Maybe we should wait,” I said, glancing over my shoulder.Cillian shook his head, b

“Cillian.” I reached out a wary hand hoping to draw him to me. The way he paced the length of Evelyn’s office made me nervous. It was strange to feel him so disconnected. It was as if the world around him was crumbling. I could only assume his anxieties stemmed from the fact that he was a bystander with no legal authority in this case. Cillian had always assumed being alpha meant he would have his hands in everything. But the fact that we weren’t married yet, and Argentum was mine, meant his hands were tied.“Please, sit down,” I said. His lips formed a thin line as he scowled at me. I wagged my hand at him, and he grumbled as he finally crossed the room and stood by my side. Rolling his eyes, he slipped his hand into mine, and I felt the tension rolling off him. He was beyond perturbed by his family, but I couldn’t help but wonder if his anger was misdirected. “You need to sit and listen. I’m not saying you have to like what you hear, but as alpha, you need to be objective and open t

“Do you think it’ll work?” Cillian asked as I leaned forward and slipped the taxi driver his money. “I don’t see why it wouldn’t,” I answered once I was on the pavement. My heart sank the second I saw my home. The red lava rocks lining the driveway looked foreign to me as if someone else had laid them out. “This is your place?” Cillian asked, his eyes widening. “No wonder you didn’t want to leave it. It’s a nice place. What’s with the cacti, though?” “Low maintenance,” I answered as I glanced at the spiny plants under the windowsill. “And since this is a desert, it seemed fitting.” “You know, I always envisioned you in some penthouse in the middle of the city, not out here in the suburbs,” Cillian said as he followed me up the concrete path and into the gated entrance. I glanced over my shoulder and grinned. “Do you think I’m that much of a snob?” “Well, I mean, all I had to go on was the house back home,” Cillian said. I found myself grateful for his discretion. After all, wit

Every nerve in my body tingled as I stared at the faces before me. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the men and women in this room were the only ones I could trust outside Moon Valley. I glanced at Cillian. He was picking up on every emotion coursing through my veins. All I wanted to do was curl into his arms and pray this day had never happened, but I had a responsibility, not only to my company and clients but also to myself. I refused to let the world see me crack. “Forgive me if this is a sensitive matter,” Wes said as he leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “But what did happen? Were you kidnapped?” I took a breath to steady myself and gave a curt nod. “Yes. Some of what you saw was real. Other parts of the news clip, however, weren’t.” “Didn’t I tell you she’d never cave like that?” Cindy said, slapping Wes’s shoulder. The amount of faith Cindy had in me gave me the hope I needed to go through with the press release. Wes leaned back and exhaled as if he’d