Page 3 of Mated By Moonlight

"I didn’t mean to offend. Your designs are exactly what we need."

"Great. Then I'm happy to get started in the morning."

"Work doesn't start until the holiday is over."

"Holiday?"

"It's the full moon festival."

Right. She bit down on her lower lip. Then realized she was doing it and let out a huff of air. It was a full moon festival that had gotten her family into a heap of trouble. It's why she'd packed up herself and her sister and moved out into the middle of nowhere mountains of Virginia.

"Fine, we'll head to the hotel."

"We?" Mr. Blackwood's brows creased.

"Me and my sister. She's my business partner. She does the interior design."

"Right. Originally, I thought you were her."

"Nope."

"Nope."

They stood there staring at each other. Maize didn't want to find him handsome. She didn't want to feel the flutter of attraction every time she caught him giving her another once-over. But there was no denying it: Gideon Blackwood was striking in a way that was impossible to ignore.

His face was all hard angles and rugged lines, the kind of face that belonged on the cover of a romance novel or a hero in an action movie. His jaw was strong and sharp, covered in a light stubble that added to his raw, untamed look. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of amber that glowed with an inner fire. She could see the wolf in them.

That's what shut down her raging lady bits right there. Wolves were the ultimate of red flags.

If she had been into shifters, Gideon would have been the best specimen among them. He embodied everything that was powerful and primal about wolves. There was an undeniable magnetism in the way he moved, the way he carried himself. But Maize wasn't into shifters, she reminded herself firmly. She wasn't looking for a relationship, not after everything she and Liza had been through this past year.

"I'll see you in three days, then." Maize rolled up her designs and stuffed them into her bag.

"No," he said.

"No?"

Gideon swallowed hard. That Adam's apple working. Those broad shoulders bristling. "You'll stay on our land. We have a place for you."

"That's generous. I didn't know the job came with lodging."

"It does. One of the pack members has given up his cabin for you. I hope you'll find it to your liking."

Five minutes later, Maize was across the street and headed to her car. She had the directions to the cabin written on a pieceof blueprint. Apparently, the place was so off grid that her GPS wouldn't have found it.

Maize’s fingers trembled as she fumbled for her keys. She had worked hard to project confidence and professionalism, but the nagging fear that she and Liza were not truly safe here gnawed at her. As she reached her car, the festive sounds of the moon festival preparation drifted over—laughter, music, and the occasional howl from enthusiastic shifters celebrating early.

A yelp came from the passenger seat of the car when Maize opened the door. Liza jumped, her eyes wide with panic.

“It’s just me,” Maize whispered soothingly, sliding into the driver’s seat.

She hated seeing her strong, vibrant sister reduced to this fearful shadow. Rob had done this—had turned Liza from a confident woman into a frightened mouse with his relentless threats and stalking.

“It’s all going to be okay, Liza,” Maize said, forcing a smile she didn’t feel. She started the car, the engine’s hum a small comfort in the night’s uncertainty.

Liza’s eyes darted around, her breathing shallow. “It’s just… being here, at a full moon festival… it brings back everything. I was so stupid to believe him."

"You were not stupid. How were you to know? We're not wolves. We don't have big noses."

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