I gently tug her hand down, a smile ying on my lips. "Don''t worry, I won''t spill a thing. His masculinity is safe with me."


    “Whose masculinity?” Sarah asked, entering the room while jotting something in her notebook. She nced back and forth between Cindy and me, her curiosity piqued.


    I motioned for Cindy to fill her in, intrigued by what she meant.


    "Well," Cindy began hesitantly, "the alpha was kind of adorable this morning. He told me to take good care of the Luna and make sure she stays healthy enough to carry all the pups he gave herst night."


    "Oh! Thank the Goddess! It''s about time! I thought he was going to be a pansy forever," Sarah eximed, relief evident in her voice.


    I couldn''t help butugh, mostly at how these two spoke about Ryker as if he were a mischievous child rather than the powerful alpha he truly was. It also helped me mask the awkwardness of the fact that my intimate life felt like an open topic for discussion.


    “Where is he, anyway?” I asked, eager to shift the conversation and suppress the whirlwind of anxious thoughts threatening to consume me when I was alone. Last night, I hadn''t even considered protection. Shifters can only get pregnant during heat, so he probably wasn''t serious and was just joking. But that thought stirred a flood of emotions. Why joke about something so important? Out loud... with others... No, I''d talk to himter. For now, I needed to focus on what Sarah was up to. She never showed up without a purpose, and that massive notebook of hers was never just for show.


    “The boys have some work to do,” she exined, ncing at me with a knowing look. "They''re out with Ryker''s dad, checking on two new buildings that should have been finished by now, but the projects have stalled."


    "Who stalled them? And why didn''t he take me along?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.


    Sarah gave me a pointed look, like a teacher quizzing a student who had to piece together various lessons. "I think you can answer both those questions."


    "That ude guy?" I said, nodding. “He gave me the creeps at Rory''s party. What''s his deal anyway?"


    Sarah sighed. "The short version is, ude thought he could challenge Ryker after he took over, but lost terribly. Since then, Ryker''s pack has flourished. ude hoped to trick Ryker into improving the pack he''d destroyed and then take it back. For ten years, he''s been scheming behind Ryker''s back to regain control. But the pack loves Ryker. Despite his fierce reputation, he''s kind and fiercely protective. ude didn''t expect people to reject him. Now, he''s causing trouble wherever he can. I don''t know all the details-Ryker doesn''t want me to worry."


    "He never really got the chance to exin any of that to me. I do know something happened after we left the party, but Ryker couldn''t—or wouldn''t-mindlink me to exin. Even Jeeves, or Grant, said ''that was a close one,'' but to me, everything seemed fine," I added, frowning.


    Sarah just nodded, indicating she knew more but was holding back, probably because it would upset me. Another thing to add to the growing list of questions I needed to ask. I decided to change tactics, hoping she might reveal something as we worked on whatever n she had today.


    "So, what are we doing then?" I asked, curious.


    Her face lit up, and her whole body seemed to buzz with excitement. “Well, a very tall and handsome birdie told me your birthday is mid-summer, and since Ryker''s is just a few weeks before, I thought it would be the perfect time to throw a party." She squealed like a teenager, practically bouncing. "It can be just for your birthdays or your Luna ceremony-whatever you feelfortable with. We have to invite Jeremiah and Rayna, of course. And your Aunt and Uncle, plus any other friends from Silver Crescent. But you have to help me. I refuse to throw something together only to find outter that you hated it or hate parties or anything like that."


    "What about Ryker?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "What about him?" Sarah looked genuinely confused.


    “He hates parties and being the center of attention,” I said,ughing at her reaction. She should know that about her son.


    "Oh, that," she waved it off. "That doesn''t matter. He''s an Alpha; ites with the territory. He''ll do whatever I—well, I mean you tell him to do, and he''ll cooperate without any whining. Now, Rayna told me your measurements, and I''ve seen pictures of you at the party and your Luna ceremony. I have a few dress ideas, but we can talk about thatter. Do you have a color scheme in mind?"


    That''s how I spent the rest of the day. By the time I finally made it upstairs, I was so exhausted I think I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. I had just enough energy to slip on one of Ryker''s t-shirts, but that was it. I wanted to stay awake long enough to kiss him goodnight, but my eyelids felt like lead, and this bed was incrediblyfortable. I doubted I''d make it.