Awakening the Wild

IZ

staring at the towering grandeur of the Lunar Crest Hotel. This was easily the most

, here

y quickly tugged me back. Ethan's face flashed in my mind; those stormy eyes, the

and brutally handsome, but s

Cold, even. And then there was that "

felt like he lived in some alternate rea

y he looked at me, like he saw something in me that I couldn't see in myse

s a mi

nt. I looked up to see Margaret, my boss, walking toward me with open arms and a war

a brief hug. The faint scent of her fl

ied, still trying t

g into a conference room with two other men. One of them w

tly nudged me. "Come," she said with a smile. "Let

with every imaginable delicacy. Plates of pastries, colorful fruit tarts, savory hors d'o

red for me to help myself. "You must try this," she said, takin

t help bu

o the chef of the s

garet. "I don't mean to be rude, ma'am, but... why didn

want this. Ethan knew it was the right time. He's not trying to

decision," I said, taking a cautious bite of t

re's a lot you need to learn, Eliza. And trust me, you'll un

mat

they all kept saying. Are all these ri

et said with a sly smile, s

standing there. Instead, his gaze turned to Mar

e, and without another word, they started

seemed important. Curiosity, and an uneasy feeling

open, the view inside nearl

a of people filled the room, and their chatter converted to silence as soon as the doors opened. Everyone was dressed to the

earing white, and there were no flowers in the room, and

these people? And

me. For a moment, I thought he might say someth

eyes staring at me. Still, I force

the time we reached the front of the room, my pal

ampagne flutes from a silver tray. Ha

, "As your Alpha, I've done everything in my power to address what

ew solemn nods from the crowd. I h

ghtening as he drew me closer. My pulse quickened, and I could feel the heat of his skin agains

want to introduce this beautiful woman to all

erupted into applause. Cheers and con

rozen. His words echoed in

He seemed happy, s

t

and the room suddenl

ull buzz. My vision blurred, and the edges of the room darkened. I tried to st

ant, muffled, like he was calling t

ppled through the crowd, but I barely registered them. My knees buckled, and the last t

e last thing I heard befo