Page 13 of Pistols & Peonies

Violet

The lunar cycle has a profound impact on shifters. The moon calls to our inner wolves, strengthens them, and fortifies bonds. When it’s full, it floods us with a rush of wild energy, compelling us to shift and run beneath its light with our pack. It’s a ritual as instinctive and natural as breathing; one all of us typically look forward to.

The sheer size of the Chicago pack makes it impossible for us to all gather in one place, so every full moon, we’re split up and assigned to different forest preserves around the city. I’ve always reported to Des Plaines for the full moon run, but tonight, I’ve been assigned to Forest Glen– the preserve where Alpha and the most prominent members of our pack run each month. It’s also the preserve that hosts the quarterly Pairing ceremony, hence the assignment.

Forest Glen has always looked peaceful and idyllic in pictures, the kind of spot where couples come for picnics or engagement shoots under fall leaves. But stepping into it for the first time under a full moon, knowing I’m about to be mated off to a stranger?

Yeah. No peace here.

Just a long stretch of shadow-choked parking lot leading into the dark press of woods. There’s a faint hum in the air when Charlotte and I climb out of her car, like the whole place is holding its breath. Creepy and ominous; the perfect backdrop for a forced fate.

My official invitation to the Pairing tonight– well, summons, more like– extended to friends and family, so of course Char insisted on coming. She claimed it’s for moral support, but from the way she’s clinging to my arm like a lifeline, I’m not entirely sure who’s supporting who here. She looks two seconds from a breakdown, even though I’m the one being marched toward a life I didn’t choose. She’s just along for the panic attack.

“You good?” I ask as we cross the lot, flickering her a sideways glance.

“No,” she sniffles, wiping her eyes with a mascara-stained sleeve. “This is so unfair, Vi. We’ve gotta try to talk to Alpha, see if he’ll reconsider…”

“That’d imply he’s actually reasonable,” I scoff. “Or that we could get within breathing distance of him.”

“Then I’ll offer myself in your place,” she declares, lifting her chin with a burst of defiance. “This whole thing was my fault, so I’ll just–”

I yank Char to a stop, whipping around to face her. “No,” I say sharply, pulse taking off like a rocket. “If you do that, you’ll only implicate yourself right along with me. I’m not letting you throw away your future, Char.”

“But you’ll throw away yours?” she fires back, quick and wounded.

I scowl, something splintering in my chest. “I don’t have a choice,” I mutter, turning away and starting toward the preserve entrance again.

Her footsteps drum against the pavement behind me as she jogs to catch up, fingers curling around the crook of my elbow.

“I’m sorry, Violet,” she breathes, tugging me to a stop. I glance over, her hazel eyes shiny with tears. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine,” I say.

It isn’t.

I jerk my chin toward the entrance. “Let’s just get this over with.”

She sniffles, a tear sliding down her cheek as she links her arm with mine and we start forward again.

“You’ve gotta keep it together, babe,” I murmur under my breath, giving her a little nudge. “I’m gonna be okay. You know me, I always adapt. And if the guy I’m stuck with is awful, I’ll just shank him in his sleep.”

She snorts a laugh through her tears and I toss an arm over her shoulders, pulling her in.

Kinda fucked up that I’m the one being Paired here, yet she’s the one who needs comfort. Then again, that’s always been our dynamic– she’s emotional, reactive, and I’m the anchor. I’ve been through enough shit that I’ve learned to weather storms and stay remarkably calm in chaos.

As we approach the shadowed entrance to the preserve, more people come into view, clustered in groups and quietly murmuring amongst themselves. Slivers of moonlight slice through the canopy of leaves overhead, catching on their profiles and only adding to the already sinister vibe. I inhale slowly, steadying the shake in my hands as we step off the pavement and move to join them.

I’ve had over a month to mentally prepare for this Pairing, but instead, I’ve spent all that time spiraling. Drinking, partying, pretending I don’t care. Trying to get out of the city, out of this absolute nightmare of a sentence for the crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was so desperate I even went crawling back to my ex in Colorado, asking him to mate me so I’d be disqualified from the Pairing. He turned me away, of course. Men love to look at me, flirt with me, and fuck me, but none of them ever actually choose me.

Not even my own father found me worth keeping. He ran out on Mom and me when I was four, claiming he couldn’t handle the demands of parenthood anymore. I tracked him down when I was a teenager, hoping to forge some sort of relationship, but he had a whole new family. A mate, three pups, and the whole picture-perfect life. Turns out it wasn’t parenthood he couldn’t handle. It was me.

So here I am, exactly where I was always going to end up. I don’t know why I thought there was ever a chance in hell things would turn out differently.

“Violet!” a familiar voice cuts through the crowd, the shrill tone making every muscle in my body lock up instantly.

Oh god.

My mother.