Every night for the past two weeks, she would go to sleep, waiting for the dreams to come. She was sure they did, but as soon as she woke up, they seemed to fade away leaving only small bits like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle coming together to form one picture. A flash of silver. Dark whorls of ink over muscled, taut skin. The image of a bird. A delicious vanilla scent. And last night, it was cobalt blue eyes staring back at her with a heat that made her skin burn.
Her wolf whined at the memory. Whined with what? It felt like a deep-seated need, a longing she couldn’t place. Her wolf, normally pleasant and placated, had been antsy since for some reason. It was restless and clawed at her, begging to be let out. She snorted at the thought. Let out in the middle of the city? No way. Lycans weren’t allowed to shift around humans. It was too risky.
“Hello, earth to Adrianna?”
Julianna waved a hand in front of her face and she snapped out of the trance. “Yes?”
“Jeez, you’re such a head case. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Have you seen Lucas?” she asked, changing the subject.
“He’s fine,” Julianna replied. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how this must be affecting you two, being twins and all.”
The attack at the ascension ball wasn’t the first time the mages had struck. It was actually the second, which was why their parents decided it would be best if she and Lucas weren’t in the same place at the same time. At first, it seemed easy enough. It’s not like she and her brother were joined at the hip, but to actively avoid each other was different. Sure, they could always call and message each other, but it was different not being able to just have dinner or lunch together, or even to ride in the same car to work. He’d even had to move out of The Enclave and was staying at one of the brownstones their family owned on the Upper West Side.
“I miss him.” It had been a tough choice between who would attend the wedding tonight as Zac had been a close friend to both of them growing up. Lucas deferred to his sister, and Zac understood the situation.
“I know. He misses you too,” Julianna said in a somber voice. “But I came over here because Mama wants to talk to you about something important.”
Adrianna bristled. “Now?”
Her sister shrugged. “Hey, I’m just the messenger. Let’s go, before she comes over here and drags us away.”
“Right.”
While she followed Julianna as they weaved their way across the reception area, Adrianna couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching her. She turned her head but didn’t see anyone in particular looking her way. She shrugged it off and continued to make her way toward her mother. Francesca “Frankie” Anderson was talking to a group of guests, but when she spied her daughters, quickly excused herself from the conversation.
“Come with me,” she said, leading them away from the main reception area. They walked out of the conservatory and into the main building where Frankie ushered them into a small room. “The manager was nice enough to lend me her office so we could have some privacy.”
“We really couldn’t have talked at work?” Adrianna tried not to sound too annoyed. “Or at The Enclave? You know I’m only in the next building over.”
“It’s not like I haven’t been trying to get ahold of you, Adrianna,” Frankie retorted. “You seem to be having trouble returning my messages and calls lately.”
“I’ve been busy,” she said defensively.
Frankie sighed. “Look, let’s not beat around the bush. You know this has been coming for a long time. Ascension ceremony aside, you must take your place as Alpha of New Jersey. Which means you need to actually live there. It’s your duty. Your right.”
She bit her tongue, not wanting to say what was really on her mind. The truth that would hurt Frankie so much. That she just didn’t want the position and was perfectly fine with her life. Her job as President of Muccino International was fulfilling, and she loved managing their worldwide chain of restaurants. Her life was here in New York, not in New Jersey.
Unfortunately, she came from a long line of female Alphas or Lupas. The New Jersey clan was matriarchal, one of the few in the world. Her mother was Lupa in her own right, as was her mother before her, and her mother before that. Being Frankie’s oldest daughter, she was next in line, and her mother’s impending retirement meant she would be Alpha sooner rather than later.
“You’ve ruled as Alpha from New York for most of your life,” Adrianna pointed out. “Why can’t we keep doing the same thing? The open border policy between the two territories has always worked.”
Lycan territories were clearly delineated, and members of one clan couldn’t simply cross over to the other unless they had express permission. But, since Grant Anderson, Alpha of New York, and Frankie Muccino, Alpha of New Jersey, were married over thirty years ago, they had declared that New York and New Jersey Lycans could freely travel back and forth between the two territories.
“It used to work,” Frankie said. “But we can’t take chances. Not anymore.”
“Why not?” Adrianna felt that famous Italian temper rise in her. She was still her mother’s daughter after all. “Why can’t I just rule from here? Or why do you even want to retire? Just because Papa is giving up his position as Alpha doesn’t mean you have to as well.”
Frankie let out a deep breath. “You don’t understand. Things are different now. Especially with the threat of the mages. We can’t let them win.”
Her mother’s voice faltered and for a moment, she saw something she’d never witnessed—her strong, tough-as-nails mother looked truly distressed. She had every right to be, of
