THE ALPHA WHO LOST US

IRIS Roman knocks twice on my window. Not the door. The window. I set the needle down on the white dress spread across my bed and hurry to open it before he knocks again. A gust of cold air sweeps into my room along with Silvercrest’s future Alpha. “Are you ever planning to enter this house like a normal person?” He braces one hand on the sill, swings a leg inside, and nearly knocks over my pot of rosemary. “Tomorrow.” “Convenient answer.” “Honest answer.” Roman closes the window and pulls me against him before he even takes off his coat. His kiss is warm and impatient, tasting of coffee and the peppermint gum he chews whenever the Council keeps him trapped for hours. I smile against his mouth. “Bad meeting?” “Long meeting.” Those are not the same thing. His shoulders are tight, a deep line cuts between his brows, and he takes longer than usual to let me go. Then his gaze lands on the bed. I dart across the room and yank the blanket over the dress. “Don’t even think about it.” “I only want to see it.” “Tomorrow.” He arches one eyebrow. “Convenient answer.” “See how annoying it is?” His laughter fills my small bedroom, quiet enough not to wake my mother. The sound loosens the knot in my chest. Tomorrow there will be no more windows, no more secret meetings, no more invented excuses for why his scent lingers on my skin. Tomorrow, he will say my name. Roman shrugs off his coat and drapes it over the chair. “Come here.” “You’re the one who broke into my room.” “Iris.” There is no Alpha command in his voice, only the rough tone he uses when we are alone. I cross my arms anyway. “What do I get?” He approaches slowly. “I could start by apologizing for being late.” “Not enough.” “I could tell you I missed you.” “Better.” Roman stops in front of me and brushes his thumb beneath my chin. “I could remind you that tomorrow, in front of everyone, I’m going to choose you.” My smile fades. “Even if your father gives you that look like he’s planning to tear your head off?” “Especially then.” “Roman...” “I’m going to say your name, Iris.” He looks straight into my eyes and waits for me to believe him. I do. That is the dangerous part. Roman has argued with his father for me before. He has defended my work at the clinic when Gideon called healers replaceable. He has crossed half the territory after midnight because I mentioned, casually, that I had a fever. For months he has talked about our quarters in the Alpha House as if the furniture is the only thing still undecided. “And after?” I ask. “After what?” “After you say my name.” His expression softens. “You complain about the size of my wardrobe.” “Your wardrobe?” “Ours.” “Better.” “You move your rosemary into a window with actual sunlight.” “My rosemary is thriving.” Roman glances at the poor plant he almost killed entering the room. “It’s surviving out of spite.” “It learned from me.” “That explains a lot.” I grab his shirt and pull him toward me. This time, I kiss him first. The teasing does not survive long. Roman kisses me like tomorrow is already here, like the months of hiding are over and there is no door in Silvercrest we need to close behind us. When he lifts me, I almost hit my head on the wall. “Careful! My room doesn’t move.” “Are you really discussing architecture right now?” “Someone has to keep standards.” He laughs into my neck. Later, the room is quiet again. I am tucked against his chest beneath the blanket, listening to his heartbeat slow. The white dress is still hidden beneath another blanket at the foot of the bed. Roman traces lazy circles over my shoulder. “You’ll wear it?” “You haven’t seen it.” “I know.” “Then how do you know you’ll like it?” “You’ll be in it.” I groan. “That was terrible.” “You liked it.” “A little.” He kisses my forehead. “Tomorrow, no more window.” I lift my head. “You won’t change your mind when morning comes?” This time, he does not joke. “When morning comes, I’ll never have to climb through your window again.” He gets dressed before dawn and still tries to find the button that came loose from his shirt until I force him to leave before my mother wakes. He climbs through the window, comes back for one stolen kiss, then drops into the garden. I stand at the window, holding the blanket around me as he crosses the path. Roman never reaches the gate. A messenger emerges from between the trees and says something I cannot hear. Roman looks toward the Alpha House. Then back at my window. Even from here, I see his hands curl into fists. For several seconds, he does not move. Then he follows the messenger. By eight in the morning, half of Silvercrest knows about the northern pass. By nine, everyone has a different version. The Crowes found bodies. The Crowes lost men too. Rogues took the grain. Humans attacked the convoy. The pass collapsed. Someone poisoned the road. Mara hears the last one while doing my hair. “How do you poison a road?” “Very carefully.” “I hate this pack before breakfast.” “You love this pack.” “I contain contradictions.” She pushes another pin into my hair. “Ow.” “That one was for disagreeing with me.” My white dress hangs from my shoulders exactly the way I wanted it to. Simple. No family jewels. No old Luna's lace. No silver stitched into the hem. Just mine. I touch the hidden pocket at my hip. Roman's missing button is inside. A ridiculous little piece of proof that twelve hours ago he was in my bed promising me today. My stomach twists. Nyla paces. “He'll fix the pass,” Mara says. “That's not what I'm worried about.” She meets my eyes in the mirror. Neither of us says Gideon's name. We don't need to. The streets around the Alpha House are packed. Warriors stand at every entrance. Too many warriors. I know most of them. Today, two avoid looking at me. That bothers me more than strangers would. Felix is near the eastern doors. I lift a hand. He sees me. Then someone says his name from behind him. Gideon. Felix turns. Gideon speaks quietly into his ear. Felix's jaw tightens. I start toward them. A guard steps in my path. “Sorry, Iris.” I blink. “For what?” “No access to the family corridor before the ceremony.” “I work in this building.” “Not today.” “Roman asked me to meet him.” That is a lie. Roman never needed to ask. The guard's eyes flick toward Gideon. There. Small. Fast. But I see it. “Did Roman give that order?” “I was told—” “Did Roman give it?” The guard looks miserable. “Iris.” Mara takes my arm. “Not here.” Every instinct in me says she is right. Every other instinct wants to go through the guard. Nyla bares her teeth inside me. Find him. “I will.” I don't know if I'm answering my wolf or myself. We enter the great hall. Flowers cover the old stone columns. Silvercrest banners hang from the ceiling. People turn when I walk past. Some smile. Some whisper. Mrs. Bell from the southern district squeezes my hand. “You look beautiful.” “Thank you.” “Your mother would be proud.” That nearly gets me. I keep moving. Then the room changes. It isn't silence. Not yet. Just that strange social ripple when people notice the same thing at different speeds. Mara stops walking. “Oh, no.” I follow her gaze. Vivienne Crowe stands beside the Council platform. Midnight-blue dress. Dark hair pinned perfectly. Her father on one side. Gideon on the other. And at her throat— Silver. Crescent. The Luna necklace. The one Roman showed me when we were seventeen. The one every Luna of Silvercrest has worn since the Blackwoods founded the pack. My body goes cold. “Maybe…” I start. Mara says nothing. I hate her for not lying. A door opens near the platform. Roman walks in with Felix. His ceremonial coat is buttoned high, but I know exactly where the claw marks are beneath it. He looks exhausted. Then he sees me. Stops. Nox hits the bond so hard Nyla answers instantly. The pull between us is almost physical. Roman takes one step toward me. Gideon catches his arm. Roman looks down at his father's hand. Even from across the hall, I feel the aggression that rolls off him. Several wolves nearby go quiet. Gideon lets go. They speak. Roman shakes his head. Vivienne says something. Roman turns on her. She reaches for the necklace. For one hopeful second, I think she is going to remove it. Alpha Crowe closes his hand around his daughter's wrist. She leaves the crescent where it is. My heartbeat becomes painful. “Something is wrong,” I whisper. “Yes.” Roman looks at me across the hall. Last night he promised that today he would say my name. Now another woman is wearing the Luna necklace.