“I don’t think you can disinvite your Alpha.”
“Watch me.” Her smile was so wicked it made my trembling lips curve.
“I appreciate the solidarity, honey, but you really don’t need to do that. It’s not like I can avoid him all that long anyway. Besides, the great thing about mating ceremonies is that the whole pack will be there, so he’ll just be one face in a thousand.”
She stared at the garland of stars I hadn’t bothered lighting. They reminded me of Storm, which reminded me of Liam, which was silly because I’d had them long before I’d met either Kolane.
“Nash told me Liam left for Boulder this morning, so fingers crossed, he might not get back in time.”
“He’s gone?”
Ads pushed a peroxided lock back but it sprang from behind her ear, swinging around the gentle camber of her cheek. “Apparently, he had some business to take care of.”
There was noapparentlyabout it. It wasn’t heartache that had driven him away. For hearts to ache, they had to be involved, and Liam’s had never been part of the package.
“Did he take Storm with him?”
“He did.”
“And Lucas?”
“Lucas went home with Sarah the other day, but they promised Nash they’d be back for my big day.”
“What about Camilla? Is anyone still looking for her, or did everyone just give up?”
“Last I heard, Reese had a meeting with every tracker on the premises. If anyone can locate the bitch, it’ll be our new Beta. Shereallyloathes the Hollises.”
“I have the absolute worst taste in men.”
Adalyn laid her hand atop the one not buried underneath my pillow, then scooted down until she was horizontal. “Thankfully for you, the solstice is coming, and the choice could be taken out of your hands.” She added a smile, even though I wasn’t feeling very smiley in return.
“With my luck, if Lycaon binds me to someone, it’ll be another crappy male specimen.”
Adalyn’s lips quirked. “Lycaon will choose only the best for you.”
“From your lips to their ears.”
She brought her index and middle finger to her lips, placed a kiss on them, then flicked them with her thumb to send the kiss soaring upward. It was something her superstitious grandmother had always done, a quirk which she and her sister had picked up.
“You know what you need?”
“Pouches?”
She chuckled. “Forgot about those.”
“A smarter heart?”
“Guess again.”
“A shower?”
She laughed. “You need a spa day with yours truly. What do you say I book us a whole afternoon of pampering?”
I sighed. “I’d say that sounds really nice.”
“Consider it done.” She fished her phone out of her jeans and dialed up the best hotel in town. After a few minutes, she hung up. “We’re all set for tomorrow. 3 p.m. Now, what do you say I pop some corn and pour us some candy, and we fry our brains with hours of television?”
“You have a million better things to do, Ads.”
