The morning of the ceremony arrived with a burst of pale, golden sunlight that finally chased the stubborn Minnesota mist out of the valley. The pack house was a chaotic symphony of running water, steam from hot showers, and the frantic rustle of garment bags. The leadership wing had been turned into a staging ground.
I stood in front of the full-length mirror in Stormy’s forest-like bedroom, smoothing down the front of the deep emerald-green dress GG and I had found during our whirlwind shopping trip. It wasn’t “fluffy,” and it certainly wasn’t small, but the way the rich fabric draped over my curves made me feel solid. Essential. Like a tree that had grown deep roots in this soil over a hundred years instead of just a few days.
A soft knock on the open door frame made me turn. GG was standing there, already glowing in a slate-blue gown that elegantly masked the tiny secret we’d discovered in the kitchen. She was holding Amara by the hand.
The little flower girl was a vision. We had found a dress for her in a soft cream color, but the real showstopper was the faux-cat fur robe I’d insisted on buying. She refused to take it off, wearing it proudly over her ruffles like a royal cape. Smudgie and Emmy were trailing behind them, their tails held high like tiny, furry court officials.
“You look like a queen, Roni,” GG whispered, her eyes shining with that fierce bestie pride.
“I look like a woman about to tell a hundred large wolfies how to run their pantry,” I countered, though a nervous flutter danced in my chest. I kneeled down, the emerald silk pooling around my knees, and opened my arms. Amara immediately trotted into them, burying her face in my neck. “You ready, flower girl? You’ve got the most important job today.”
“I hold the petals,” Amara squeaked from behind her hair, which GG had carefully braided with tiny green ribbons to match my dress. “And I stay close to you.”
“Always,” I promised, giving her a firm squeeze before standing up.
Stormy walked into the room a moment later, and the sheer sight of him nearly stole the breath right out of my lungs. He was dressed in a dark charcoal suit that made his broad shoulders look wide enough to carry the sky, his long hair neatly brushed back. When his ice-blue eyes found me, the stoic Alpha mask he usually wore completely shattered. He crossed the room in three long strides, his large hands finding my waist and lifting me just enough to center me against his chest.
“Veronica,” he breathed, the vibration of his voice rumbling directly into my ribs. “The moon knew exactly what it was doing when it brought you to my border.”
“Don’t get sappy on me now, Alpha Storm Maverick Kinkaid,” I teased, though my hand trembled slightly as I smoothed his lapel. “We have a pack waiting. And Rhett said the western ridge sensors have been quiet all night, but I want this ceremony finished so we can get back to bracing those borders.”
He leaned down, his lips brushing mine in a slow, heavy promise that tasted like the fresh pine of his workshop and the deep, permanent anchor of his love. “They are ready to meet their Luna. Let’s go show them what the Shadow looks like when it’s whole.”