-Ember-
Oaklynn and Ainslee arrive in the living room carrying one of my suitcases. Oaklynn looks a little nervous, shifting her weight from foot to foot in that way she does when she's about to suggest something she's not sure will be well-received. The last time I saw that expression, she was trying to convince me to let her practice giving stitches on me after I fell through the old tree house window.
She clears her throat, a nervous habit she's had since we were kids. "Can I go with Ember? To Dark Pine?"
The question hangs in the air, unexpected but somehow perfect. Adrian looks over at her, his expression unreadable, those intense green eyes giving nothing away. I hold my breath, not even realizing I'm doing it until my lungs start to burn.
"Can I ask why?" Adrian says, his voice neither welcoming nor dismissive.
The air between them crackles with assessment—two people who care about me, measuring each other up.
Ainslee squares her shoulders and steps forward, never one to stay quiet when she feels strongly about something. "We think it would be best for Ember if she didn't go into unknown territory alone." Her chin lifts slightly, the way it always does when she's prepared to stand her ground. "After everything, she shouldn't feel isolated."
Her voice grows stronger, more determined as she continues. "Stella is too important to this pack, I can't leave my grandmother. Oaklynn is the best choice out of the three of us."
The gesture touches me deeply. Even now, when I've found my mate, they're still looking out for me. Making sure I won't be alone in a strange place with strange wolves. Making sure I still have a piece of home with me.
"What about the clinic?" I ask Oaklynn, practicality breaking through my emotion. Dr. Jenkins has been training her for years to eventually take over for him. "Won't Dr. Jenkins need you?"
Oaklynn shrugs, trying to appear casual though I can see the emotion in her eyes. "He always knew it would be a possibility I would leave the clinic... if I found my mate and moved packs." She clears her throat again, her tell when she's not sharing everything. "This is just as important a reason to go. Plus, I can always come back once you're settled in."
There's something in her expression—a flicker of something beyond just concern for me. I think of the blonde warrior from outside and the way they looked at each other earlier.
"Not EVERYTHING," Ivy protests. "But when someone stares at someone else like they want to either murder them or mount them, I'm betting on the latter."
"And," Oaklynn adds with a small smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, "someone needs to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble in a new pack."
"Me? Trouble?" I place a hand over my heart in mock offense, playing along with her attempt at lightness. "I'm a delight."
"You're a disaster," Stella corrects, coming back into the room with another bag slung over her shoulder. She drops it with a dramatic thud. "A lovable disaster, but still."
"She's not wrong," Ivy snickers.
"Whose side are you on?" I grumble mentally.
"The side of empirical evidence. Need I remind you of the Great Cupcake Incident last year? Three fire extinguishers, Em. THREE."
"Says the girl who got us kicked out of that bar in Riverside for challenging the bouncer to an arm-wrestling match," I shoot back, the memory bringing a genuine smile to my face.
The night flashes through my mind—Stella convinced she could beat the hulking human bouncer, the four of us egging her on after too many tequila shots, the ensuing chaos when she flipped the table after losing. It had been the first time I'd truly laughed after Tanner and I were mated. The first time I'd felt like myself again.
"I would have won if he hadn't cheated," Stella grumbles, flopping onto the couch with her arms crossed.
"He didn't cheat," Ainslee reminds her with an eye roll. "The point is, we got banned from the only decent bar within fifty miles because someone had to prove she was stronger than a human male twice her size."
"Details," Stella waves her hand dismissively.
"And yet I'm the disaster?" I raise an eyebrow.
Emotion wells up inside me, sudden and overwhelming, threatening to spill over. These girls—my friends, my sisters, my chosen family—have always been there for me. Through everything. Through Tanner's cruelty and my mother's death and the lonely years between. And even now, they're making sure I won't be alone, that I'll have a piece of home with me as I start this new chapter.
"We're lucky," Ivy whispers, her usual snark replaced by genuine emotion.
"I know," I reply, my own emotions threatening to overflow.
I run to Oaklynn, crashing into her in a hug so tight it might bruise us both. She makes a small "oof" sound but wraps her arms around me just as tightly. For all her quiet reserve, Oaklynn gives the best hugs—like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold day.
"I would love for you to come with me," I say, my voice muffled against her shoulder. I pull back just enough to look over at Adrian, my eyes pleading. "Can she? Please?"
I'm not used to asking for things, believing I didn't deserve anything. Years with Tanner taught me to expect refusal, to brace for disappointment. But something in Adrian's gaze tells me I don't need those defenses with him.
"Ask for the moon while you're at it," Ivy encourages, practically vibrating with excitement. "The way he looks at you, I bet he'd lasso it down for you if you batted those eyelashes."
"Shut UP," I hiss mentally, though Adrian's tender expression makes me wonder if Ivy might be right.
Adrian gives me a loving smile that makes my heart skip a beat, his eyes softening in that way that makes me feel like I'm the only person in the world. "Who am I to say no to my mate?" He turns to Oaklynn, his expression shifting to something more formal but still welcoming. "Yes, we would love to have you as a guest in our pack."
Relief washes over me, followed quickly by a surge of gratitude. He doesn't even know me yet—not really—but he's already putting my needs first.
"Guest with benefits," I clarify quickly, then flush as all eyes turn to me with varying degrees of amusement. "Not those kinds of benefits," I add when Stella snorts loudly. "I mean like, good room, access to your clinic, that sort of thing."
"Smooth," Ivy howls with laughter. "Real smooth."
God, could I be any more awkward? But Adrian doesn't seem to mind.
"I understood," he says, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Though I appreciate the clarification."
Oaklynn smiles, relief evident on her face as her shoulders visibly relax. But our moment is interrupted by a sharp, authoritative knock on the front door. Adrian's posture changes instantly, his protective instincts clearly kicking in as he crosses over to open it.
There stands a tall guy with dark hair, tan skin, and piercing blue eyes that seem to take in everything at once. His broad shoulders and confident stance mark him as a high-ranking wolf even before he speaks. Power radiates from him, though in a different way than it does from Adrian. This is someone used to being second-in-command—comfortable with authority but not craving it.
For a second, this stranger and I stand there staring at each other. He watches me with a strange intensity, like he's looking for something specific in my face. Then he shakes his head slightly and addresses Adrian.
"Alpha, the trail went cold," the man says, his voice deep and serious. "He's gone."
Adrian's expression darkens, a shadow passing over his features. "We will get him one of these days." He turns to me, his face softening again with that transformation that still takes my breath away. "Ember, this is Asher, he is my Beta. Ash, this is Ember, my mate."
I offer Asher a small smile, but before I can say anything, Stella jumps in.
"I'm Stella! Although we've already met," she announces from her spot near the bags, her voice carrying with its usual confidence. "But that's Ainslee and Oaklynn..." She gestures to each of them in turn. "Just thought I would finish the introductions. Your Alpha seems to have forgotten everyone else in the room."
There's no real bite to her words, just the usual Stella sass. She's always been protective of our little group, making sure none of us get overlooked.
"Can you blame him?" Oaklynn whispers, just loud enough for me to hear. "He looks at you like she hung the moon."
Heat rises to my cheeks at her observation. It's true—every time Adrian looks at me, it's with an intensity that makes me feel both seen and desired in a way I've never experienced before.
"More like he's looking at you like he wants to DEVOUR you," Ivy purrs. "I can practically feel him undressing you with his eyes."
"Stop it," I mentally hiss, though the thought sends a delicious shiver down my spine.
Asher gives everyone a friendly smile, though his eyes keep returning to me with that same curious expression. "Hi." His gaze lingers on me for a moment longer than necessary before he turns back to Adrian. "Carter and Jamison have already headed to the airfield with the prisoner."
Stella snorts at Tanner being referred to as a prisoner, which causes me to chuckle despite the heaviness in my chest. After all the pain he's caused me, there's a certain justice in seeing him taken away in cuffs. A certain satisfaction in knowing he'll face consequences for his actions, even if they're not as severe as he deserves.
"Prisoner is too good a term for him," Ivy growls, all humor suddenly gone from her voice. "'Walking garbage' would be more accurate."
"He's going to pay for what he did," I reply, trying to soothe her rage. "That's what matters."
"I hope they put him in the dampest, darkest, fleaiest cell they have," she continues. "With a leaky roof. And spiders. LOTS of spiders."
"I hope you guys have a really uncomfortable cell for him," Stella says, a vindictive gleam in her eye. "Preferably one with lots of fleas."
I can't help the snort that comes out.
"See? Stella gets it!" Ivy crows triumphantly.
Asher looks at me, a curious expression on his face, then continues. "We're ready to head to the airfield when you are."
"Thanks, Ash," Adrian says, his gaze returning to me with such tenderness it makes my heart ache. "Are you ready to go?"
His simple question hits me like a physical blow. Ready? To leave the only home I've ever known? To walk away from the place where I grew up, where all my memories—good and bad—are housed?
Reality crashes over me like an icy wave. I'm leaving. Leaving the only home I've ever known, the place where my mother lived and died, where my friends and I grew up together. For a moment, panic threatens to overtake me, rising up my throat like bile.
"Deep breaths," Ivy says, gentler now. "We can do this. One step at a time."
"What if I'm making a mistake?" I ask, doubt suddenly flooding me. "What if this is all happening too fast?"
I look around the small cabin, memories flooding back with startling clarity. My mother's laugh echoing off these walls as she chased me around the living room. The smell of her perfume that used to linger in every room, that faded a little more each year until I could only find it in her old clothes. The holidays we celebrated, just the two of us, making the best of what we had. Even after she was gone, this place held her, preserved her in some small way.
By leaving, am I abandoning her too? The thought makes my chest constrict painfully.
"You're not abandoning her," Ivy says firmly. "She's not in these walls or this floor or this furniture. She's in your heart. In your memories. In the person you've become because of her love."
I walk to the small table by the window and pick up the only photograph that I can never part with, even for a short time. A pang of grief hits me as I look down at the three smiling faces—my mom, me, and my big brother. I was six and he was nine. This was taken about a month before he died. I never even got to say goodbye.
"They'd want you to be happy," Ivy whispers, her usual sarcasm completely absent. "They'd want you to be with someone who loves you. Who protects you. Who looks at you like Adrian does."
"I know," I reply, tears threatening. "It's just... hard to let go."
No one here knows about him. Not even my friends. It was too painful to talk about, to remember the way he used to carry me on his shoulders, the way he would chase away the monsters under my bed. The way he taught me to tie my shoes and count to a hundred and stand up to bullies.
In a way, I've been grieving two losses all these years—my brother first, then my mother. Now it feels like I'm losing them again by leaving this place, the only physical connection I still have to them.
I tuck the photo carefully into my pocket and turn to my friends, tears blurring my vision. I don't bother trying to hide them. These girls have seen me at my best and worst; they know every scar on my heart.
I take a deep breath, looking around the cabin one last time. Every corner holds a memory—some beautiful, some painful. The kitchen table where we'd eat breakfast together, my mother's hand reaching over to smooth my hair. The worn spot on the couch where she'd sit to read to me every night before bed. The window sill where I'd wait for her to come home from work, pressing my face against the cool glass until it fogged with my breath.
But it's time to make new memories, in a new place, with the mate who was always meant for me. The thought settles over me, not with the panic I expected, but with a strange sense of rightness. Like puzzle pieces clicking into place.
"It's time," Ivy says softly. "Time to start fresh. Time to build something new. Something better."
"I'm scared," I admit.
"I know," she replies. "But we've been scared before. We survived. And this time we're not alone. We have HIM."
The decision crystallizes in my heart, pure and clear. This is right. This is where my path leads.
I reach for Adrian's hand, twining my fingers with his. The connection grounds me, steadies me in a way I've never experienced before. Like I've been untethered my whole life, and finally found something solid to hold onto.
"Okay..." I smile up at him, feeling both terrified and exhilarated—standing on the edge of a cliff, but knowing there are wings waiting to catch me. "I'm ready for you to take me home."
"Finally," Ivy sighs contentedly, settling in my chest like she's found her place in the world. "We're going where we belong. With the Alpha who will burn the world down to keep us safe, not the one who threw us to the wolves."
"That was terrible," I reply, though I can't help but smile at her terrible pun.
"You love it," she shoots back smugly. "And you love him. Don't try to deny it."
Adrian pulls me close, pressing a kiss to my forehead. The tenderness in the gesture nearly undoes me. "I've been waiting weeks to hear you say that, little wolf."
"To the airfield then?" Stella asks, grabbing one of my bags and slinging it over her shoulder with practiced ease.
I look between them, confused. "You're coming to the airfield?"
"Of course we are," Ainslee says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Did you think we'd just wave from the porch? We're with you until that plane takes off."
"As if we'd miss our chance to thoroughly intimidate your new packmates," Stella adds with a devilish grin.
"She's going to cause an inter-pack incident," Ivy predicts with glee. "I can't wait."
"Adrian's pack doesn't know what's gonna to hit them," I agree, feeling a surge of love for my ridiculous friends.
Asher clears his throat, an amused expression on his face. "I should warn you, our pack isn't easily intimidated."
"Challenge accepted," Stella responds immediately, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
Adrian laughs, the sound deep and genuine. "I can already tell our pack gatherings are going to be much more interesting with you all as frequent visitors."
As we file out of the cabin, I take one last glance back, silently saying goodbye to the space that has been both haven and prison. Then I close the door firmly behind me.
The first step away feels like the hardest thing I've ever done. The second step is a little easier. By the third, I'm walking steadily toward the future that awaits me—toward Adrian, toward Dark Pine, toward a life I never dared to imagine for myself.
And with my best friends beside me for this part of the journey, I know that no matter what comes next, I won't be facing it alone