A petite brunette stepped out, her hands on her hips. "You two need to fake indifference better. Not that the wolves are famous for their sensitivities, but if you two keep undressing one another with your eyes like this, your little secret wouldn't hold in a den of blind moles!"

I swept a panicked gaze at Blake. "Does she know about us?"

He sighed. "Celeste, please meet my sister-in-law, Mie. Yes, she knows. And yes, she's going to help. Right?"

"Hmm." The woman swept her gaze from me to Blake, then to Blake again. "Are you going to stand there, nii chan, or waddle through your overbooked schedule? I can keep the Undersecretary of the Lupine Counsel on hold only for so long."

I wasn't proficient in Japanese, but as far as I remembered, nii chan was a big bro. Blake didn't look a day older than six as he sprinted for his corner office with a yelp of, "Be nice!"

"Always!" Mie yelled at the closing door. "I'm Japanese!"

Then she whirled on me with a strange smile. "Here is how it is, Celeste Crowe. When I came here and met my future husband, Blake offered me the most precious thing a wolf can offer an outsider."

"Which is?" I whispered.

"Acceptance."

"Oh."

She shimmied her shoulders. "Wolves are sexy, no denying it, but their obsession with the pack, and everyone's place in it...It can get to an outsider."

"Their? You're not a wolf?"

"No." She chuckled, probably enjoying speculation in my eyes. "I am a zenko."

"Oh." I leaned back, grateful that she took me into her confidence, but clueless.

Mie smiled wryly, enjoying every second of my confusion. After about a minute of keeping me in suspense, she finally explained. "Zenko is a benevolent fox-shifter. Though you, Americans, are more likely to know all of us as kitsune."

"Oh!" Mie had a pointed chin and high cheekbones. Her feathery eyebrows arched above shrewd, lively eyes. What I thought was flame highlights on her temples, was natural. I couldn't believe I didn't spot the obvious foxiness of her features before she told me. My mind was too busy looking for wolves everywhere.

"Zenko isn't a dangerous seductress, but when you meet my husband, you'd see why a lot of she-wolves called me names and still want the interloper to leave, even though Reed is merely a Gamma."

"Ouch."

"Yes, ouch, but also..." Mie glance turned inward. "The last thing on my mind when I came here was looking for love. I was interested in heritage forests. And here I am, five years later, head-over-heels with my 'stolen' husband."

I nodded, unwilling to speak over an obstruction in my throat, and didn't lift my head up after that. Would I ever be as happy as Mie, and as resilient?

She shook off the dreamy smile. "Blake helped us. And when he climbed the pack's ladder, he helped us even more."

"When he ascended as the pack's Alpha?"

"Yes. Thanks to his grit, our kids are now going to be Alpha's nephews and nieces, not Gamma's mongrels and outcasts. So, Celeste..." she stared at me, as if taking a measure of my character.

I straightened my back, hoping I wouldn't look as lacking as I was. "S-so?"

"Blake is head over heels with you, Celeste. Reed and I will help you as much as we can, but if you hurt Blake—"

"I'd never do anything to hurt Blake!" Mie was protective, okay, but how could she even think that?

"You'd be surprised." Mie squinted. "If you screw things for Blake, or mess with Blake's standing in the pack in any way, I'll skin you alive. Clear?"

"Crystal." A nervous laughter shook me. So much for finding a genuine friend...and I had a feeling that Mie would make a great one too. "Mie?"

Her expressive brows arched over her mysterious eyes. "Yes?"

"I...I get it. I lived alone for so long, if I found a loving family, I'd also fight for it, tooth and nail." Not that I had formidable teeth, but, maybe, if the Moon Goddess took pity on me, one day I would.

"Hmm. Good." Mie cleared her throat. "Enough with the mushy stuff. Our IT hasn't set up your laptop yet, but let's get you started on everything else."

Mie pumped her elbows to charge us with mad energy and she strode to the second office on the floor. Her heels clicked even on the carpeted surface.

Hoping to win her over, I strode too, and even tried to pump my elbows. Luckily, this was one public space in the hotel without mirrors.

"Your desk," Mie pointed at a desk.

An actual, proper desk! By the window that replaced the entire wall!

I dashed to my workstation. Goddess, I would be looking at the Cascades' peaks all day long, while working! Wow... The closest thing I'd had before was a chair in a photocopier room, so even a stack of hiring paperwork and Mie's appraising glance couldn't spoil this.

The weather cleared this morning, teasing us with blue. The horizon was so crisp; I shivered. "It's hard to believe it's almost summer!"

"That's why we need to book Blake's vacations, pronto. Or, rather, you will book his vacations. It's your job now." Mie dry-washed her hands in case I'd missed how thru she was with those responsibilities. "Then you can convince our Alpha that the mountains won't fall on our heads if he takes a week off to avoid a burn-out, and actually go."

Vacations weren't a thing in my life, unless I counted bouts of unemployment. But vacations are supposed to be a relaxing time, and I was always stressing out when looking for the next gig. And I never really traveled, not even drove to Canada, let alone took a plane.

"I'm afraid I know nothing about booking trips," I murmured apologetically. Mie raised a brow in warning, so I hurried to add, "But I won't screw it up, I swear!"

"We'll see," Mie said. "For now, check your company email on your phone. You should have received the welcome package."

Following her instructions, I added ccrowe at olympian-chalet Inbox to my phone and scrolled through.

"There is an email from Reed Villar?" Blake's brother.

"Hubby spent half the night putting together some references for you." Mie blushed lightly, hinting at all the other things that occupied the other half of the last night in their house.

"Reed's a werewolf history buff, and in his opinion you might need something unorthodox to..." she lowered her voice delicately, even though we were alone in the office, "...to shift."

If Blake had to confide my private problem to someone, Mie and Reed sounded like the best choice. They were his family after all, and loyal. Mie—almost frighteningly so, and if she was this loyal to Blake, I couldn't start imagining how she'd feel about Reed. "Can you say thanks to Reed for me?"

"You can do that yourself when you have dinner with us," Mie said. "Saturday night."

She cut off my thank you with Blake insisted. Instead of being snubbed, I smiled as warmth spread through my chest.

Blake insisted.

***

When Mie grabbed all the signed papers and trotted off with them, I downloaded Reed's files.

There was a lot, including a link to a database with the genealogies of the major American packs, alpha lines, and stuff. It took forever to load on my phone, but as soon as I did, I queried Scarlett Beaumont.

Miss Scarlett had descended from a venerable Da Roche family, via the Beaumont line. They sailed to California from Spain, centuries before the Declaration of Independence, splitting into a few major family lines as time went on, heading major packs across the Americas. Each produced Alphas and Lunas with a predictable frequency, down to...wow!

"Wait a minute! Harold's father was the thirtieth Pacific Northwest Pack's Alpha-elect?" I exclaimed. "That's right before Blake?"

"Sure," Mie replied.

I almost rolled out of my office chair, despite loving that new-car smell of it just a second ago.

"Goddess! When did you return?"

And how did I miss it? The woman wore heels that clicked on carpets, for crying out loud!

"Long enough ago to see you deflate like an old balloon," Mie said.

I blushed. "I was studying Reed's files."

"I gathered that much." Mie said. "The old coot Lloyd Almarr stepped down because he was sure that Harold would inherit his position."

"But that's not how it went down?"

"Correct. A certain Gamma-born stole Harold's thunder. Sometimes good things happen for us, the underdogs."

"Okay, so Harold lost to Blake but settled for being his Beta. What about Scarlett? Why is she here? Shouldn't she be looking for a mate in California?"

Mie shrugged. "She's been sniffing around ever since Lloyd retired. Harold is too closely related, you see, for either pack to approve of their match, but Blake is another matter. Fresh blood, hungry for power and no relationship."

Something in Mie's voice made the hair raise at the nape of my neck. Scarlett always gets what she wants, Harold's voice echoed in my mind. "Are you saying that Scarlett worked against her cousin to make Blake the Alpha? So she could become the pack's Luna? His Luna?"

"Let's not jump to conclusions. We know nothing for sure."

She didn't trust me enough to gossip, but I sensed certainty hiding behind her caution. Scarlett had sacrificed her family member to secure her own elevation. It sounded outlandish, and it freaked me out. Made me feel like a stray pup...no, like a chew toy for the pups who played while the big bad wolves circled them and snarled at each-other. Also...

"You're Team Scarlett, are you, Mie? She won't screw Blake's position in the pack."

"I didn't say that." Mie flushed me an offended look—oh, because Scarlett has the chops to hurt Blake, I see—took the phone from me and put it down on the desk. "Enough with the personal stuff, Celeste. We have a busy afternoon planned."

To my surprise, she headed for the exit after that, instead of loading me with manuals or something.

"Are we leaving?" I grabbed a small backpack that I used as my purse. "Where are we going?"

"Shopping!" Mie's cheeks tinted pink with pleasure. Tough girls love shopping too. "You don't think you can show up dressed like this at the Summer Solstice Ball, do you?"

I glanced at my gorgeous black-and-white suit. It seemed pretty perfect for all occasions. "I can't?"

"Scarlett will be there," Mie explained to me, as if she was talking to a child.

And slowly, as if I were a child, I put two and two together. Scarlett wore designer floral in the morning. For a ball, she'd be decked out like a bird of paradise. If I had to be in the same room as her...holy crap!

I followed Mie out of the office so fast; I beat her to the elevator.

She drove me into Grauberg, parking her cute SUV next to a two-story brick building on the outskirts. All the businesses along the street were shut down for the Solstice holiday already, except for one. The Beas' Evenings and Bridal, as the name displayed in antique bronze lettering proclaimed, was shut for a private function.

I bit my lip and pointed at the sign. "Just my luck, eh?"

"Yes, it is." Mie gripped my elbow with one hand, guiding me toward the door. "You didn't think I'd bring you without a reservation, did you?"

Behind the tinted glass of its windows, the dresses bloomed in every color between the rows of tuxedos. Soft lighting made the insides look better than the real world outside the glass, sort of like a snow globe. "You reserved the entire salon for me?"

Mie clicked her tongue. "Wasn't hard, trust me. The owners need every client they can get, or they go broke."

"But why? It looks really nice."

"Beas are unpopular with the pack. Borderline outcasts." Mie's chuckle was brittle. "I'll let you figure out why."

She pushed the door open, and the doorbell chimed pleasantly above my head. It summoned two women to the shop's front, who eyed us with widening smiles.

"Mie! Good to see you, my dear. You're positively glowing!" one of them exclaimed.

There was nothing wrong with the pair. At first, I thought they might have been identical twins, with piled silver curls and pastel suits tailored to trim figures, but the speaker seemed slightly older and taller than her counterpart.

"Celeste, meet Beatrice and Beth," Mie said. "You're in expert hands."

"You're too kind!" two sisters chorused. Then they added, also in unison: "Please, call me Bea."

Wry smiles curving their lips made me think they perfected this routine over the years.

I fluttered my eyelashes, trying to look as confused as possible. It wasn't hard to do, because I was still trying to work out the puzzle Mie gave me. Why would the pack despise these two old dears? "Pleased to meet you, Bea."

Delighted chuckles rewarded my efforts.

"What a sweet child!" Bea the Elder said on my right.

"A shy windflower!" the Younger echoed from my left, before examining me more critically. "Shame about the hair. Too short."

They tilted their heads until they almost touched, their gazes glued to my DIY fringe. Da Vinci probably viewed Mona Lisa with less scrutiny.

"I know!" Bea the Elder snapped her fingers. "Extensions!"

"If you say so, Bea," the younger sister, seemingly more inclined to analysis, replied, pursing her lips. "I was about to suggest a flapper headband."

The sister paused and rubbed their chins in an identical circular motion.

"I concede," the pro-extensions Bea admitted at last. "Headband would highlight the drama in her features. But Theo simply has to get the make-up right. Too-modern smoky eyeshadow would spoil everything."

"Yes, yes." Younger Bea was gracious in victory and nodded along. "Although, not too dated either. We don't want her to look like someone has pranked her. She needs an evening gown, not a Halloween costume."

I shuddered, imagining myself dressed like a femme fatale from the roaring 20s. I glanced at Mie for help, but she had a foxy grin on.

"I have to run and pick up a bushel of tea for Blake, but don't worry, Celeste," she said. Probably didn't want to be caught shopping in an unpopular shop in town. "Beatrice and Beth will find you a perfect dress."

"Tea? How nice!" Bea the Elder said.

"Back in our days, men preferred whiskey in these situations," Bea the Younger muttered with a headshake.

Bea the Elder giggled like a schoolgirl. "And we made lots of men drink a lot of whiskey."

While the sisters high-fived, Mie made a quick exit.

Without her, the softly lit shop felt gloomy rather than fancy. Shadows crawled from the corners like harbingers of doom. I smelled something troubling in the air. An impending danger. Beas carried on, paying the dire warning signs no heed.

"Apricot," Bea the Younger said. "I can positively see Celeste slay in apricot. It'll go well with the season's spirit."

Bea the Elder one snorted. "Why not blueberries then, if you're so fruit-inclined today?"

Perhaps, what I sensed was the rejection from the pack and the hopeless financial situation that it brought. I wandered around, half-listening to Beas' bickering about fashion, half-trying to figure out why they were so disliked.

Then every distraction drifted into the distance, disappeared...breath caught in my chest...had I just caught a glimpse of...?

With shaking hands, I parted silk skirts on a rack, to reveal a gown in the shade that filled my dreams last night.

I stared at the gorgeous dress in a daze, running my fingers over its tight-fitting bodice with a heart-shaped neckline, off the shoulder sleeves and a floor-length mermaid skirt. Lacework of the fabric curled and curled in a feathery leaf pattern and flowers.

I'd never seen, let alone owned, anything quite so beautiful.

"Fern green?" Bea said behind my back so suddenly that I squeaked and jumped.

I didn't know which one said it, but they both sneaked upon me and my dress.

"This one," I said with a quiver in my voice. The color was the same as Blake's eyes and it called to me. Heat rushed into my face. "Any other dress would be wrong."

"It can work," Bea the Elder decided.

"And the sizing is auspicious," Bea the Younger added. "An advantage, considering the ball is tomorrow night. Not that we haven't delivered overnight miracles before..."

"Okay, I'll take it. This dress," I said.

A chill went through me, freezing out the earlier hot flush of excitement so completely, I had to clench my hands for warmth. They shook. It was like a tsunami wave was swelling above us. I needed to leave this place as soon as possible! "Sh-should I call Mie?"

Beas didn't listen. They whisked me and the dress farther into the shop, to a room with darkened mirrors and a round platform in the middle, chirping all the while. So cute! She thinks she can just take it off the rack, ha-hah! My heart!

Before I knew what was happening, they peeled my clothes off.

Stop it! I wanted to scream. The last thing I wanted to do was to face the unknown yet building threat in my underwear, but I was also scared to come across as a nutjob if I cried wolf, and there was nothing incoming.

Beas seemed unruffled. They zipped me into my new dress and returned with their mouths full of tailor pins and measuring tapes hanging around their necks.

"Fitting time," Bea said. Only by some miracle, she didn't swallow a dozen pins.

I smoothed the skirt. As far as I could tell, the dress was perfectly fine.

"It seems—" Fine. The dress was fine, but everything else wasn't.

The threat was getting closer. And closer. Another second, and the doorbell would chime as it entered the shop!

"Run!" I screamed and at the same moment something smashed through the front windows of the shop. Goddess, it was one thing to know Beas were unpopular, it was another to live it! "Hide!"

The air filled with the ear-splitting sound of shattered glass. As loud and unpleasant as it was, the ugly voice yelling over this destruction was the worst.

"The stray is ours! Give her to us, ya fucking old biddies!"

Wolves howling erupted all at once, everywhere, in a thousand hungry voices.

I stuck fingers in my ears, squeezed my eyes shut and screamed until my heart nearly burst in my chest.

This wasn't some hooligans hating on Beas. That's why they didn't sense the impending attack, and I did. Because I was the target.

The rogues had come for me.