Page 32

“ Nora Winward , you had better put your ass into gear, or we’re going to be late!”

I holler this while looking at my reflection in the mirror, leaning forward to put in a dangling diamond earring. It’s a pair I got while we were shopping in Denver, and even with everything that happened after that day, I still hold that time close to my heart.

For the rest of my life, I will remember that weekend in Denver as the first time the three of us really started to feel like a family.

“Nora—” I start again, but when I turn, I find her standing in the hallway in a simple blue dress. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and she stares at me with a single eyebrow raised.

“I hate that your father taught you how to do that,” I remark.

“Stop hollering at me,” she says. “I’ve been ready forever. Just waiting for you.”

That makes me laugh. It’s been exactly one week since everything went down on the ridge, and today is the official alpha supreme recognition ceremony.

Before Xeran’s grandfather, there was never a ceremony like this.

Instead, there was just a fight to the death, and maybe beers at the pub.

Xeran’s grandfather was the one who thought the pack could do with a little more decorum, a little more of a formal celebration.

According to Xeran, his grandfather thought a ceremony might make the title a little more official rather than feeling like a blood rite.

And I agree with him, mostly. Still, it’s going to be our first appearance in public as a family together since everything happened. And I have no idea how people are going to respond.

“You have not been ready forever,” I finally retort to Nora as I wrestle the other earring in. “You were literally asleep twenty minutes ago.”

Which means she used her magic to help her get ready. Why didn’t I do that?

Since the incident, Nora doesn’t sleep all day, every day, but she definitely takes her fair share of naps and sleeps for more than ten hours a night.

Xeran is hopeful that after her first shift, her sleeping schedule will adjust, but we ultimately have no idea how that night is going to affect her body.

When we get to the pack meeting hall, I can’t stop myself from gasping dramatically at the transformation.

Xeran had insisted this place be the first building they fixed up, and for good reason.

The hall would offer them the ability to feed people, give them a place to shower and crash for the night while sorting out the housing crisis in town.

Since that first night, Xeran’s been working basically around the clock, building and making plans and cleaning up the ash piled around town. I wanted nothing more than to go out there and use my magic to help, but Xeran still doesn’t think it’s a good idea.

Sometimes, we fight about it.

But it doesn’t stop him from making it up to me for at least a few hours each night.

I smooth down my dress and glance around at the new walls and windows—everything they’ve managed to repair and replace in such a short amount of time. The early morning sun streams in through the high windows, making the place feel like it could be the start of something new.

“You look beautiful,” Nora says, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. I glance down at my own navy blue dress, something I thought would make me look mature without seeming like I was trying too hard.

“Thank you.”

Something else is different about Nora since that night—a sort of confidence. The way she holds her head. A sense of belonging she didn’t have before.

If I’m being honest, the pack has surprised me so far.

Xeran announced that he would be claiming us publicly, and instead of outcry, there’s been something more like quiet acceptance.

It’s almost like our pack members are relieved to understand a connection they sensed but couldn’t place.

Nora screams Xeran in every expression, in the color of her eyes, and now it all finally makes sense to them.

“Are you nervous?” Nora asks, tilting her head and looking up at me as people begin to file in.

“I’m terrified,” I laugh, smoothing my dress again.

That makes her laugh, but it’s cut short by someone approaching us. Shocked, Nora and I look up to see the queen bee from our old street. The woman who screamed at me not to touch her son after I saved him. Who saw to it that Nora was never invited to a single sleepover or birthday party.

“Good evening,” she says, glancing between the two of us. “I just wanted to congratulate you, Seraphina, on your mating.”

I’m gaping at her, I know I am. What in the world am I supposed to say to her? Part of me wants to laugh in her face. Another part of me wants to cry.

“Thank you very much,” Nora says, smiling sweetly at her. “Be sure to check for your name on the list at the front before the ceremony begins.”

Queen Bee’s eyebrows shoot up, and she clears her throat, embarrassed as she says a quick goodbye and turns, heading for the exit.

“Since when did you get so snappy?” I ask, glancing at Nora, who just smirks at me and shrugs.

Then, the breath leaves my lungs when Xeran walks in, striding forward confidently like he owns the place.

And in a way, I guess he kind of does.

He turns and walks straight for me, the look in his eyes making my skin tingle. It’s determined and possessive, and when he stops in front of me, he clears his throat and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a ring box.

“It occurred to me,” he says softly, his gaze locked on the box in his hand as Nora gasps beside me, “that I wanted to do this before the ceremony. And time got away from me.”

I’m staring at the box, my heart pounding. Xeran and I are already mated. A silly human tradition like marriage means nothing compared to the weight and permanence of the mating bond.

But I told him while cuddling that I’d always liked the idea of a wedding. Of marriage. Of changing my last name to my husband’s.

Xeran opens the ring box to reveal a shimmering moonstone set with tiny diamonds around it.

“Sorry this isn’t more grandiose,” he says, looking up to meet my eyes. “But Seraphina Winward, would you do me the honor of becoming Seraphina Sorel?”

“ Yes ,” I breathe the word so quickly, it would be embarrassing if it were any other circumstance.

He takes the ring from the box and slides it onto my finger. Then he turns to Nora, who watches the exchange with a strange look on her face.

“And Nora,” he says, reaching into his other pocket and pulling out a longer, sleeker box. When he opens it, he reveals a necklace with a similar stone setting to mine, like the moon surrounded by the night sky. “Would you do me the honor of becoming Nora Sorel?”

“I would have done it without the necklace,” she says, grinning at him before she takes the jewelry. “But yes, I will. And thank you.”

He helps her put it on, then wraps his arms around her, holding her tight and closing his eyes. I know that when he does, he thinks about that night again, just like I do. About how close we came to losing her.

And how we’re never going to let something like that happen again.

More people flood into the space, their eyes immediately darting to us, and I know I’m going to have to get used to this.

I’m used to people looking at me. But I’m not used to people looking to me.

Xeran’s friends arrive, and we work the room together, mingling. Laughing. Nora disappears to the corner of the room, where I see her talking with other kids her age.

It’s not going to be comfortable right away for either of us, but we’ll get there.

When the room is full to bursting, Xeran clears his throat and makes his way to the front of the room.

Nora and I follow him, climbing onto the stage behind him and standing just to the back.

We stand straight as we stare out at the hundreds of pack members gathered in the room, staring right back up at us.

Xeran stands at the podium, clears his throat again, and begins the speech he practiced a million times with us at home.

“Good morning, everyone. We’re going to make this event short and sweet because I know we all have a lot of work to get done.”

A short laugh ripples through the room, and I watch it bolster his confidence.

“When I left Silverville eight years ago, I was running from my grief over my father. From my responsibilities here. And I stand here now, officially accepting the honor of alpha supreme as a promise to all of you that I will not run from that responsibility again.”

The room is deathly silent—the reality of a weathered, unsure, uncertain pack that’s been beaten and bruised by circumstance.

Xeran goes on, “My uncle’s betrayal cost us more than buildings and businesses.

It cost us trust—in our leaders, in our institutions, in each other.

But standing here today, seeing how this community came together in our darkest hour, I know that trust can be rebuilt.

When the fires came, you didn’t run. You fought.

You saved each other. You proved that Silverville is more than its leadership. It’s its people.”

A cheer rises from the back and works its way to the front of the room, and Xeran has to pause for a moment to let it die down before he can go on.

“My first act as alpha supreme is to allocate funds for the rebuilding of this town. We’ve done it before, and we will do it again. I promise you I’m wrapping this up, but first I want to take a moment to express my gratitude.”

Swallowing, Xeran looks to the back of the room where his friends and brother stand. When he sees them, they raise their glasses to him.

“To those who stood by me, fought with me—Soren, Felix, Lachlan—thank you. You risked everything to do what was right, and I won’t forget that loyalty. And to my brother, Kalen… well, I have him to thank for the fact that I’m here in Silverville at all.”

Kalen waves from the front row, and there’s a small titter through the crowd.

When I look at him, I can’t help but think about the other Sorel brothers—still lying low somewhere, licking their wounds.

Maybe directionless without their uncle at the helm.

At night, before we fall asleep, Xeran will sometimes talk about their betrayal and how it still stings, even after all this time.

Finding them, punishing them, is a priority, but not above rebuilding the town.

Xeran smiles down at his notes before glancing over at Nora and me. Anxiety thrums through me. I know what is coming next.

“To Seraphina, my mate and fiancée, and Nora, my daughter, the two of you have changed my life for the better. You’ve shown me what real strength looks like.

You’ve taught me that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the decision to act in spite of it.

And you remind me every day to be kind to everyone I meet, no matter who they are, or how they differ from me. ”

It’s over—the part in which he claims us, and nobody in the building has shouted in outrage. In fact, most of the people here look too tired to care about who Xeran chooses as his luna.

Something inside me finally, finally relaxes as he finishes his speech.

“This pack has been through fire—literally and figuratively. We’ve lost buildings, businesses, and people we cared about.

But we’ve also discovered strengths we didn’t know we had, forged bonds that can’t be broken, and proven we’re stronger together than any challenge we might face apart.

Thank you, all of you, for giving me the honor of being your next alpha supreme. ”

The moment it’s clear that he’s finished with his speech, the applause is thunderous.

And when Nora and I join him, his arms wrapping around us and pulling us in close, his warmth surrounding me, that applause somehow only seems to grow louder.