Chapter 18
The drive to Nina’s house was filled with excited chatter from my mom and Tina, both of them talking over each other about tomorrow’s ceremony. I sat in the back seat, half-listening, my mind still on Ryder standing in the doorway of the packhouse, watching us leave.
When we pulled up to Nina’s place, I could see lights glowing warmly through the windows and hear laughter spilling out into the evening air. My stomach fluttered with a mix of nerves and excitement.
“Ready?” Tina asked, turning to look at me with a bright smile.
“As I’ll ever be,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.
We walked up to the front door, and before I could even knock, it swung open to reveal Nina, her face lit up with pure joy.
“There she is!” she squealed, pulling me into a tight hug. “The future Luna!”
I laughed, hugging her back. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“Are you kidding? Of course I did. Now get in here.”
The living room had been completely transformed.
White and gold streamers hung from the ceiling, balloons clustered in every corner, and a banner that read “Emily’s Bachelorette Party” was strung across the far wall.
There were platters of food on the coffee table, bottles of wine chilling in ice buckets, and soft music playing in the background.
And scattered around the room were familiar faces—Kat from high school, who I’d reconnected with at the farmers market; Jenna, Nina’s sister-in-law, who I’d met a few times at pack gatherings; and several other she-wolves I recognized from around the packhouse.
“Everyone, you remember Emily,” Nina announced, gesturing to me with a flourish.
They all cheered, raising their glasses, and I felt my face heat with embarrassment and happiness.
“Hi, everyone,” I said, giving a little wave.
Kat came over first, pulling me into a hug. “I’m so happy for you. You and Ryder—it’s like a fairy tale.”
“More like a really complicated romance novel,” I said with a laugh.
“Those are the best kind,” Jenna chimed in, handing me a glass of wine. “Welcome to the pack.”
I took the glass gratefully, letting Nina pull me further into the room to introduce me to the she-wolves I hadn’t met yet. Everyone was warm and welcoming, their excitement genuine, and I felt some of my nervousness start to ease.
“Where’s Nate?” I asked Nina when we had a moment alone.
She grinned wickedly. “I kicked him out. He’s staying at his parents’ place for the night. This is a girls-only event.”
“You kicked your mate out of his own house?”
“Damn right I did. He’ll survive one night without me.” She clinked her glass against mine. “Now drink up. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”
Dinner was a casual affair—pizza, salad, breadsticks, and way too much wine. We sat around the living room, some of us on the couch, others on the floor, plates balanced on our laps as we ate and talked and laughed.
My mom and Tina fit right in, both of them already a little tipsy and telling embarrassing stories about Ryder and me when we were younger.
“She used to follow him around like a little puppy,” my mom was saying, her cheeks flushed from the wine. “Everywhere he went, there was Emily, right behind him.”
“Mom,” I groaned, covering my face with my hands.
“It’s true! And Ryder never seemed to mind. He was always so patient with her.”
Tina nodded enthusiastically. “Oh you two were the cutest. When he saved her from the woods, after she left, he was so worried about her. I think he knew even then.”
“Knew what?” Kat asked, leaning forward.
“That she was his mate,” Tina said softly, her eyes meeting mine. “Some bonds are just meant to be.”
I felt tears prick at my eyes, and I quickly took another sip of wine to cover my emotion.
After dinner, Nina clapped her hands together. “Okay, ladies! Time for games!”
The first game was “How Well Do You Know the Bride,” and it was both hilarious and mortifying. Nina had prepared a list of questions about me—everything from my favorite color to my most embarrassing moment in high school.
My mom, unsurprisingly, dominated. She knew everything—my childhood fears, my favorite foods, the name of my first crush (which, embarrassingly, was Ryder).
“How do you know all this?” I asked, laughing as she got yet another answer right.
“I’m your mother,” she said, as if that explained everything. “I pay attention.”
The next game was “Drink If,” and it quickly devolved into chaos. Nina read off a list of statements, and anyone they applied to had to take a drink.
“Drink if you’ve ever done something crazy for love.”
My mom and Tina both drank, and then kept drinking, and I realized they were getting progressively more drunk with each round.
“Drink if you’ve ever fantasized about your mate in a public place.”
I felt my face turn bright red as I took a drink, and everyone burst into laughter.
By the time we got to “Pin the Kiss on the Groom,” my mom and Tina were giggling uncontrollably, barely able to stand straight.
Nina had printed out a life-size poster of Ryder’s face—God knows where she got the photo—and we took turns being blindfolded and trying to place a lipstick kiss in the right spot.
Most people ended up kissing his forehead or his chin. My mom kissed his ear. Tina got his neck.
When it was my turn, I was blindfolded and spun around three times. I stumbled forward, my hands outstretched, and pressed the lipstick kiss right on his lips.
“She wins!” Nina announced, and everyone cheered.
“Of course she does,” Kat said, laughing. “She’s had plenty of practice.”
I pulled off the blindfold, my face burning, but I was laughing too.
The night took an even more outrageous turn when the doorbell rang and Nina practically sprinted to answer it.
“Oh, this is going to be good,” Jenna said, grinning.
Two male shifters walked in, both of them tall, muscular, and wearing nothing but bow ties and very tight pants. My jaw dropped.
“Nina, what did you do?” I asked, my voice coming out as a squeak.
“I hired entertainment,” she said innocently. “You’re welcome.”
Music started playing—something with a heavy bass beat—and the two shifters began to move. It was a strip tease, and it was absolutely ridiculous and completely mortifying and somehow the most fun I’d had in years.
My mom and Tina were losing their minds, cheering and whistling and throwing dollar bills like they were at an actual strip club. I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt, my face buried in my hands as I watched through my fingers.
And then one of the shifters—a guy with dark hair and a cocky grin—pulled me up from the couch.
“Oh no,” I said, trying to sit back down. “No, no, no—”
But he was already guiding me to a chair in the center of the room, and everyone was chanting, “Lap dance! Lap dance!”
I wanted to die. I wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.
But then the music was playing, and he was dancing in front of me, his movements smooth and practiced, and I couldn’t help but laugh. It was so absurd, so over-the-top, that I just gave in and enjoyed it.
My mom was recording on her phone, and Tina was cheering louder than anyone, and I knew I’d never live this down.
When it was finally over, the shifters took a bow, collected their tips, and left. The room erupted into laughter and applause.
“That was amazing,” Kat said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“We are never telling Ryder about this,” I said firmly, looking around at everyone. “He would have an aneurysm.”
“Agreed,” Nina said, holding up her glass. “What happens at the bachelorette party stays at the bachelorette party.”
Everyone clinked their glasses together, sealing the pact.
As the night wore on, people started to settle in. Some claimed spots on the couches, others spread out sleeping bags on the floor. My mom and Tina were both passed out in the guest room, snoring softly.
I retreated to my former guest room—the one I’d stayed in when I first came back to Pinewood. It felt strange being here again, like coming full circle.
I changed into pajamas and climbed into bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow, I would officially become Ryder’s mate. Tomorrow, I would become Luna.
The weight of it settled over me—not heavy, but significant. This was everything I’d ever wanted and everything I’d thought I’d lost.
I was just starting to drift off when I heard a soft tapping sound.
At first, I thought I’d imagined it. But then it came again—tap, tap, tap—against the window.
I sat up, my heart racing, and walked over to pull back the curtain.
Ryder was standing outside, grinning up at me like a teenager sneaking out past curfew.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I opened the window. “What are you doing here?”
“Did you seriously think I was going to spend a night away from you?” he asked, already climbing through the window with practiced ease.
“It’s kind of tradition,” I said, crossing my arms even as I smiled. “The bride and groom aren’t supposed to see each other the night before the wedding.”
“Fuck tradition,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “I’ll leave early in the morning. No one will know I was here.”
I rolled my eyes, but I was already melting into his embrace. “Fine. But sleep only. No sex.”
He gave me that sexy, cocky smile that always made my knees weak. “I won’t try anything. But I won’t stop you if you try something.”
I hit his chest playfully, and he laughed, catching my hand and bringing it to his lips.
We climbed into bed together, and he pulled me close, my back against his chest, his arm wrapped securely around my waist. The mate bond hummed contentedly between us, and I felt myself relax completely.
“I love you,” he murmured against my hair.
“I love you too,” I whispered back.
And then, wrapped in his warmth and his scent and his love, I finally let sleep take me.
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I woke to the feeling of soft lips pressing against my forehead, then my cheek, then my lips.
“I’ll see you soon, my beautiful Luna,” Ryder whispered, his voice rough with sleep and emotion. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I mumbled, still half-asleep.