Page 120

Bayer looked between the three of us, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he nodded. "If anyone can transform it, it's Danny."

The simple vote of confidence made my chest warm. "We're thinking the new territory would be perfect," I said. "A way to claim the space as truly ours."

"That's what we thought," Sylvia said, exchanging a satisfied glance with Maya. "New beginnings deserve new traditions."

Bayer crossed the room and settled beside me on the couch, his weight a comforting presence. His hand found mine, squeezing gently. "What have you planned so far?"

"Well," I began, gesturing to my chaotic notes, "we're keeping the core elements—the feast, the gift exchange, the protection charms—but reimagining how they're presented and who participates."

"And we're eliminating anything that treats women as property," Maya added firmly.

"Or forces participation," Sylvia chimed in. "Everything will be by choice, not command."

Bayer nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "My mother would have approved." The simple statement seemed to hang in the air, weighted with memory and meaning.

We heard another throat clearing and looked up as Draven joined us. Draven had followed Bayer and Phoenix in, lingering in the doorway like he wasn't sure he belonged. That wasn't unusual for Draven; despite being Phoenix's father and the former alpha, he carried himself with a quiet restraint that I'd always found endearing. What was unusual was the way his eyes tracked across the room and landed on Maya with the subtlety of a freight train.

Maya, for her part, had gone completely still. Her fingers, which had been gesturing animatedly over a sketch of the bonfire layout, froze mid-air. A flush crept up her neck, and she suddenly became very interested in straightening the already-straight stack of notes in front of her.

Interesting. And I met Em’s speculative gaze. Yep, he’d noticed, which meant we would have to make sure they spent lots of time together…

"Dad," Phoenix said, oblivious—or pretending to be—"you remember Maya and Sylvia?"

"Of course." Draven's voice was perfectly steady, his nod encompassing both women equally. But his gaze snagged on Maya for half a beat too long before he looked away. "Ladies."

"Draven." Sylvia's greeting was warm and easy.

Maya's was not. "Hi," she managed, the word coming out clipped and breathless, as if she'd forgotten how speech worked. Then she dropped the pen she'd been holding and bent to retrieve it at the same time that Draven stepped forward to pick it up, and their fingers brushed.

They both recoiled like they'd been shocked.

"Sorry," Draven muttered, straightening.

"No, I—sorry," Maya echoed, clutching the pen to her chest like a talisman.

The silence that followed was excruciating. Bayer raised an eyebrow at me. I gave him my most innocent expression, which he clearly didn't buy because his eyes narrowed.

"Well," I said brightly, breaking the tension, "since everyone's here, we should probably talk about the logistics of using the new territory for the celebration. Draven, you'd know better than anyone about the layout of that clearing—didn't you originally plan the buildings up there?"

Draven blinked, clearly grateful for something concrete to focus on. "I did, years ago. The central structure has the best sight lines for a large gathering."

"Perfect. Maya's been sketching out the bonfire placement and seating arrangements." I gestured to the notes in front of her. "Maybe you two could put your heads together on that? She knows the bear traditions, you know the terrain."

If my matchmaking was transparent, neither of them called me on it. Maya's flush deepened, but she nodded, sliding her sketches across the table with exaggerated care so their hands wouldn't accidentally touch again. "I'd appreciate the input," she said to a spot approximately six inches to the left of Draven's face.

Emery, who'd been quietly observing, spoke up. "I've been thinking—what if we invited the wolf pack to participate in some way? Not the whole thing, obviously, but maybe a shared feast to symbolize our alliance?"

I felt Bayer tense slightly beside me but jumped in before he could object. "That's brilliant, Em. It would show everyone that we're forging something new—honoring traditions while creating alliances that make us stronger."

"The elders might resist," Bayer cautioned, but I could tell he wasn't dismissing the idea outright.

"Let them," I said. "This is about building a future, not clinging to a past that hurt people."

Bayer's eyes met mine, and I saw something shift in them—pride, maybe, or admiration. "When did you become such a warrior?"

"Around the time I started growing three bear cubs inside me," I quipped. "Apparently they're giving me political superpowers."

Everyone laughed, and the tension eased. We spent some more time going over details before Maya and Sylvia began gathering their notes, promising to return in the next few days with more ideas and a list of bears who might want to join the planning committee.