Chapter 128

Agnes

The next morning, I woke to a text from Evelyn. She asked me to attend a mother-daughter fashion show in her pack; it was a small event to gather donations for her local women’s shelter, and I couldn’t agree to go fast enough. The show was set for that weekend, and I was already buzzing with ideas for outfits—using what Thea and I already had, of course.

When Thea came downstairs for breakfast that morning, I told her about the upcoming show. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. “A real fashion show? Like on TV?” she asked, her mouth full of toast.

I laughed. “Not quite that fancy, but yes, a real fashion show. For charity. Chew your food, by the way.”

Thea dramatically chewed and swallowed. “Yes, yes, yes! I want to go!” she squealed once her mouth was no longer full, practically jumping up and down in her chair. “What are we going to wear?”

“I was thinking we could pick something out from our closets—”

“No!” Thea interrupted, shaking her head vigorously. “You should make our dresses. Matching ones.”

I blinked in surprise.

“Please?” Thea clasped her hands together dramatically. “I’ll even design them myself.”

I looked over at Elijah, who was watching the exchange with amusement over the rim of his coffee cup. He shrugged, as if to say that it was up to me.

“Alright,” I conceded. “We can make the dresses. But we’ll need to start right away if we want them finished in time.”

Thea cheered, abandoning her breakfast and racing toward her bedroom before Elijah or I could stop her. “I’m going to draw designs right now!”

As she disappeared down the hallway, Elijah snorted. “I hope you’re ready to drown in ruffles and bows.”

And sure enough, he was right. That morning, Thea designed two matching dresses that were practically covered in bows, with ruffled skirts and puff sleeves. I helped her polish the designs, making mine a bit more mature while still matching hers.

After I dropped her off at school, I picked up some blush pink satin and tulle and other bits and bobs, then headed into the office and got to work.

That day, I spent hours working hard on the dresses, cutting patterns and piecing them together. Despite the hard work, I found myself enjoying the process. There was something soothing about the repetitive motion of the needle, the way the fabric took shape beneath my hands.

It took my mind off of other things, too—namely Olivia and the spell book. At least when I was handling the fabric, I didn’t have to think about the outside world. I could just focus on the pattern and the rhythmic hum of the sewing machine.

Finally, by the end of the next day, I had two viable dresses to wear. They weren’t perfect since I had thrown them together so quickly, with some hidden stitches that were clearly rushed and slightly sloppy, but they were good enough for a charity fashion show, and Thea loved them.

Thea’s dress was nothing short of adorable, a miniature princess dress with a tutu-style skirt, big puff sleeves, and even a little matching wand and tiara that I bought for her. Mine was more mature, the skirt long and flowing down to my ankles, with a fitted bodice and off-shoulder sleeves.

There were still at least a dozen bows around the hem of the skirt, though, with one big on tied at the back of my waist and two tiny ones on my sleeves.

And I bought myself a wand and tiara, too. Just for fun.

The morning of the fashion show that Saturday, Thea was up at the crack of dawn, too excited to sleep. She bounced around the house while I made breakfast, asking every few minutes if it was time to get ready yet.

“Not quite,” I told her, setting a plate of pancakes in front of her. “Eat your breakfast first, then we’ll start getting ready.”

Elijah joined us, looking surprisingly well-rested for someone who’d been woken up by an enthusiastic seven-year-old jumping on his bed at six in the morning. He winked at me over his coffee mug as he swept into the kitchen, and I felt a familiar warmth spread through me at the gesture.

After breakfast, Thea insisted on helping me get ready first. I put on some light makeup as she brushed my hair, then I helped her pin it into an updo, showing her how I did it. Then, I slipped the tiara onto my head.

Next, it was her turn. I helped her into her dress, careful not to mess up her hair, which I’d arranged in soft curls. By the time I was finished, she looked absolutely adorable, especially with her wand and tiara.

I slipped into my own dress after that, and found myself pleased with the way it looked. It hugged my body just the way I’d hoped, and was a perfect mix of girly and mature. It was definitely over the top, but it was fun and cute, and reminded me of when I used to dress up as a princess and run around the house as a kid. Simpler days.

Thea was pleased, too, tapping her wand against mine as we inspected our looks in the full-length mirror.

“We look like fairy princesses,” she beamed.

I laughed, but before I could answer, a rough voice said from the doorway, “She’s right.”

I turned abruptly, suddenly feeling self-conscious under Elijah’s gaze. His eyes moved over me slowly, taking in the dress, my hair, my face. My throat bobbed as I ran my hands over the ruffles on my dress. “You like it?”

Elijah took a few steps closer, his eyes never leaving me. “I love it,” he said, and there was something low and appreciative in his voice that made my cheeks warm. He seemed serious about the compliment, even though I looked like I’d just raided a kid’s costume trunk.

“I’m glad,” I said, my voice small.

Elijah took another step forward, his hand moving to brush the slender off-shoulder strap. My skin bristled where he touched it. “It suits you,” he murmured.

“We’re gonna be late,” Thea pointed out, sounding a little awkward.

I cleared my throat, suddenly realizing just how close Elijah and I had come to stand. Without even realizing it, he had come close enough to kiss me, so close I could feel the warmth radiating from his body. Suddenly, I was glad for the long dress covering my legs, because my knees were trembling for reasons I wasn’t ready to admit.

With that, we hurried out, heading to Evelyn’s pack territory. The drive was short, with the fashion show situated at the pack house.

When we arrived, the parking lot was already filling up. Elijah found a spot and came around to open our doors, helping Thea out first, then offering his hand to me. As I stepped out, he didn’t let go of my hand, instead tucking it into the crook of his arm as we walked toward the entrance.

My face heated anew at his closeness, and I couldn’t help but wonder…

If he really did find a way to unmark Olivia, and my wolf came back, and we were truly mates just like we thought…

Was this the future we had to look forward to? Violin recitals, ice cream parlors, mother-daughter fashion shows and stolen moments?

And, reaching even further, if we found my biological daughter… Could the four of us be a happy family like this forever?

The very thought made my stomach twist with a mixture of dread and excitement. I pushed it away, though, not wanting my anxiety over the future to get in the way of today’s fashion show.

We headed inside to find that the pack house had been transformed for the event. A makeshift runway had been set up in the center, with chairs arranged on either side. A banner hung across the back wall with the name of the women’s shelter in cursive font.

But as we stepped through the doors, I felt my heart begin to race.

None of the other mothers and daughters matched like this. And none of the outfits were as… over the top as ours.

All eyes turned to us then, and the room fell silent.