*Vanessa*“That was not even close to what I expected,” Aaron rasps out, lying flat on his back. I laugh, removing the knee I kept pinned to his neck. As I stand, I reach out my arm to help him up and he takes it reluctantly. “A warning would’ve been great. I had no idea you were training on your own.”“So what? Were you hoping to kick my ass thinking I was unprepared for it?” I ask. “Where’s the honor in that?”He rolls his eyes at me. “Who’s been training you other than me? I don’t remember teaching you that pin.”“Seth and Dahlia,” I reply airily, and Aaron grunts. “I think it’s important to diversify my training.”“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles, still trying to regain his breath. “Damn, if your practice sessions over these last few weeks are anything to go by, you’ll be a killing machine before the end of the year. Any chance you’d consider joining the warrior sector?”“Ha. Now you’re just being sarcastic.”“Not in the slightest, for once.” He begins t
*Shawn*“I was waiting for you to finally come see me.” Amara glances at me over the paperwork she has splayed across her desk. “It’s about time you start putting together plans for a decent proposal.”“How could you possibly—” I begin, completely dumbfounded at how she knows what I came here to do. But she fixes me with a look. “Don’t insult me by thinking I don’t know you. Twenty years of friendship isn’t child’s play,” she says, her voice deadpan. She gestures at the open chair in front of her. “Have a seat.”I chuckle at the formalness and move to sit opposite her. “So, when did you decide to propose to Vanessa?” she asks, steepling her fingers beneath her chin and resting her elbows on the desk. I try to decipher whether she’s being serious or not with how strict she looks.I was expecting Amara to be her usual cheery self, to jump up and hug me in congratulations.I know that she’s become Vanessa’s best friend, but surely she doesn’t think I w
*Vanessa*I’ve never seen Amara nervous before. Usually, she’s the most calm and level-headed person in the room, but now she’s unrecognizable with a slight shake in her hands as she tries to fix her hair in an upstyle. I watch from my perch on her bed. “Okay, I’ll ask you once and only once. Is there some kind of blackmail ploy I’m unaware of? Or maybe some hidden gun somewhere pressed to your back?”Amara spins around quickly. “What do you mean?”“I mean, you’re acting like you’re going out to meet an executioner or something. Not the guy you’ve been looking forward to spending time with since he asked you out,” I explain.She sighs warily, turning back to scrutinize her reflection in the mirror. “I can’t help it, Vee. I just want things to go smoothly, you know? It’s so much easier to enjoy something when there aren’t any expectations that come with it. And adding a label to stuff tends to create those expectations.” I stand up and walk over to
*Shawn*“I thought I’d take it upon myself to run this council meeting.” Elder Luka stands tall and imposing, their eyes roving over everyone else from the seat beside mine. I’m sitting in the head seat, the one reserved for the Alpha. Usually, it would seem like a place of authority. But now, it’s more of a hot seat. But knowing Elder Luka’s fondness for Vanessa does make me feel more positive about the whole thing. My eyes immediately go to Henley, who’s sulking at the far end of the table. I resist the urge to smirk. “These matters are not foreign to us. However, we do find ourselves in a rather unique predicament where the shifter who might become our Luna is a foreigner to us. Her circumstances are definitely the first of its sort that Ashborne has seen,” they continue. “That, I believe, does require some extra consideration.”I wait my turn to speak, which will come at the end of their line of questioning. I keep myself calm, trying not to let my uneas
*Vanessa*It’s dusk by the time Aaron and Amara finish their date and make their way back to Ashborne. Having already started working on the crafting of the mating token, I decided to sit just outside and wait for them to get back. I don’t want to fling myself at them and bombard them with questions, knowing how important it is for them to spend as much time just enjoying each other as possible, but I can’t help the surge of curiosity and excitement I feel. I’m dying to know how everything went. One good sign though, is what happens when I first spot them. They’re walking together, close enough for their arms to brush as they walk, and from what I can see of their body language, they move with a sort of relaxed demeanor that can only happen when things have been going well. They’re far enough away for them not to see me when Aaron tugs on Amara’s hand to bring her to a gentle stop before drawing her in for a kiss. I’m glad they can’t hear the absolutely chi
*Vanessa*I don’t recognize the girl in the mirror. She has my dark hair, set loose in dark curls that reach the middle of my back and plaited in some parts with pretty little white flowers. Her skin is flush with nervousness, but this time, there’s an excitement that overpowers it. The biggest thing that makes her hard for me to recognize is the feeling of pure joy and contentment it shows on her face.My face.It’s an expression I’ve come to wear very often.“Dahlia, I swear to the Goddess, if you lost the veil…” Amara warns, sounding as distraught as if it were her mating ceremony. She’s been buzzing around me the entire day, insisting I do nothing but get myself ready. Dahlia looks contrite. “No, I put it in a very safe spot, okay? I just … happened to forget where said safe spot was and then there was no time to look. But don’t panic! I have a plan.”Amara looks very much as though she is panicking. There’s practically steam coming out of her ears. I chuckle, putti
*Vanessa*I don’t recognize the girl in the mirror.She has my dark hair, bound up in a bridal half-up, half-down style, accented by crystal pins. Her skin is flush with nervousness. But the biggest thing that makes her hard for me to recognize, is the look of pure excitement on her face.My face.It’s not an expression I wear very often.Around me, some of the female shifters who volunteered to help me get ready are talking amongst themselves about the coming mating ceremony. We’re not exactly friends but we are neighbors, and in this pack, that’s the closest any of us will get.I look over my reflection in the mirror. I wanted something simple, a dress that would be an accessory to the main thing: the pendant around my neck. My mating-token. Analogous to what humans would use as engagement rings, the pendant was Trent’s gift to me once we discovered we were fated mates – his promise to me that this day was going to come.“Almost time,” says K
*Vanessa*When I wake again, I’m lying in a bed in a place I don’t recognize with a strange woman tending to my bruises. When she sees I’m awake, she places a hand on my arm, as though to steady me. “Don’t panic. I’m a medic, my name is Amara. Our Alpha brought you in and you’re lucky he did.” At first, her words don’t register. It takes her repeating herself before the wall I built against my emotions comes crumbling down as the realization hits me: Trent tried to kill me.“Do you remember what happened to you?” The way she asks the question, I know that I must look at least a fraction as bad as I feel. As though her words inflame the gashes on my body, the pain rebounds so badly that I groan and she quickly administers pain meds which dull the agony somewhat. “I know you’re in pain, but I need to know. Do you remember what happened to you?” she repeats. I know it’s most likely to check for any head trauma and I manage to croak out, “Yes.” Trent’s attack flashes in