Prologue - Jane

I’m a wallflower by nature, so it’s no surprise that Piper finds me in the corner of the room like a maiden at her first ball. Only instead of dancing in dizzying circles, I’m sipping beer and eating cookies, my two favorite activities.

I’m working on being sociable, but as an introvert, it’s hard. With my social battery running low and being in a room full of mostly strangers, I need a recharge, which means I need my room and my bed.

“You need to mingle, Jane,” Piper says, sliding up beside me. “You know how important it is to Ram that we make the shifters from Green Lake feel welcome.”

“I am making them feel welcome,” I say, looking up and gesturing toward the table. A three-by-four-foot array of desserts sits untouched in the middle of the room, filled with different treats that took me weeks to master. They are the showpiece of this little soiree. “I show my hospitality in my baking.”

Besides, it’s not my fault our alpha has decided on this new little tradition, and it’s not like my input was ever asked for. If Ram had bothered to solicit my opinion, I might have told him I thought it was a bad idea. He wants our packs to get closer, learn from each other, solidify our ties, and all that. Sure. Makes perfect sense. But there have to be easier ways to do that than sending a pack of strangers here for two months.

The Green Lake Pack will just mix with ours, feel what we feel, and experience what we experience, and then next year, we will go there and do the same. That sounds incredibly simple and easy, but will it really work? I doubt it.

We’re very different people than these outsiders. They’re much more traditional and stuck in the old ways. They’re not bad, but they are different, and it feels a bit like adding apple juice to orange juice. Both taste good on their own, but the combination is strange.

But hey, he’s the alpha, and as far as leaders go, he’s not so bad. So, if he wants to make changes, that’s his prerogative.

“That won’t make up for the lack of conversing and interacting you’ve been doing tonight,” Piper chides me. “You can’t learn about my new family if you don’t talk to them.”

“Sure I can. You’re technically one of them since you married their beta. I can learn all I want from you.” I flash her a smile and lift my cup, which is nearly empty. Again.

She rolls her eyes and gives me that look. The one that says, Stop being a moron and join the world already . The one that has always made me laugh since we were pups. If not for Piper and her parents, I would have had a much different life. They did for me what I could not do for myself—take care of me. They took me in and gave me everything after my parents passed away. They were the ones who raised me, loved me, gave me everything I needed, and I owe everything to them. So when Piper asks something of me, it would take someone with a bigger backbone than me to refuse her.

I groan, knowing defeat is inevitable. “Fine.”

“Great! I need to get back to Rafe. Just go talk to whoever looks approachable. It’ll be fine.”

As she walks away, I finish my beer and wonder who the hell is approachable. The Wolf’s Den, our pack’s bar, is filled to capacity with shifters tonight. In fact, I’m pretty sure we’re breaking some sort of fire code for how many people are packed in here, but not one of them looks approachable. A large, mostly male crowd tends to intimidate me.

You can do this. It’s not that scary. Look at them. They’re probably going through the same thing you are right now. Actually, it’s worse for them. They’re new here. They don’t know anybody. You can make them feel welcome. And at the very least, you can talk to a few of them and pass the time. And who knows, you might actually make a friend.

The thought is a pleasant one. My whole life, I’ve relied on Piper to be my only friend, and since she went off and got married and mated with Rafe, I’ve felt a bit abandoned. That’s harsh, I know, but it’s like the only friend I have ever had just… faded. I have gotten a bit closer to another female shifter in Stardust Hollow named Sonya, but she had to work tonight and didn’t make it, so now I’m really on my own.

All right. Deep breath. Do it. Come on. Stop being a coward.

“You look awfully deep in thought, considering you’re at a party.”

At the sound of the husky voice, I look up from my cup. A small squeak of surprise escapes my lips. Blinking rapidly, I stare at the handsome stranger in front of me. He’s big with broad shoulders. His blond hair is cut short, and a rough, raspy five o’clock shadow frames his jaw. A quick glance at his arms, and I see they’re covered in scars and tattoos crisscrossing across the tan skin like ribbons. And then there’s his eyes. His honey-brown eyes are staring directly at me, observing and waiting.

“I… uh…” Lamely, I hold up my beer. “Beer?”

Smooth. Really smooth.

The stranger laughs and moves around the table, his long legs eating up the space in an instant. He pauses next to the table of desserts and looks the display over. There must be nearly every kind of cookie and bar known to mankind, from double chocolate to oatmeal raisin to the gooey s’mores cookies that barely made it through transport.

My love for those sugary delights is a double-edged sword. On the positive side, having a wide variety of baked goods means the crowds go nuts. On the not-so-positive side, my waistline goes up a size or two, and I’m already curvy to begin with.

The thought makes me tug on my white blouse, pulling the bottom of it away from my body and letting it billow out. As though that will do any good. It’s not the clothes, it’s just me. Or my hips, or whatever.

The stranger selects a blondie and takes a bite, and his expression gets even warmer. “Damn. This is amazing. It’s chewy.”

“Coconut flour,” I explain, finding a smile growing on my face, an automatic response to making someone happy with my baking. “The texture and the grain are different, but it holds up.”

He holds up what remains of his snack and grins. “You made these? All of them?”

“Uh, yeah. But it’s nothing.” I shrug and push my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “I have to contribute in my own way.”

The stranger lifts his chin toward my cookie-laden table. “Better than my contribution. All I did was supply the karaoke machine.”

I cringe when a wailing, drunken female shifter starts belting out “Amazed.” The words aren’t even close to coherent, and the tune is nothing like the original. “So, we have you to thank for that, huh? Lucky us.”

He laughs, a surprisingly melodious sound for someone as large and muscly as he is. “I apologize for that. What’s your name? I’m Reiner.”

“I’m Jane. So, you’re from Green Lake? Tell me all about it.”

“Well, it’s nice. Quiet. Lots of trees. Very outdoorsy. It’s not nearly as modern as Stardust Hollow, but that’s not a bad thing. I’m of the opinion that technology has made us a world of idiots.”

“Hmm.” I snort and lift my cup. “Pretty profound, there.”

“True, though. But why are we standing in the corner when there’s fun to be had? Surely your boyfriend wouldn’t be so stupid as to leave such a stunning woman alone in a crowd like this.”

At that, I laugh. Loudly. There’s no chance of a man in this crowd resembling the word “boyfriend,” let alone one of them thinking I am pretty. I’m not an idiot. I’m twenty-three, but I’ve learned a lot in that time. Regardless of all the body-positivity rhetoric flying around, I take it all with a large dose of salt. Like it or not, men tend to prefer women who aren’t built like I am, and I accept that.

But the way Reiner’s eyes travel over me from head to toe and back again says something different. His eyes are smoldering—even a complete fool can see that. Without any conscious thought or direction, I feel my head shaking back and forth.

“No boyfriend. No anything.”

His eyes come back to mine, and his lips spread into a wide grin. It’s dazzling, lighting up his handsome face and causing the corners of his amber eyes to crease and sparkle.

“Well, isn’t this just my lucky night, then? Want to dance, sugar? Show me some of your local moves?”

My heart beats triple-time, filling my chest with its loud throbbing. Dancing? With him? And people would see us. This feels like that movie with the curvy girl and the ridiculously sexy guy, and now she’s finally living out her fantasy.

Before I can even force my vocal cords to cooperate, Reiner steps away from the table and reaches for my hand, lifting it up and smiling the whole time. He whirls me out to the center of the room with an easy grace that seems unfit for a large man like him, and he pulls me close to his hard, sculpted body.

Just seconds before, the crowded room was almost unbearable, but now it’s beautiful and bright. Magical, even. We’re in a sparkling cocoon of our own making, and I feel invincible. For once, I’m feeling confident. This strong, handsome man chose me to dance with. Me, Jane Forrester. Not the skinny blonde two tables over, but me. That surely counts for something, right? And maybe if I close my eyes, the spell won’t end, and I can feel like this forever, pressed up against Reiner like this.

Soon, my feet are moving, and they’re doing it effortlessly. Dancing has never been a talent of mine, but being in Reiner’s arms is making me tap into some previously unknown well of rhythm. How it happens, I don’t know, but as we twist and glide around the room, I forget that there are eyes on us, watching as everything happens. I give over to Reiner and close my eyes.

Bliss.

Around and around we go until the karaoke stops and all that is left is our footfalls. All too soon, the notes of the song start to fade away, and then we’re just standing there, him holding me tight, my head on his shoulder, breathing in that fresh, clean scent of his. It’s the perfect dream. The one you don’t ever want to end, the one that doesn’t feel real.

Reiner eases back until I’m forced to open my eyes and look at him. What he’s going to do or say, I haven’t a clue, but when he slips a finger under my chin, I think I have a good idea.

Lick your lips , I tell myself. Close your eyes. Let him do the rest.

The anticipation kills me. My heart is in my throat. I can’t breathe. Goosebumps prickle down my arms and legs, and my cheeks are aflame. This is it. The scene of a lifetime, and it’s happening to me.

When his lips do brush my own, it’s like lightning bolts hitting me. The sensation buzzes along my nerve endings, sending jolts that leave my knees buckling. My stomach drops, my heart leaps, and my blood goes hot in my veins. Nothing, not a single day of my existence, has ever made me feel this much.

I’ve heard stories about what it feels like when you find your mate, but now that I’m experiencing it, I have to wonder how I could have ever doubted it was real. It is very real. I understand now.

Oh my god. I love this feeling.

His head moves back, and when my eyelids slide back, I find him looking down at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Jane?” he begins. His voice comes out softer than it ever has, and my skin goes hot, tingling with pleasure and joy. When I don’t answer right away, he lifts his head a little higher, peering around the room before glancing back at me. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

Staring at him? But how can I not stare? After the mind-blowing connection I felt with Reiner, the one that resonated through my body—no, my soul—it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt. The only conclusion I can reach is that Reiner Thomas is my mate. My male. The one fated to be with me for the rest of my life.

And he kissed me! It was a short, heated kiss, the kind full of passion and promise, and my lips still tingle as I try to form words.

“Did you—” My voice breaks, but I try again. “Reiner, did you feel that? Did you feel something with me just then? Did you feel like… I don’t know… destiny? Because I did, and I…”

I pull in a slow breath to continue talking, but his expression stops me cold. At the amusement pulling at the corner of his mouth and the pity flickering in his expression, I realize with a burst of clarity and sharp regret just what’s happening. The first wave of heartbreak explodes in my chest, and I struggle to breathe as Reiner looks down at me with growing mirth.

“Oh, come on, sugar. You couldn’t possibly think…” He barks out a loud, sharp laugh, and I tense as more waves of distress threaten to knock me flat. I’m in danger of sliding right down to the dirty bar floor. “Sugar, just because I danced with you doesn’t mean we’re mates. Get a hold of yourself. What the hell do you think is going to happen?”

The situation is too familiar. Looking around, I catch sight of other Green Lake wolves sneering, and just like that, I’m at prom all over again. Back then, someone dared Lenny Carlton to kiss the chubby orphan girl, and I fell for his act and suffered the consequences of believing it could be real. Prom night ended with pictures circulating throughout school, calling me fat and laughable.

Yes, I’m incredibly familiar with this prank. Even after all these years, I fall for it, and I feel like such a fool.

Except now, it’s twice as humiliating, and the pain is triple anything I felt that night.

His laughter is deafening, directed entirely at me. Somewhere nearby, I hear the chuckling of others joining in, their cruel mockery wrapping around me. Tears sting my eyes, and I shove at Reiner’s broad chest, pushing him away from me.

The touch of his lips had my body burning with intense flames, my clothes too constricting and too warm. But now, as I push him away and look down to hide the tears in my eyes, those sensations are different. The flush from a few moments ago feels like a burn of shame, and my blood runs cold.

Escape. I have to escape and find a quiet, private spot where no one can see me cry and make fun of me for having the nerve to think someone would find a plus-sized girl like me attractive. It was all a prank, just like it was in high school, and now I’m so embarrassed, I could die.