Edeline
I couldn't stop myself from drifting back to the window. Every time I heard the crunch of gravel or the low hum of an engine, my heart did a frantic little dance against my ribs.
"What about this one?" Darius asked. He held up a red sundress he’d pulled from the depths of my closet.
"Looks good," I murmured, my eyes never leaving the driveway.
Percival was supposed to be home today. After months of grueling summer training with our allied packs, the future Alpha was finally returning. My chest tightened just thinking about him. He had been away for three years now, honing the strength and leadership he’d need to eventually succeed his father. Even though we hadn't officially shifted and found our fated matches yet, everyone in the pack spoke of us in the same breath. The Alpha’s firstborn and the Beta’s only daughter—it was a legacy written in our blood before we were even born.
A soft thump hit me square in the face.
The fabric of the red dress slid down my nose. I ripped it away, glaring at my best friend. "Darius! What is wrong with you?"
Darius leaned against the wardrobe, rolling his sky-blue eyes with the kind of practiced exhaustion only a brother could manage. "I promise you, Edeline, my brother isn't going to vanish if you aren't guarding the window like a gargoyle. He’ll be at dinner tonight. Relax."
I huffed, looking at him. Darius had been my shadow since we were toddlers. He was protective, loyal, and unfortunately, very aware of my obsession with his older brother.
He snapped his fingers inches from my nose, startling me. "Earth to Edeline. Are you finally realizing you're madly in love with me instead?"
"In your dreams," I retorted, shoving his hand away.
He struck a ridiculous pose, puffing out his chest with a grin. "Oh, come on. Admit it. I’m the better-looking sibling. Give it time; your wolf is going to be begging for a piece of this eventually."
"Darius, you are absolutely Ridiculous. Stop it," I said, though I couldn't hide my smile. I grabbed the dress and turned toward the bathroom.
I needed to get ready. I needed everything to be perfect. For years, I’d listened to our parents whisper about our future over wine and pack business, weaving our lives together. Tonight was the start of it all.
'Please,' I whispered to the quiet hum of my own heart. 'Please let him look at me the way I look at him.'
Darius let out a low, appreciative whistle when I finally stepped out of the bathroom. I’d let my hair fall in loose curls over the shoulders of the red dress.
"You actually look like a girl for once," he teased, though he tilted his head, his expression shifting into a protective scowl. "Wait. On second thought, that hemline is definitely too high. Is it too short? I think it’s too short."
I slid into my sandals, hiding a secret smirk. If Darius—who usually didn't care about anything—thought it was scandalous, then Percival’s reaction would be exactly what I wanted.
"You’re the one who picked it out, you moron," I said, rolling my eyes. "I’m not changing. Besides, it’s easier to shift out of a dress if we need to. Now move."
Darius grabbed my hand, tugging me down the hallway and out into the bright afternoon sun of the front yard. The moment we stepped outside, I saw the truck.
My breath hitched.
Percival was climbing out of the driver’s side. He had changed. He was broader, his shoulders stretching the fabric of his shirt, his movements thick with a new, lethal kind of grace. The summer training had turned him from a boy into a warrior.
Then, the wind shifted.
A scent hit me so hard the world seemed to tilt. It was intoxicating—like cedarwood and rain after a storm—and it flooded my senses until I couldn't think. Inside, my wolf went absolutely feral, clawing at my mind and howling in a way I’d never felt before.
'Mate,' she growled. 'He is ours.'
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Percival’s head snapped up, his gaze searching the crowd until those sky-blue eyes locked onto my green ones. The air between us practically sizzled.
His face went pale with shock, mirroring the chaos in my own chest. We had grown up together, shared meals, and spent our lives as family friends—how had we missed this? But the shock didn't last. A slow, dark smirk pulled at the corners of his lips, and I felt my own mouth curve upward in response. I had won. My secret longing wasn't a fantasy anymore; it was fate.
The noise of the pack, the chatter of the arriving warriors, the wind in the trees—it all faded into a dull hum. There was only him. I felt electric sparks dancing under my skin, a warm tide of pure euphoria pulling me toward him. He was going to be the perfect Alpha, and I was going to be right beside him.
SLAM.
The passenger door of the truck swung open, the heavy metal bang shattering the moment. A tall, slender blonde stepped out, her brown eyes darting nervously around the yard.
I watched as Percival’s smirk vanished instantly. The warmth in his eyes died, replaced by a look of sheer, cold terror.
I felt a chill settle in my bones. Something was wrong.
"Percival?" the girl said. She reached out, her fingers curling around his forearm—the arm that belonged to my mate. She gave a small, fragile shiver. "Are we going in yet? It's freezing out here."
She leaned into him, her voice dropping to a soft, manipulative plea. "It isn't good for the baby to be out in the cold, and I’m just so exhausted."
