Chapter 1
The gentle scent of wildflowers floated in the air. Flowers and garden produce were artistically arranged in classic country-style vases and baskets around the room. The sound of crackling wood in the open fireplace accentuated the peaceful feel of a small and tranquil town in the winter. Were it not for the sound of chattering and laughing that wafted from the reception room to the courtyard, nobody would know there was an event going on.
Lucy looked at the tiered wedding cake. Although her mind was fraught with anxiety, she managed to keep a smile on her face.
The gathering was as tasteful and happy as a wedding reception could be, and it had been worth her effort to fly all the way here from Kyoto. It wasn’t just the ceremony that was important. Were-creatures mated for life, at least in her pack. She wanted to remember this day forever.
It was kind of cousin Mia to recommend the place. The resort called Vines & Soul didn’t do weddings, let alone at night. But Jasmine, Mia's best friend, had agreed to host as a favor to Mia. If Vines & Soul hadn’t offered, Lana wasn’t sure she would have been able to find a decent venue in Gisborne for a supernatural wedding.
From across the room, Mia smiled at her.
The two cousins had had a rivalry when they were younger and living in Kyoto. But even back then, Lucy knew Mia would become someone important in the clan.
Mia was smart, beautiful, and driven. She deserved to be queen wolf, no matter how much her claim of the position surprised the senior people in the clan.
The side door to the room slid open, and Tan, her newly wedded husband, stepped in. This drop-dead handsome mixed-blood werewolf was the reason she had to have the wedding in this town.
He kissed her on the cheek. “It’s all sorted.”
“Don’t use them again, Tan.”
He smiled. “Use them again? Are you planning our second honeymoon already?”
She scowled. “We booked months ago, and we’re supposed to fly out tomorrow. They can’t just call us on our wedding day to say there might be a delay.”
“Chill, Lucy. It’s taken care of. And as you’ve said, it’s our wedding day. Let’s enjoy the rest of it. Vines & Soul was a good choice.”
“Oh, so now you admit that it’s a better choice than your original one in Bendigo.”
“Bendigo’s a good town—”
“Because it’s your neck of the woods. You’re biased.” She pinched his arm lightly.
He shrugged and said nothing. His jawline hardened, and his eyes grew pensive.
She held his hand. “Let it go, Tan. You’re part of the werewolf community. Going rogue isn’t a good move right now.”
He kissed her again. “I understand. I’ll pretend we need their blessing for now.”
“When cousin Mia is accepted as leader, we won’t have to answer to anyone.”
Tan snorted. “What did she do to deserve that? She’s a good woman.”
“What do you mean?”
“Werewolf politics in this area are complicated. Mia fits well into the human community. She has a human boyfriend now, so the queen wolf post is going to be a liability if that’s not what she wants. She’ll regret it. The werewolf council here is bad news …”
“Speak of the devil.” Lucy felt a knot in her stomach when she saw the two members of the werewolf council walk in.
Even in their human form, a dark aura hovered around them.
All the guests inside the room stopped chatting, and a tense silence invaded the air. There were more than twenty werewolf guests in the room, but none of them possessed an aura like the two who had just walked in.
Now she understood why Tan didn’t like the council.
The older of the two cleared his throat and zeroed in on Tan as if Lucy didn’t exist. “You’re the one who needs a blessing?”
Tan wrapped his arm around Lucy’s shoulders. “This is my wife, Lucy. She’s the reason you’re here. And we don’t need your blessing. Our marriage does.”
The old man smirked. “Without our blessing, your marriage isn’t legit. So I’d say you do need us.”
“Your business in Bendigo relies on me,” said Tan. “I never have to go to your area, so I don’t need your council. But that’s beside the point. Lucy is new to this community. Despite evidence pointing to the contrary, she feels that she needs spiritual safety, and she mistakenly thinks that safety comes from your approval. So let’s get this over and done with.”
The younger council member stepped forward. He grabbed her hand, and his strong, hard fingers squeezed the bones in her wrist so hard she thought she felt them cracking. She tried to yank her hand away but couldn’t.
“Is my wolf hand too rough for you, fox? You’re marrying one of us. It will only get tougher. You’ll need to be strong to produce good pups for him.”
“Get your hand off her, or I’ll rip your throat out,” Tan growled.
Mia approached. “You don’t need to touch her. We know the ritual. She’s a fox, but she’s as strong as you are. There’s no need to test her.”
The man let go of Lucy’s hand and glared at Tan.
Mia asked the guests to stay at the back to the room while she remained at the front to be a witness.
The ritual might take only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.
When the ceremony eventually ended, two waiters came in with a bottle of red wine and a tray of wine glasses.
Lucy didn’t like red wine at all. “Is this part of the tradition?” she asked Tan.
“Yes, Lucy.”
The council members, Mia, Tan, and Lucy raised their glasses.
Lucy took a sip for formality.
As the liquid went down her throat, a storm of cramping hit her stomach.
She saw Mia, Tan, and the two werewolf council members drop to their knees in pain.
Tan reached his hands out to her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
She could see that he was in agony too. She couldn’t speak. Through blurry vision, she saw that the two council members had collapsed. They convulsed and shifted into their werewolf form. Then they lay motionless on the floor.
She felt herself fall into Tan’s arms, and they both fell to the ground.
Commotion.
Stillness.
The crackling sound of the fireplace.
Darkness.