Saturday arrives faster than I'd like.
I dress carefully in the burgundy cashmere, the cognac boots, the cream wrap. The necklace settles against my collarbone, the pressed lavender pendant catching the light. The raw emerald studs feel substantial in my ears, grounding.
Lila comes over to help with my hair, something simple but elegant, loose waves pulled half-back with the small silver clips my grandmother gave me.
"You look like an estate-visiting goddess," Lila declares, touching the lavender pendant. "And your pack? They're keepers. All three of them."
"I know," I say softly, looking at myself in the mirror.
The burgundy makes my eyes glow green, made even more vivid by the emerald earrings. The lavender necklace draws theeye without being ostentatious. Everything works together, earthy, elegant, completely me but elevated.
"Go show them what Elowen Rowan is made of," Lila says.
The drive takes forty minutes. I'm nervous despite having met the family before. I want to make a good impression.
The estate comes into view, and I gasp. Calder doesn’t live in a mansion. He lives in a palace. The property, like something out of a fairy tale, is lit up by gleaming white lampposts, a fountain in the middle of the teardrop-shaped drive, painted gold in the glow. I try to count the windows and guess the number of rooms and give up. It’s a lot.
Calder parks in the teardrop-shaped drive. Before we exit, he takes my hand. I’m still gaping.
"You ready?"
"No. But I'll do it anyway."
His smile is proud. "That's my omega."
The door opens before we knock.
A butler nods respectfully. "Mr. Ashford. Welcome home. Your parents are waiting in the drawing room."
Drawing room?
We follow him through hallways, expensive art, fresh flowers, the kind of quiet wealth that doesn't need to announce itself.
Margaret and Robert are waiting for us, Margaret in pearls and a dove-gray dress. Robert in a suit without a tie, more relaxed than before.
Uncle Marcus stands near the fireplace, whiskey in hand, warmth inhis eyes when he sees us.
"Calder." Margaret rises, her movements precise and elegant. Her eyes sweep over all of us, landing on me last.
I see the moment she notices the dress. The quality of the cashmere. The way it fits. The fact that I'm not trying too hard but clearly made an effort.
She blinks, a small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. "Elowen." She extends both hands, a gesture I didn't expect. "Thank you for coming. All of you."
I take her hands, let her assess me up close. Her eyes sweep over me, the dress, the jewelry, the way I hold myself.
Robert moves forward then, shaking hands with each of my alphas before turning to me. "It's good to see you again, Elowen. In our home this time. Properly."
"Thank you for having us."
"It's overdue," he says simply. "We should have done this sooner. Before—" He glances at Margaret. "Before things got complicated."
Marcus crosses to us, pulling Calder into a brief hug before greeting the rest of us. When he gets to me, his smile is genuine.
"The dress suits you," he says quietly. "Calder has excellent taste."
"He does," I agree.
Margaret clears her throat. "Shall we have drinks before dinner? I thought we could talk. Get to know each other properly. Without…" She pauses. "Without surprises or misunderstandings."
