I stood in the hotel lobby, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from my silk blouse for the third time in as many minutes. The massive crystal chandelier above cast prismatic light across marble floors, a display of wealth as subtle as a howl at midnight. My fingers trembled slightly as I adjusted my mother's silver pendant, its familiar weight against my collarbone the only anchor in this sea of Lycan opulence. Eight o'clock. He would be here soon.
Artemis paced restlessly within me, her anticipation spilling into my human consciousness like water overflowing a dam. ‘Our mate is coming,’ she kept insisting, her excitement a stark contrast to the knot of anxiety tightening in my chest. I forced myself to breathe deeply, drawing in the mingled scents of polished marble, expensive perfumes, and
