Chapter 48

[ 1,141 words ]

We walk into the dining hall together, where everyone is already seated, the long wooden table crowded with plates of food, laughter, and the gentle hum of conversation. Xavier clears his throat and offers a quick apology for our tardiness.

“Well, it looks like you had a good reason to be a little late,” Mom beams, her eyes sparkling as they flick to the fresh mating marks along my neck. Aleisha snorts, barely containing a giggle, while I silently die inside, praying the floor will open up and swallow me whole.

My mates, of course, don’t share my embarrassment. They puff their chests out like proud peacocks, grinning from ear to ear like they just won the damn mating lottery. Noah pulls out my chair for me with a wink, and I sit down while trying not to combust. My brothers, however, are another story entirely. They’re clearly battling with themselves, torn between their instincts to protect me and the very visible evidence that they were too late.

“So, Evelina,” Malachi says, breaking the tension as he sips from his glass, “tomorrow’s a big day for you with the ascension ceremony in the morning and then your first shift at midnight. How are you feeling

with all of that p>

I sigh, toying with the edge of my napkin. “Honestly? I think fighting a grizzly bear would be more calming… but yeah, it’ll be fine. I’ll be fine p>

“Of course you will, my love.” Haiden kisses the back of my hand gently. His eyes are steady, grounding. “We’ll be with you the whole way p>

“Except for tonight, obviously,” Arztec adds casually, stabbing a piece of roasted vegetable with his fork.

My hand halts midway to my mouth. “Say what now?” I look around the table, confusion brewing into

frustration as no one dares meet my eyes.

“Honey,” Mum says gently, “it’s customary that the evening before your ascension, you spend the night alone. Tomorrow will be a day of spiritual preparation, but don’t worry, Aleisha and I will be with you to help you get ready p>

A pit opens in my stomach. I just finally accepted my mates, let down my last barriers, let them mark me, and now I have to be away from them? I turn my glare to the four men who dare to look guilty. They knew.

They all knew and chose not to tell me.

“I know this isn’t the news you were expecting, little one,” Julius says gently, clearly sensing my rising irritation from across the table.

“It’ll be just as painful for us as it is for you,” Noah adds sweetly.

Mum laughs, light and teasing. “Oh, please. She’ll be fine. Evelina, you can come hang out at the cabin with me before bed to help calm the nerves. Maybe we’ll even do a little ritual cleansing. Or,” she winks,

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“just gossip and drink p>

“Mom, she’s not going to…” Xavier starts, but I cut him off.

“That sounds great, Milly, thank you!” I raise my glass of wine, clinking it with hers across the table before taking a generous sip.

And that’s exactly what I do. After dinner is finished and I kiss each of my mates goodnight, lingering a little longer than necessary, I take Mom’s hand. The night air is cool and quiet as we walk the short path back to her and Dad’s cabin. Crickets chirp, and moonlight filters through the trees like silver mist. There’s a peace to this place I didn’t know I needed until I stepped into it. Inside, she lights a few candles, puts on a pot of tea, and joins me on the porch with a warm, spiced blend and a thick, comforting blanket. She hands it to me, then pulls out a small, neatly rolled joint, lighting it with the flick of a match. We clink mugs and inhale together, our breath rising into the night. We sit like that for a while, watching the moon drift higher. The nerves I’ve been holding in finally start to loosen.

“I think I’m scared, Mum…” I murmur.

“And you have every right to be,” she says, placing a warm hand on my knee. “Gods know I was terrified on the day of my own ascension. But it’s just one day, one step. You’ll have so many more big moments in your life, love. This is just one of them. And my boys? They’ll be there through all of it p>

I nod, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. She gives me a soft smile.

“Would you like to sleep here tonight? We’ve got a guest room all ready, and it might help to not have the temptation of four half-naked wolves down the hall p>

I try to laugh. “Is it silly that I don’t know how I’d sleep without them now p>

“It’s anything but silly,” she says with a knowing look. “You’ve just been marked. The bond is fresh and raw; it’s going to pull at you. But I think I might have a trick for that. Come on p>

She takes me into a hallway and opens a door to a small but cozy guest room… and a literal wardrobe full of my mates’ clothes.

“I may have been stocking this for emergencies,” she admits with a smirk. “Shifting mishaps, travel, post- fight stayovers, you know the drill p>

I’m more than grateful as I slip into one of Noah’s soft t-shirts, a pair of Xavier’s joggers, and wrap myself in Haiden’s oversized hoodie while putting on Levi’s socks. They smell like safety, like home. I curl up in the bed and let the familiar scents soothe the ache. Sleep finds me faster than I expect. I’m pretty sure she definitely put something extra in the tea.

“How high did you get her, Mom p>

“Oh, pfft. Please. Just a little! Maybe she was just… really tired p>

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Chapter 47

“Maybe you knocked her out,” I hear Aleisha say before she full-on launches herself onto me like a missile.

I squeal as her knees land in my ribs, and I break into laughter when she starts tickling me without mercy.

“Wakey, wakey, Luna! It’s your ascension day, and you’ve already slept half of it away! We need to go p>

I shove her off, and she thuds to the floor with an exaggerated “Ow!” before flopping dramatically onto her

back.

“What time is it?” I groan, rubbing my eyes.

“It’s almost noon!” she says, scandalized.

“What the fuck?!” I bolt upright, wide-eyed and panicked. “I’ve never slept that late before p>

Mum looks guiltily over the top of her mug.

“I may have doubled the dosage in those joints last night… but you needed it! You wouldn’t have slept

otherwise p>

I gape at her. Then I laugh. Out of all the mother-in-laws in the world, I’m pretty sure I got the best and the most chaotic. 2

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