Cherry Before my mom passed away, we’d spent some of the happiest weekends there, enjoying the glass sculptures and lush gardens illuminated by lights in the dusk. Bittersweet memories of my mom and dad’s smiling faces as they wandered around the place occupied me. Feeling nostalgic, I wondered about revisiting those artworks while I was visiting. Maybe my dad or Bert would be up for coming with me. I wondered if I could use the place as inspiration for a new range of designs next summer. The exhibition’s bright color palette amidst the amber lights had always reminded me of summer blending into fall. I mused about coming back to Seattle for photo shoots with my next clothing line, but my stomach somersaulted. I remembered the text from Bert I’d received during my stopover in London while waiting for my connecting flight. I scooped my phone out of my handbag and opened his text: I didn’t want to overwhelm you when I visited you, but I need to give you the heads up before you get to

CherryMy gaze tracked over Dylan’s tall, muscular body. Dressed in black trousers and a dark blue shirt, he looked as gorgeous as I remembered. But my memories hadn’t prepared me fully for how arresting his rugged handsomeness was. I noticed his strong jaw and proud forehead were even more evident now that he wore his hair shorter.In danger of staring at him too long, I was pleased I had something I needed to do. My dad had reminded me about the pack custom I’d forgotten: giving a gift to the new Alpha. It was customary on first seeing the new Alpha of the pack to bestow something homemade on him. When I’d arrived at my dad’s house, I’d been flustered at the thought of having nothing homemade other than the dresses I’d packed. None of which were exactly appropriate for Dylan.But my dad had come to the rescue by giving me a bottle of his homemade wine. Something that was in the tote bag on the kitchen counter in front of me.I stepped towards Dylan and gifted him the bottle. “For th

Cherry I snuck out the front door almost as soon as I returned downstairs. Only a quick goodbye to Heather and Chris detained me. Bert seemed to realize my need to get out of there and, thankfully, followed me out. When we climbed into his truck, he was mercifully quiet, too, not taxing me with talk. Just as well, given that my head was so full of Dylan’s words, I doubted I’d be able to form one coherent sentence. I kept seeing his furrowed brow as he confessed to me that he wasn’t happy. My breath had hitched in my chest to witness the familiar tension thrumming through his body at being cornered. My heart ached for him as he told me he’d agreed to this match with Lucy only out of a sense of duty. Part of me was infuriated at his disclosure, too because I had thought that by walking away and freeing him from a mate he hadn’t chosen, he’d have found happiness. Confusion whipped through me. But he hadn’t. He seemed even more at war with himself than when we had been together. When

Cherry But the banquet hall had been cleared of its huge table, leaving rows and rows of seats, and an aisle between them, up to a stage. Behind the stage, the huge balcony, open to the blue sky, provided a beautiful backdrop. The different décor and the fact that lots of my old friends surrounded me with merry chatter distracted me from the past. Bert went up nearer the stage, taking a seat in the front row, but I chose to stay nearer the back of the room, determined to keep out of the limelight. At the rear of the room here, another balcony lay open. A welcome breeze dampened the heat caused by the large gathering and the mild day. When the old Alpha walked into the room and down the aisle, the pack stilled, and we all took our seats. Heather came next, the old Alpha and Luna, turning to look at us all from the stage. My heart tripped over itself as Dylan strode down the aisle next. In a tuxedo, he was devastatingly handsome, but I recognized the power and presence he exuded too

Cherry My mind kept cycling over her words, trying to make sense of her rejection, but everything within me kept returning to her heated kiss and the humming satisfaction I sensed from her wolf. I couldn’t fathom what had just happened. Why had she rejected me again? My weary gaze fell upon the bar that had been set up out here on the balcony. Clearly, for celebratory drinks after my ascension ceremony, but it was a commiseration drink I needed now—a long one. I strode over to the table, picked up a bottle of red wine, and a sense of Deja-vu rippled over me. I thought of how familiar this chain of events seemed. Why did it feel as if my Luna was determined to destroy me when all I wanted to do was love her? With a bitter toast to my mate, I raised the bottle and swigged. As the wine soured on my tongue, my thoughts darkened. The first act my pack had witnessed me try to accomplish, to claim my mate, had failed. But then, Cherry’s sincere voice haunted me: “The fact that you’re putt