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I rest the camera on my lap and look at the photos again, one last time.

This isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.

And somehow - some absolute miracle of biology, bad timing, and four emotionally stunted alphas - I think I might finally be ready for it.

Grab my phone, and text Lexi - again.

Okay so… long story, but I might need you to help plan a weird, probably-illegal pack ceremony.

Also, I need to pay my landlord.

And I think I’m in love with four idiots.

Please bring snacks.

I hitsendbefore I can change my mind.

Because that’s what you do when everything changes.

You hold on to what matters, and you text your best friend.

*

The solarium looks like someone stole it from a fairy tale. Or possibly a billionaire vampire’s greenhouse.

Either way, it’s ridiculous - and stunning.

Glass walls stretch forever upward, wrapped in climbing vines that make me feel like I’m inside some enchanted jungle. Moonlight spills in like a dramatic stage light. Everything glows. Everything smells like them. Like me. Likeus.

A pack not sealed yet, but definitely looming.

I pause in the doorway because, honestly? This feels like a big moment.

Theo’s nearest the door, casual and handsome in the way that saysI might be your emotional support Alpha, but I could also bench press a car.

Kai is draped over a low brick wall like he’s the chaos fairy godmother of this operation - grinning, barefoot, probably seconds away from starting shit.

Ash lurks near the glass, giving full-on brooding soldier vibes, arms crossed and eyes blazing like he’s evaluating the fastest way to kill a man with a vine trellis.

And Lucian stands at the center of it all like he’s hosting an extremely sexy, deeply intense board meeting about fate.

I’m barefoot. The shirt hangs halfway down my thighs. My heart is trying to launch itself through my ribs.

As I step in, Kai lets out a low whistle, tilting his head like I’m the punchline to his favorite joke.

“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence. Thought you might’ve ghosted us mid-bonding.”

“I considered it,” I deadpan, “but I got lost in the hallway again.”

Theo laughs quietly. “She’s kidding,” he says to no one in particular, but mostly to himself.

I shrug. “Am I?”

Ash doesn’t move, but he lifts an eyebrow just enough to say,same, girl.

Lucian’s eyes don’t leave mine. They’re so steady it’s infuriating. His whole body radiates restraint and control, and that makes it worse, because I know exactly what’s under that surface.

The bond between us thrums like a live wire, and I take a breath and force my legs to keep walking.

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