Chapter 85

Awarm breeze rustled through the trees of the Harkness Manor Estate, filling the night air with the sweet aroma of summer. Every nerve in my body tingled, and my heart pumped violently. It seemed as if I had been waiting for this moment my entire life. How many years had I denied the bond I shared with Cillian only to find out it had been pointless? How many different paths had I sought before realizing I belonged here?

I couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across my lips as friends, family, and pack members gathered around to celebrate my engagement to Cillian Harkness, the alpha of the Crescent Moon pack. They’d always said that we were fated mates and that we’d be bonded for life, but I’d never believed the superstitious nonsense they spouted during my youth. Yet here I was, nearly a decade later, astonished to find myself not only marked by Cillian, but also engage to the man I’d sworn I’d never be with.

It was funny how life worked itself out. Even through all the chaos and