“Oh my GOD!”
“A BABY! A WEREWOLF BABY!”
“IS IT GOING TO COME OUT FURRY?!”
“That’s not how it works,” I laughed, my ears ringing. “I think. Probably.”
Note to self: ask Caelan about werewolf baby mechanics later. Preferably when I wasn’t surrounded by five screaming women.
They crowded around me, touching my stomach, which was still flat since it was way too early to show, asking a million questions, crying and laughing and talking over each other.
Through it all, I noticed Jade.
She was sitting slightly apart from the group, quiet, her eyes not on me but on Thessa. And Thessa was staring right back. Had been staring since we arrived, watching Jade with an intensity that bordered on desperate.
I caught Caelan’s eye. He nodded, understanding.
“Hey,” I murmured, nudging Jade. “You two should go talk.”
Jade startled. Looked at Thessa. Looked away.
“I don’t know if-”
“Go,” I said. “She’s been waiting for this. You both have.”
Thessa stepped forward, hesitant for the first time since I’d known her.
“Only if you want to,” Thessa said. Her voice was soft, vulnerable. Completely unlike her usual snark.
Jade nodded, slowly at first, then with more certainty.
They slipped away together, toward the back of the apartment. Toward privacy.
“They’re not coming back tonight,” I predicted.
Caelan laughed softly. “Probably not.”
He stood, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll give you time with your friends. Catch up. I’ll be nearby if you need me.”
He left. The door closed behind him.
And I turned back to my girls, my wonderful, chaotic, beloved girls, and let myself be folded into their embrace.
I was so, so happy.
35
— • —
Riley
Coronation day. Wedding day. I stared at myself in the mirror and barely recognized the woman looking back.
My hair had been styled into an elaborate updo, woven with tiny white flowers and threads of gold. My makeup was flawless, the work of hours, multiple hands, and one very opinionated Sloane who had refused to let anyone else do my eyes. And the dress...
The dress was a masterpiece.
Pure white silk that flowed when I moved, embroidered with silver thread in patterns that echoed the Goldridge family crest. A neckline that was elegant but not too modest, because even on my wedding day, I refused to be boring. A train that seemed to go on forever.
