Chapter 204

Agnes

“Hold still,” I muttered around the pins that were pinched between my lips. “I’m almost done.”

“But it tickles,” Thea whined.

I sighed, sitting back on my heels to survey my work. The pink dress had turned out even better than I’d imagined—the fabric caught the light just so, and the purple embroidery along the hem added just the right touch of whimsy without being too childish. With the right alterations, Thea would be able to wear it for a few years, which was exactly what I’d intended when designing it.

“There,” I said, removing the final pin. “All done. Now go change carefully so I can finish the hem tonight.”

Thea slipped off the little platform I’d set up in my study and disappeared into the bathroom. I glanced at the calendar on my desk—just one week until the feast. Barely enough time to finish all three outfits, but I could manage.

The feast had evolved from a simple thank-you dinner into something much more elaborate. What had started as a way to express gratitude to everyone who’d helped rebuild our home after the fire was now a full-scale midsummer celebration for the entire pack.

I’d thrown myself into the preparations, dividing my time between work, family, and feast planning with barely a moment to breathe. But I didn’t mind the busy pace. This wasn’t a distraction like my work had been before, but rather a newfound energy.

I was happy. Truly happy.

And surprisingly, I hadn’t lit a single thing on fire in nearly two weeks, so that was a plus.

My strange powers had been relatively dormant lately, thankfully. Between the special room Elijah had built for me and the meditative techniques I’d been practicing, I’d managed to keep the fire under control. Not completely gone, but manageable.

Part of me wondered if it was only manageable right now because my wolf still hadn’t emerged yet, but I tried not to think too hard about the future.

One week later, I stood in front of the mirror in our bedroom, hardly recognizing the woman staring back at me. The silver slip dress nipped in at the waist, falling to just above my ankles in a cascade of liquid silver. I’d regained most of the weight I’d dropped during the past few months, and the dress showed off my regained curves perfectly.

“You look incredible,” Elijah said from the doorway, already dressed in the outfit I’d made him. The ensemble suited him perfectly, highlighting his broad shoulders and trim waist.

“So do you,” I replied, a smile tugging at my lips. I twirled once to show off the way the silk spun effortlessly. “I did good work, didn’t I?”

“You always do.” He crossed the room to stand behind me, his hands settling on my waist as we both gazed into the mirror. “Your mother would be very proud of the designer you’ve become. But please do try to relax tonight.”

I hadn’t realized my anxiety was so transparent. “I’m not worried about the feast,” I said, although that wasn’t entirely true. “I just want everything to be special. This is our first real celebration since—”

“Since we found out Thea is our daughter,” he finished for me. “I know. But remember, we’re keeping that quiet for now, until we figure out what’s going on with Elemental Enterprises.”

I nodded. That had been a difficult decision, but a necessary one. It was better to keep it between us for now, share our joy privately while we investigated. We didn’t know how safe Thea was yet, or who to trust.

“I know,” I sighed. “I just wish we could celebrate openly. Tell everyone the truth.”

“We will,” Elijah promised, dropping a kiss on my bare shoulder. “When it’s safe.”

The banquet hall in the new east wing of our house was transformed. Fairy lights twinkled from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the dozens of round tables draped in crisp white linens. Centerpieces of wildflowers and candles adorned each table, and a string quartet played softly in one corner.

By the time the first guests began to arrive, everything was in place. Waiters circulated with trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres, the caterers were putting the finishing touches on the buffet, and Thea had already ruined her hairstyle from running around with the other kids.

The hall filled quickly, pack members of all ages filing in with smiles and exclamations of delight. I’d invited the entire pack. This was a celebration for all, a thank you to the entire community that had supported us through the fire and rebuilding.

The evening passed in a blur, but the good kind. Elijah remained by my side for most of it, his hand at the small of my back as we moved from group to group. Thea flitted between us and her friends from school, her lips increasingly stained from sneaking desserts.

I was helping myself to a glass of wine at the bar when I felt it—that prickle at the back of my neck that told me someone was watching me. Turning slowly, I scanned the crowd, my gaze finally landing on a table near the back of the room.

It took all of my energy to suppress a groan. There, seated together and watching me with identically cool expressions, were my father, my stepmother, and Ava. Surprisingly, Ava was the one I was the least chagrined to see.

My hand tightened around my wine glass, and I felt a flicker of heat race through my veins, which I quickly pushed down with a big gulp of wine. It wasn’t enough, though. “Water, please,” I said abruptly to the bartender. “Extra ice.”

The bartender nodded and handed me my glass. I chugged half of it in one go, seething all the while.

Of course they were here. I’d invited the entire pack, after all, and they were not only my family but also the well-to-do Blakes, one of the most prestigious families in the pack. But I hadn’t actually expected them to show up, not after everything that had happened.

Yet here they were, dressed in their finest, looking for all the world like a normal, happy family. The hypocrisy of it made my blood boil.

I turned away abruptly, not wanting them to see how their presence affected me. It was my party, my celebration. I wouldn’t let them ruin it.

For the next hour, I deliberately avoided that corner of the room, staying on the opposite side of the hall, laughing a bit too loudly at jokes, drinking perhaps a bit more wine than I should have.

I noticed that my father never approached me, unlike the times he’d attempted to corner me at the mall and on the estate grounds. With my stepmother watching, it seemed, he was keeping his distance.

Coward.

The thought was bitter. Whatever he’d wanted to tell me, he clearly wasn’t brave enough to say it in front of his beloved wife.

I was refilling my wine glass at the bar for a third time when I felt someone tap my shoulder from behind.

“Darling,” I said, expecting it to be Elijah, “would you mind checking in with the—”

My words cut off abruptly when I turned and didn’t see my husband, but instead Ava. Sans ankle monitor.

“Agnes,” she said carefully. “It’s been a while.”

“Has it?” I replied coolly. “I hadn’t noticed.”

She flinched slightly at my tone. “Mother wants to speak with you. She has something important to say.”

I couldn’t help it—I laughed. The sound was harsh and loud even to my own ears, drawing curious glances from nearby guests. “Oh, does she now? And she sent you to deliver the message? How typical.”

“Agnes, please,” Ava hissed, glancing around nervously. “Can’t you at least try to be civil? This is your party, after all.”

“Exactly,” I snapped. “My party. In my home. Which means I get to decide who I talk to.” I leaned closer, but made no attempt to lower my voice. “Tell ‘Mother’ that if she wants to talk to me, she can come over here herself. Or is she afraid of another slap to the face?”

Ava’s eyes widened, and too late, I realized I’d spoken louder than I should have. Some of the conversations around us had died, and people were starting to stare. But at least my darling stepmother, I noticed with vicious satisfaction, had gone pale across the room.

I straightened.

“You know what?” I said, not caring anymore who heard. “I don’t need to hear whatever she has to say. None of you were there for me when it mattered. When my baby was taken, when my wolf disappeared, when I was alone and desperate—where were you then? Not a single call, not a single visit. Not a shred of support.”

The space around us had gone completely silent now. I knew I was treading into dangerous territory, but I didn’t care. The idea that ‘Mother’ wanted to talk to me, that she couldn’t even fucking walk up to me herself, that my father was too much of a wimp to speak to me when she was around, filled me with that familiar heat that I’d worked so hard to control over the past weeks.

I could feel my palms starting to burn, the wine in my glass turning warm.

“And now, after everything—after I’ve found my daughter, after I’ve rebuilt my life—now you want to talk? Well, it’s too late. My daughter is—”

“Agnes.” Elijah’s hand settled on my shoulder. He’d appeared beside me without my noticing. “Maybe this isn’t the best time.”

I drew in a ragged breath, suddenly aware of the scene I was creating. The entire room was watching now, hundreds of eyes fixed on me with expressions ranging from shock to sympathy to morbid curiosity.

“Remember what we discussed,” Elijah murmured, his lips close to my ear.

He was right, of course. This wasn’t a good time to bring up my relation to Thea. We still didn’t know the risks.

I nodded stiffly, fighting to calm my racing heart and cool the fire in my veins.

Turning back to the silent crowd, I forced a smile. “Forgive the family drama,” I said lightly. “Please, enjoy the rest of the evening. The dessert table is especially worth your time.”

The tension in the room broke as conversations slowly resumed. I knew I’d be the talk of the pack for a while, but at that moment, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Glancing over my shoulder to where my family had been sitting, I searched for my father and stepmother’s faces. But they were no longer there. Even Ava had scurried away.