I woke up alone in bed and promptly rushed to the restroom to empty my stomach. When I finally emerged, Aileen was waiting, a breakfast tray in her hands and a kind smile on her face. “How are you doing, my love?”

“I’m thankful my baby is growing big and strong,” I recited, clutching my belly and repeating the mantra I use whenever morning sickness or mood swings hit.

Aileen chuckled. “But you feel like hell?” she guessed.

I nodded pitifully, and Aileen offered me a steaming cup of tea. “Here, have some of this. When I was carrying my pups, nothing banished the sickness better.” I took a sip of the herbal brew, sighing happily as warmth spread through me. “That’s it,” Aileen encouraged. “I can already see some color returning to your cheeks.”

“More Luna lessons today?” I asked, thanking her with a wide smile and a squeeze of her soft hands.

“And not a moment too soon,” she replied. “We shouldn’t have put it off this long with the holidays approaching, but Dominic wanted to give you time to rest.”

“The holidays?” I repeated, my mind slowly processing her words. I was so ravenous from skipping supper that I could barely resist devouring the cream scones and raspberry jam on the tray. “Of course,” I finally murmured. “It hadn’t occurred to me that your gods would have their own holidays and traditions.”

Aileen smiled kindly. “It’s alright; this is a lot to take in, but we don’t have much time to waste. The Winter Solstice is next week, and you’ll be very busy, my dear.”

I knew the Winter Solstice was the longest night of the year, but I was clueless about how werewolves celebrated it. “What happens at the Winter Solstice?”

“It’s about honoring nature and the goddess, rebirth, transformation, and new beginnings—finding light in the dark half of the year. It’s really beautiful. The week before the solstice is seven days of festivals and activities. I have a calendar somewhere…” She moved back to the breakfast tray, searching through it. “It’s all wonderful: bonfires, drinking and dancing, parades, decorating the city, lighting candles, and gift-giving. Then there are feasts and rituals, culminating in a grand ball at the Royal Palace.”

Her words triggered a memory. I’d always assumed the exclusive parties and festivals in the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods were for human holidays, not supernatural ones. I’d never attended because I lacked the money and access, but Aileen’s description was far more extensive than anything I knew.

“A ball?” I repeated, focusing on her last comment. “Like… an actual ball?”

“I take it you’ve never been to one?” Aileen asked, raising an eyebrow.

I laughed. “When would I have had the opportunity? Only rich and famous humans attend those!”

“I see,” Aileen mused. “Well, I knew I’d have to teach you our dances, but we’ll also need to cover etiquette.”

I thought of the dances Sinclair had shown me at the shifter club, and my heart pounded. “What kind of dances?”

“Nothing like what you’re thinking,” Aileen assured me. “I swear they’re perfectly tasteful.”

“And the festivals and rituals?” I asked, remembering Sinclair’s teasing about humans being prudish.

“Those can get a bit scandalous, but I promise Sinclair will be with you every step of the way,” she promised.

Sure, I thought, a bitter taste in my mouth. I’d heard that before. Before I could respond, Aileen stopped rustling through the tray. “Aha! Here it is!” She offered me a sheet of parchment. I looked at it with trepidation and awe:

Moon Valley Solstice Festival Schedule of Events

Night 1: Bonfire Night – Wulver Hill Night 2: Solstice Procession – Old Town Night 3: Yuletide Feast – Midwinter’s Fair Night 4: Wassailing – Central Canal Night 5: Moon Bathing – Moon Valley Stone Circle Night 6: The Wild Hunt – the King’s Forest Night 7: Masquerade Ball – the Royal Palace

“Aileen, I don’t know what half of these things are! More than half!” I exclaimed, feeling overwhelmed.

“It’s okay,” she soothed. “You’ll take it one day at a time, and you’ll be an expert in shifter solstice traditions by the end of the week.”

I scanned the parchment, my eyes repeatedly drawn to the ball and the moon bathing. One event, however, filled me with fear. “What is the Wild Hunt?”

“Ah,” Aileen pursed her lips. “That’s when things get especially fun for mated couples. Some find a partner for the night, but it’s more powerful when you’re bonded to the one hunting you.”

“Hunting you?” I squeaked.

“Yes, she-wolves take off into the woods, and their mates must hunt them down and claim them. It goes back to our origin myths, when the Moon Goddess led her celestial army into the forest in pursuit of souls to create new wolves. Nowadays, ‘making new wolves’ takes on a more literal meaning. I can’t tell you how many babies are conceived on the night of the Wild Hunt.”

“But I can’t shift,” I reminded her nervously. Would I even have to participate? Is it required? I’m already pregnant; that must be enough to get permission to sit it out.

“That’s alright. As the future Luna, you’ll lead the way into the forest wearing a special ceremonial dress and carrying a torch. You won’t be expected to shift until you’re out of sight, and Dominic will follow you long before anyone else joins—he’s the only one who will know you didn’t shift.”

That didn’t reassure me. The idea of the entire pack watching me lead a ceremony I’d never heard of, especially as a fraud, was terrifying.

“Did Dominic used to do this with Lydia?” I asked.

“Of course,” Aileen confirmed. “Why do you ask?”

I shrugged. “Roger told me she was his mate first. I’m just curious about their relationship.”

Aileen gave me an appraising look. She sighed. “And so she was, but fated mates… some forces are too strong to combat.”

“You both make it sound much more loving than Dominic did,” I confessed, remembering the Alpha’s disenchantment with his former mate. He’d never described their early days or any love between them, only her hunger for status and power.

“It’s easy to be bitter and cynical when your heart is broken,” Aileen confided, patting my shoulder.

“Right,” I murmured. This made sense. Who hasn’t been bitter after a lost love, especially when things ended badly? Is that what’s happening with Sinclair? Is his pessimistic description of his marriage simply the wounds of a broken heart?

And what about Lydia? I couldn’t fathom being in love with one man, then uncontrollably compelled to be with another, but from what everyone said, there seemed to be no fighting it. On the other hand, I understood the devastation of fertility struggles. I might not understand fated mates, but I had sympathy for her on that front.

If I’d believed Mike was sterile and I had a chance with another man, would I have left him? I pondered this for a long moment. I didn’t think so, and we were far from fated. Maybe I’m biased. After all, I’ve seen the damage her disloyalty did to Sinclair.