Chapter 1

“So, you’re really going to marry a wolf? As in, furry, down on all fours, howls at the moon, wolf?” Sadie asked, holding up the turquoise bridesmaid’s dress. In the chair, Amara chuckled and rolled her eyes. Her little sister definitely had a unique way of stating things.

Sadie studied herself in the mirror, tucking one long, dark chunk of hair behind her ear. “So, what would that make you? In regards to the pack, I mean. You’re human, right? And they’re, like, shifters or whatever. It’s not like they’re real werewolves that just bite you and turn you into one of them.”

Amara furrowed her brow and took a sip of her champagne. “Why are you worried about werewolves?”

“Well, that’s kind of what Nova is, isn’t it? A werewolf?”

“No, he’s a shifter. They’re born, not bitten.”

“But they’re still wolves, right?”

“Well, yeah.” Amara cocked a brow. “But it’s not like they’re just running around causing havoc. Well, okay. The Valley Clan was, but that was really Kal’s fault. The Mountain Clan—Nova’s pack—has dedicated themselves to protecting their territory, which thankfully includes Strathford.”

“And, since you’re one of Strathford’s finest now,” Sadie said, holding out her champagne flute for Amara to fill, “you have a direct in with the Police Chief and the Pack Alpha. Do you ever dress up in your uniform, and like, role play with Nova? Do you arrest him and tell him he’s a naughty boy?”

Amara snorted into her drink. “No!” she replied, laughing. “God, Sadie, we’re in public.” But she couldn’t help thinking that maybe the uniform deal was a good idea.

Sadie just waggled her eyebrows. “What? I would. He’s yummy. Now, are you going to try on that dress or what?”

Still smirking to herself, Amara picked up the garment bag and hauled it into the dressing room. Hanging it up on the hook, she slowly unzipped the zipper. Amara’s wedding dress was nestled inside. It was floor-length and off-white, with a scalloped neckline and a beaded bodice. The skirt, she knew, would flow out around her hips in a full hoop of satin and chiffon, ending in a train that was three feet long.

She couldn’t believe it. She was getting married. She never would have believed that Nova Lowery would be her soul mate, but here she was, trying on her dress for her final fitting. And she couldn’t wait to walk down that aisle.

“Have they let you set a date yet?” Sadie called through the fitting room door.

Amara sighed. “No, not yet.” And she wasn’t sure when they would. Every marriage of a Mountain Clan wolf must be approved by the Council, and then, per Pack Law, if either the bride or the groom was from another Clan, the couple must then complete a series of Trials. However, because the Trials were required to be public, the date for when they would begin had not yet been set.

“How many of them are there?” Sadie wanted to know.

“Three. But I’m not sure when they’ll start. Apparently, there is a lot of organization that has to go into setting them up, and right now, the Pack is pretty busy concentrating on Kal and getting his father to sign the treaty with Valley Clan.”

From the other side of the door, Sadie got real quiet. “Do they…do they know what they’re going to do with Kal yet?” It was the first time Sadie had mentioned her ex-boyfriend in the month since he had led an attack against the town and been captured by Nova and his brother, Nemoy—who also happened to be the Alpha of the Mountain Clan. She’d spent the following week recuperating from her injuries in a hospital bed.

Sure, Kal abducting her had brought her into the circle of knowledge about the Shifters in town—secrets no human was supposed to know—but it had scared the hell out of her as well. Yet, Amara had to admit that a part of her was glad that it had happened; in a way, at least. Now she didn’t have to lie to Sadie about who and what Nova really was. And next time, she would be able to tell her sister she was dating a bloodthirsty psychopath instead of just declaring him a “bad guy” and asking Sadie to trust her.

On the other hand, it was the perfect ‘I told you so.’ Sadie always did have horrible taste in men.

“No, honey, I don’t. As far as I know, he’s still being held at the compound. Last I heard, he was under twenty-four-hour guard.” Opening the door, Amara stepped out of the fitting room and smoothed the skirts of her dress.

Sadie took the glass she was about to drink away from her lips and stared. “Oh, my gosh, Mara. You look fantastic!”

Heat rushed to Amara’s cheeks, and she gazed at herself in the mirror. It all seemed so surreal. She was wearing her wedding dress. She was getting married. All she had to do was pass a few supernatural tests. Fun.

Setting her champagne flute on the table, Sadie moved to stand behind her sister. With quick fingers, she began lacing the back of the bodice, pulling the fabric tighter, and cinching it in at the waist. “Are you nervous?”

Pursing her lips, Amara considered. “A little, I suppose. More for the Trials than anything else. Oh, hey!” She snapped her fingers together. “Did you see anybody leaving my house when you showed up this morning?”

Sadie smirked. “Okay. Random. Um, no, I didn’t. Why do you ask?”

Disappointment washed through her. “Oh. Well, I was hoping you might have seen whoever has been leaving me those roses.”

“You’re still getting those?”

“Yeah. But I’m pretty sure whoever it was showed up right before you did. There was nothing on my porch when I got back from my run, but I found them only about ten minutes before you got there.”

“And you still have no idea who might have been leaving them for you? No one leaving you notes? Following you around? Stalking you at night?”

Amara laughed. “No, none of those things.”

“Anyone staring at you strangely?”

“Well, now that you mention it, Mr. Caulman has been squinting at me a lot.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. But that’s probably just from his glaucoma.” Amara smirked at her sister’s disappointed expression. Sadie let out a sigh. “Anyway, I think this fits.” She glanced over her shoulder at the seamstress. “This is perfect, Marianne.” The old woman nodded. Amara wasn’t even convinced she understood, her hearing was so bad, but she didn’t really have the patience to keep trying. She would take that nod as confirmation. She turned back to her sister. “Get me out of this thing, will you? I have a few things to drop off at Mom’s before I go to the bar.”

“Have you heard anything more about Zoe and Mitch yet?” Sadie asked, undoing the dress’s fastenings. “I talked to Becca the other day, and she says they’re fighting again.”

Frowning, Amara held the bodice up to her chest and stepped back into the dressing room. “Really? Mitch hasn’t said anything. But don’t worry, I’ll ask him about it today.” Then she shut the fitting room door with a snap.