-Ember-
I've been hiding in our old clubhouse for over an hour, huddled in the corner with my knees pulled to my chest. The small wooden structure nestled between three massive oak trees has been our sanctuary since we were nine—me, Oaklynn, Stella, and Ainslee building it with stolen lumber and sheer determination one summer. The space feels smaller now, but somehow still safe, the only place I could think to run when everything became too much.
"We should be facing them, not hiding," Ivy growls inside my head, my wolf restless and irritated by what she perceives as weakness.
"Not now," I whisper aloud, pressing my forehead against my knees. "I just need a minute to breathe."
"Your father can't force us to do anything. And that pathetic excuse for a wolf Tanner—" Ivy's growl deepens at the memory of his hands on me. "We should have ripped his throat out."
Leaves crunch outside. Footsteps approaching.
My heart races as I prepare to bolt. Has one of my father's warriors tracked me? Or worse—is it my father himself? After fifteen years of absence, Councilman Sanderson suddenly wants to play daddy, and I'm not ready for the reunion.
"Let them come," Ivy snarls, claws pushing at the surface of my control. "We'll show them what happens when they corner us."
The wooden door creaks open, and Ainslee's familiar face peeks in. Relief washes over me, Ivy settling slightly at the sight of pack—not threat.
"Found you," she says softly, ducking to enter the low doorway. Her blonde hair catches the fading sunlight filtering through the cracks in the wooden walls. Oaklynn follows close behind, her tall frame having to bend nearly double.
"Hey," I manage, my voice rough from crying.
Ainslee settles beside me on the worn floor planks, her shoulder pressing against mine in silent support. "We've been looking everywhere."
"Sorry," I mumble, wiping at my face. "I just... couldn't."
"Don't apologize," Oaklynn says firmly, crossing her legs as she sits. "After everything that happened, I'd have run too. Hell, I might have done worse than run."
"We should have done worse," Ivy agrees. "Much worse."
"We're sorry we weren't there," Ainslee adds, reaching for my hand and squeezing it tightly.
"It's not your fault," I cut her off, unable to bear the guilt in her eyes. I glance around the small space, noticing the absence of our fourth. "Where's Stella? Is she in trouble because of me?"
Oaklynn shakes her head, but something flickers across her face. "No, she's fine. She just had to go deal with something."
"Something?" I raise an eyebrow, suspicion creeping in. "What kind of something?"
Ainslee and Oaklynn exchange a look I can't quite read, a silent conversation passing between them.
"Just pack stuff," Ainslee says vaguely, too vaguely. "She'll meet us later."
"They're hiding something," Ivy notes, suddenly alert.
We fall into comfortable silence before I finally speak again. "I'm sorry I took off. Everything was just... overwhelming. My father showing up after fifteen years demanding I leave with him, the attack, and then everyone acting like what happened with Tanner was just an inconvenience—"
"You're allowed to need space, Em," Oaklynn interrupts, her eyes fierce with loyalty. "But you also don't have to face this alone. That's what we're here for."
"Yeah," Ainslee nods emphatically. "The Four Musketeers, remember? All for one and one for all, or whatever."
I laugh despite myself, the sound rusty but genuine. "Pretty sure it was the Three Musketeers."
"Well, we're better than them," Oaklynn grins, nudging my shoulder. "We have one more."
My chest feels lighter than it has in days. This is why I need them—they can make me laugh even when everything is falling apart.
Ainslee's phone buzzes with an incoming text. She checks it, then stands abruptly, her expression shifting to something I can't quite place. "We need to go. Stella's on her way back."
"Back from where?" I ask, suddenly suspicious again. "What aren't you guys telling me?"
"Come on," Oaklynn urges, already at the door. "Trust us."
I hesitate, but Ivy pushes me forward. "Let's find out what they're hiding."
The scene at the packhouse is pure chaos.
Warriors stand in formation around the perimeter, faces grim and postures rigid. Pack members gather in clusters, whispering urgently, their scents thick with anxiety and excitement. And in the center of it all stands Tanner is in silver handcuffs, his face bruised and his pride clearly wounded. He's flanked by two men I don't recognize, both radiating lethal capability despite their casual stances. Bethany sobs dramatically in her father's arms nearby, her cries too theatrical to be genuine.
Alpha Garrett faces off with another man whose back is to me. Even from behind, there's something familiar about the set of those broad shoulders, the way he holds himself—confident, powerful, unyielding. The tension between the two Alphas is palpable, crackling in the air like lightning before a storm.
"One year," the stranger says, his voice hard with authority, "then you can have your piece of shit son back. After he's learned some respect for women—especially ones who aren't his to touch."
"Alpha Adrian," Garrett snarls, his face flushed with anger, "this is my son, my only heir."
"This isn't up for negotiation. He assaulted my mate. The traditional punishment would be death. Consider this mercy."
I freeze, my heart stuttering in my chest. That voice. Deep, commanding, with an edge that makes my wolf whine with recognition. I've heard it in darkness, in whispers, in dreams for the past two weeks.
"Him," Ivy gasps, suddenly frantic, clawing to get closer. "It's him. he's our mate. OUR MATE."
A scent drifts toward me on the evening breeze—cedar, rain, and finally that third scent lavender.
His scent.
The scent that's haunted me since that weekend, the one I've been searching for in every crowd, every room, every dream.
As if sensing me, the man's head turns sharply. Electric green eyes lock with mine across the crowd, and the world stops spinning.
A.
My A.
My weekend lover is Alpha Adrian.
"MATE!" Ivy howls, taking control of my body before I can think. "GO TO HIM!"
My body moves before my mind can catch up. I push through the crowd, breaking into a sprint. He turns fully toward me, his face transforming from hard authority to something softer, more vulnerable, his eyes flashing between green and gold.
I fling myself at him, legs wrapping around his waist, arms circling his neck. He catches me effortlessly, one strong arm supporting my weight while his other hand cradles the back of my head. I bury my face in his neck, inhaling his scent as tears stream down my cheeks—tears of happiness, of relief, of finding home.
"Hi, Little Wolf," he murmurs against my hair, his voice breaking slightly.
"You found me," I whisper, unable to believe he's real, that he's here.
His arms tighten around me. "I would have torn apart the world to find you, Ember."
I pull back just enough to look at his face, drinking in every detail I'd tried so hard to remember—the sharp line of his jaw, the slight cleft in his chin, the intensity of those green eyes that seem to see straight through me.
"Kiss him," Ivy demands. "Claim what's ours."
For once, I don't hesitate to follow my wolf's instincts. I crash my lips against his, pouring two weeks of longing and confusion and need into the kiss. He responds immediately, his hand fisting in my hair as he takes control, deepening the kiss until I'm breathless and dizzy.
Someone clears their throat loudly, and I suddenly remember where we are—in the middle of the packhouse grounds, surrounded by what seems like the entire Silver Moon Pack.
"I see you two have met," Stella's voice cuts through my haze, amusement clear in her tone.
I reluctantly break the kiss, but Adrian doesn't set me down, keeping me firmly against him as if afraid I might disappear. I glance over to see Stella standing with her arms crossed, a satisfied smirk on her face.
"You knew," I accuse, realization dawning. "You knew who he was this whole time."
"Not the whole time," she defends, though her smirk doesn't fade. "It took me the entire weekend trip to finally remember where I'd seen him before. Alpha Adrain was in charge of the training camp held at Dark Pine, the one I went to last summer."
I turn back to Adrian, still trying to process everything. "Dark Pine? You're... you're their Alpha?"
His eyes soften as he looks at me. "Yes, Little Wolf. Does that change things?"
"Nothing changes," Ivy insists. "He's ours. We're his. That's all that matters."
"No," I whisper, touching his face. "Nothing changes. I just... I can't believe you're here."
"I should have come sooner," he says, regret heavy in his voice. "If I had known what was going on with—"
"You're here now," I cut him off, not wanting to think about the past few days. "That's what matters."
I scan the crowd, suddenly remembering my father and his demands. My eyes search for his familiar face, but he's nowhere to be seen.
"Where's my father?" I ask, looking toward Alpha Garrett.
Alpha Garrett's expression shifts, something like relief crossing his features. "He left about thirty minutes ago. Said he had urgent business to attend to."
"Coward," Ivy snarls.
I'm surprised by the pang of disappointment I feel. After fifteen years, he shows up demanding I return with him, then disappears when things get complicated? Typical.
"Good riddance," I mutter, but Adrian catches the hurt in my voice, his arm tightening around my waist.
I look up at him, at this man who crossed who knows how many miles to find me, who confronted an Alpha on foreign territory for me, who's looking at me now like I'm the answer to every question he's ever had.
"Home," Ivy sighs contentedly. "We're finally home."
"I'm going with you," I tell Adrian, not a question but a statement of fact.
His smile is slow and sure, lighting up his entire face. "You were never going anywhere else, Little Wolf." His voice drops lower, possessive and commanding. "We leave in an hour. Pack only what you need for tonight—I want you in my territory by midnight. Your friends have already arranged to ship the rest of your belongings to Dark Pine."
The authority in his tone sends a delicious shiver down my spine, Ivy practically purring at his dominance.
I glance at Stella, Oaklynn, and Ainslee in surprise. "You guys did?"
"The second I texted him to come, I knew you'd be leaving with him," Stella says, twirling her knife between her fingers.
"And he made it very clear you were his," Ainslee adds with a knowing smile. "Used words like 'mine' and 'claiming' a lot."
Adrian doesn't look remotely apologetic. His arm tightens around my waist, pulling me flush against him. "Because she is mine. And I'm done waiting."
I notice Oaklynn isn't joining the conversation. Her attention is fixed elsewhere—on one of the men flanking Tanner. He's impossibly tall, even taller than Oaklynn herself, with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. His broad shoulders are rigid with tension, jaw clenched so tight I can see a muscle ticking in his cheek. Every few seconds, his gaze flicks to Oaklynn, and each time it does, he seems to grow more agitated, his expression darkening further.
Oaklynn shifts uncomfortably under his stare, but she can't seem to stop looking back at him. There's something strange in her expression—a mixture of defiance and something else I can't quite place.
"Fucking pathetic," Tanner spits from where he's restrained. "You're just going to roll over for the first Alpha who snaps his fingers?"
Adrian's body tenses, his eyes flashing dangerously as he sets me down. Before I can blink, he's across the space, grabbing Tanner by his throat with one hand.
"Let me make something crystal clear," Adrian growls, his voice deadly quiet. "The only reason you're still breathing is because killing you would cause diplomatic issues I don't have time for right now. But if you ever speak to or about my mate again, I will tear out your vocal cords and feed them to you. Understood?"
The blonde warrior's eyes narrow at the exchange, but his attention keeps returning to Oaklynn. His hands clench into fists at his sides, knuckles turning white. When Oaklynn meets his gaze again, he practically vibrates with fury, his lips curling back slightly to reveal the edge of his teeth.
Tanner's face turns purple, his feet dangling above the ground as he claws uselessly at Adrian's grip.
"I asked if you understood," Adrian repeats, tightening his hold.
Tanner manages a jerky nod, and Adrian releases him unceremoniously. Tanner collapses to his knees, gasping for air.
"You can't—" he wheezes, still defiant despite his position. "She was supposed to be mine. She—"
"Was. Not anymore," Adrian cuts him off coldly. "She has a true mate. Me. Even your father isn't stupid enough to challenge that claim."
Alpha Garrett's jaw tightens, but he doesn't contradict Adrian.
Tanner looks up at me, desperation in his eyes. "Ember, we've known each other our whole lives. This guy? You met him what, once? You're throwing everything away for a weekend fling?"
Ivy snarls, pushing to the surface. I feel my eyes shift to hers as I step forward.
"That 'weekend fling' treated me with more respect in two days than you ever have," I snap. "He didn't try to force himself on me. He didn't assume he owned me. And most importantly, he makes both me and my wolf feel safe."
Adrian returns to my side, his hand possessively claiming the small of my back. "One hour," he reminds me, his voice softer but no less commanding. "Then we leave."
"I'll be ready," I promise, leaning into his touch.
Stella kicks Tanner again when he opens his mouth to speak. "I swear to the Moon Goddess, if you say one more word, I will start removing body parts alphabetically. I'm thinking 'appendix' first, then 'balls.'"
Oaklynn snorts.
At the sound of her voice, the blonde warrior's head snaps toward her, his blue eyes flashing gold for a split second. His reaction is so visceral it's almost violent, though he doesn't move from his position.
Oaklynn laughs, but the sound is strained. She glances again at the blonde warrior, who looks like he's physically restraining himself now, his entire body rigid with tension. When their eyes meet this time, something electric passes between them before Oaklynn quickly looks away, her cheeks flushing.
Adrian follows my gaze, noticing the strange interaction. A knowing look crosses his face before he turns back to me.
"I definitely like your friends," he says, his eyes never leaving my face. "They can visit whenever they want. But right now, I need to get my mate home where she belongs."
The possessive claim in his words makes Ivy practically melt.