A wrap in cream cashmere, soft enough to make me want to cry.
And then, nestled in more tissue, a small velvet pouch.
I open it with shaking fingers.
A necklace spills into my palm. Simple and beautiful, a delicate gold chain with a small pendant. I hold it up to the light and my breath catches.
It's a pressed flower preserved in resin. Not any flower. Lavender. The same lavender that grows in the greenhouse where we first met.
There's a card tucked in the pouch. Tyler's handwriting, cheerful and warm:
For my sunshine. You brought light into all our lives. Thought you should wear a little piece of where it all started. Wear this and remember: you're already perfect.
"Oh my god," Lila whispers. "That's so sweet I might cry."
But there's more. Another small box, this one contains earrings.
Simple studs, raw emerald crystals, unpolished and natural. They catch the light like tiny pieces of forest, green and earthy and completely unpretentious.
The note with them is in Julian's precise handwriting:
Elowen. Raw emeralds. Unrefined. Natural. Beautiful without needing to be polished into something they're not. Like you. (Also, they match your eyes.)
I press both notes to my chest, blinking against tears.
And at the bottom, a note on plain cardstock. No embossing. No formality. Just Calder's handwriting in black ink:
You don't need these to impress anyone. But you deserve to feel as beautiful as you are. Wear them for you, not for them.
- Calder
I press the note to my chest, blinking against sudden tears.
"Okay," Lila says, voice thick with emotion. "Thatis what a good alpha does. Not flashy. Not showing off. Just... seeing you and choosing perfect."
"He knows me," I whisper. "He knows I'd hate anything too fancy. He knows I like simple things. He knows…" I look at the dress, the boots, the wrap. "He knows my size. How does he know my exact size?"
"Because he pays attention." Lila takes the dress from my hands, holds it up against me. "Try it on. Right now. I need to see this."
My hands shake as I change. The dress slides over my head like water, settles against my skin with a whisper. The cashmere is warm and soft and feels like being hugged.
It fits perfectly. Of course it does.
The neckline is simple: a gentle cowl that drapes without revealing too much. Long sleeves. Hem just below my knees. Nothing flashy. Nothing trying too hard.
Just beautiful fabric, perfect cut, exactly my style but elevated into something I'd never buy for myself.
I slip on the boots. They fit like he measured my feet himself.
"Look at yourself," Lila demands, turning me toward the mirror.
I do.
The burgundy makes my skin glow warm, my hair rich. And my eyes?—
"Oh my god," Lila whispers. "Your eyes. Elowen, your eyes. That color makes them look like actual emeralds."
She's right. The deep wine-red brings out every hint of green, makes them luminous in a way I've never seen before.
