Chapter 9
I’d gotten really good at hiding over the past few days.?
The morning after Ryder and I had been caught by his father—God, I still wanted to die every time I thought about it—I’d perfected the art of avoidance. I knew Ryder’s schedule. I knew which routes he took through town. I knew when he’d be at the packhouse and when he’d be out on patrol.
And I made damn sure I was never anywhere near him.
It had been going well, actually. Until yesterday, when I’d spotted him coming out of the coffee shop on Main Street.
I’d panicked, spun around so fast I’d stepped right off the curb without looking, and nearly gotten flattened by a pickup truck.
The driver had laid on the horn, and I’d stumbled back onto the sidewalk, my heart hammering in my chest.
When I’d looked up, Ryder had been standing there on the opposite sidewalk, his arms crossed over his chest, one eyebrow raised. Even from across the street, I could see the smirk on his face.
I’d turned and speed-walked in the opposite direction.
But today, I couldn’t hide. Today was Nina and Nate’s mating ceremony, and as Alpha, Ryder would be the one presiding over it. There was no getting out of this one.
I pulled up to Nina’s house a little after noon, my stomach already in knots. The ceremony wasn’t until four, but Nina had asked me to come help her get ready. When I knocked on the door, it swung open to reveal a woman in her mid-fifties with warm brown eyes and laugh lines around her mouth.
“You must be Emily!” she said, pulling me into a hug before I could even respond. “I’m Margaret, Nate’s mother. It’s so wonderful to meet you. Nina’s told us so much about you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” I managed, a little overwhelmed by the enthusiastic greeting.
“Come in, come in!” Margaret ushered me inside, where I found Nina standing in the middle of the living room in a simple white slip, looking both excited and terrified. A younger woman—early twenties, with the same warm brown eyes as Margaret—was fussing with Nina’s hair.
“Emily!” Nina’s face lit up when she saw me. “Thank God you’re here. I’m freaking out.”
“This is Nate’s sister, Jenna,” Margaret said, gesturing to the younger woman.
Jenna turned and gave me a bright smile. “Hi! Nina’s told me all about you. I’m so glad you could be here.”
“Me too,” I said, and I meant it. Despite my own complicated feelings about being at the packhouse today, I was genuinely happy for Nina. She deserved this—deserved Nate, deserved this family, deserved all of it.
“Okay, so I need help with my makeup,” Nina said, gesturing helplessly at the array of products spread across the coffee table. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“I’ve got you,” I said, settling onto the couch beside her. “Trust me.”
The next few hours passed in a blur of laughter and preparation.
Margaret told embarrassing stories about Nate as a child while I did Nina’s makeup—soft and natural, just enough to make her glow.
Jenna worked on Nina’s hair, twisting it into an elegant updo with a few loose tendrils framing her face.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Nina said at one point, her eyes shining with tears that I’d immediately ordered her not to cry because I’d just finished her mascara.
“Believe it,” Margaret said warmly, squeezing Nina’s shoulder. “You’re perfect for our Nate. We’re so happy to have you joining our family.”
I watched Nina’s face crumple a little at that—in a good way. She’d lost her parents when she was sixteen, and I knew how much it meant to her to have this kind of family warmth again.
“Okay, time for the dress,” Jenna announced, carefully lifting the garment from where it hung on the closet door.
It was beautiful—simple and elegant, with delicate lace sleeves and a flowing skirt.
Nina had chosen white, even though mating ceremonies didn’t require it.
“I want it to feel like a wedding,” she’d told me when we’d gone shopping for it a few days ago.
“I want it to feel like everything I dreamed about when I was a little girl.”
We helped her into it, and when she turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror, I heard Margaret let out a soft gasp.
“Oh, honey,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
Nina did. She looked radiant, her face glowing with happiness, her eyes bright with excitement and just a touch of nervousness.
“Nate’s going to lose his mind when he sees you,” Jenna said with a grin.
“You think?” Nina asked, biting her lip.
“I know,” I said firmly. “You look perfect, Nina.”
She turned to me, her eyes suddenly serious. “Thank you for being here, Em. I know this is...complicated for you.”
I knew what she meant. Being at the packhouse. Seeing Ryder. Everything that had happened between us.
“This is your day,” I said, squeezing her hand. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
And I meant it. Whatever my own mess was with Ryder, I could put it aside for a few hours to be here for my best friend.
We loaded into Margaret’s car—a sensible sedan that somehow managed to fit all of us plus Nina’s dress without wrinkling it. The drive to the packhouse was short, and as we pulled up, I felt my stomach tighten with nerves.
The packhouse looked different than it had the last time I’d been here. The back lawn had been transformed, with a path of white rose petals leading to what I assumed was the ballroom Margaret had mentioned. Lanterns hung from the trees, ready to be lit as the sun set.
“It’s beautiful,” Nina breathed.
“The pack went all out,” Jenna said proudly. “Everyone’s been working on this for days.”
We made our way inside, and Margaret led us through a side entrance to avoid the guests who were already starting to arrive. The ballroom was in the back of the packhouse, and when we stepped inside, I couldn’t help but gasp.
It was stunning. The room was large but not cavernous, with high ceilings and tall windows that let in the late afternoon light.
White fabric had been draped from the ceiling, creating a soft, romantic canopy effect.
More lanterns hung at varying heights, and flowers—white roses and peonies—were everywhere.
There was a small raised platform at the front of the room where I assumed the ceremony would take place.
“This is a big pack,” Margaret explained, seeing my expression, “but we only invited family and close friends. Mating ceremonies are intimate affairs.”
I nodded, looking around at the chairs that had been set up—maybe fifty or sixty of them. It was small, especially compared to what I imagined a full pack gathering would look like.
“Nina, honey, let me just fix this one piece of hair,” Margaret said, reaching up to adjust one of the tendrils that had come loose during the car ride.
I took that as my cue to head into the ballroom and find a seat. The room was starting to fill up with guests—wolves, I assumed, based on the way they moved and the way they looked at me with curious but not unfriendly eyes. I found a seat about halfway back, on the aisle, and settled in.
My heart was already racing, and Ryder wasn’t even here yet.
Get it together, I told myself firmly. You can handle a few hours in the same room as him.
But then the side door opened, and Ryder walked in, and every thought in my head evaporated.
Damn, why is he so good-looking?
He was wearing a dark suit—charcoal gray, perfectly tailored to his broad shoulders and lean frame.
The jacket emphasized the width of his chest, and the pants fit him in a way that should probably be illegal.
His dark hair was styled but still had that slightly tousled look that made me want to run my fingers through it.
And his face—God, his face. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, those intense dark eyes that seemed to see right through me.
He moved through the room with the easy confidence of an Alpha, nodding to guests, shaking hands, but there was something else in the way he carried himself. A kind of restrained power, like he was holding himself back.
I couldn’t stop staring at him.
And then, as if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned and looked directly at me.
Our gazes locked, and I felt my heart stutter in my chest. His expression shifted—softened, somehow—and then one corner of his mouth lifted in a slow, knowing smirk.
He’d caught me checking him out.
I felt heat flood my face, and I quickly looked away, focusing very intently on the flowers at the front of the room. My cheeks were burning, and I could feel my pulse hammering in my throat.
And then I heard it—a low, rich laugh that seemed to carry across the room despite the murmur of conversation around us.
That laugh did something to me. It sent a shiver down my spine, made my stomach flip, made me want to look at him again even though I knew I shouldn’t.
It was warm and genuine and just a little bit smug, and it made me remember every time he’d laughed like that when we were kids—usually right after he did something to make me laugh too.
I risked a glance in his direction and found him still watching me, that smirk still playing at his lips. He shook his head slightly, as if to say I see you, and then turned to greet another guest.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
This is going to be a long ceremony.
The room continued to fill, and I tried to focus on anything other than Ryder. I watched as Nate entered from a different door, looking nervous and excited in his own dark suit. He took his place on the platform, his eyes scanning the room—probably looking for Nina.
Then an older man joined them on the platform. He was distinguished-looking, probably in his seventies, with silver hair and the bearing of someone who’d seen a lot in his life. This must be the elder Margaret had mentioned.
Ryder stepped up onto the platform as well, and I felt my breath catch again. He looked so... commanding up there. So sure of himself. This was Ryder as Alpha, and it was both familiar and completely foreign to me.
The room quieted as people took their seats. I could feel the anticipation building, the excitement.