Page 1 of Sunshine

Chapter 1

Sunshine

My high heels clicked across the intricate white and gold tiles as I made my way between the tables set at intervals around the massive ballroom. Most of the Californian upper crust were here tonight, dressed in sleek evening dresses and perfectly fitting suits. They gathered in groups, wheeling and dealing, or flirting with potential mates. Couples twirled on the dancefloor, the shimmery dresses adding sparkle to the already gilded aesthetics.

The event of the season was a roaring success. I paused to soak in the atmosphere and allowed myself a moment of satisfaction and relief.

I’d managed to pull it off, even though it had been a train wreck. The flowers had been reordered three times, the venue had to be changed four times, and every time we’d tried to finalize the menu, there’d been problems with suppliers.

But tonight, six months of hard work had come to fruition.

Too bad I couldn’t really enjoy it. I loved event planning, but I put so much into each one that by the time it arrived, I was exhausted and ready to move on. Everyone in my extended family had told me I needed to celebrate my achievements more,but that was difficult when the final event always felt more like a narrowly avoided disaster than an accomplishment.

I did another round, keeping to the wall, and this time checking to make sure everyone was playing nicely. There was an additional reason for the well-heeled and well-connected to mind their manners tonight—the influential Bancroft pack was here.

Their eldest son, Simon, was my new brother-in-law. My sister, Stella, an omega, had bonded him and his pack a few weeks ago. Being associated with a rich family made it almost guaranteed that no one would decide to insult a business rival and ruin the evening.

Most of the movers and shakers here would never actually make a scene, but that didn’t mean there weren’t still cutting remarks and power plays.

I slipped past some decorative urns, and a massive oil painting set up on an easel. The next event I was working on was an art auction for charity, so I’d asked the artist to pick some of his best pieces tonight to show off his work and generate interest in the auction. Having a mini gallery added a unique touch to the ballroom. Otherwise, it would have looked like every other expensive venue.

Satisfied, I headed toward the kitchen. Logan, the alpha head chef, wouldn’t need help. But it didn’t hurt to check in and make sure everything was running smoothly. As I turned my head, I caught sight of another familiar alpha. Logan’s packmate, Luca, was looking completely dashing in a three-piece tuxedo. His curly black hair was usually unruly, but tonight he’d managed to tame it.

Julian, their omega, stood next to Luca. The male omega was one of my closest friends. He was funny and flirty, and had a great smile. A blonde woman was standing beside him. As I watched, she laughed, leaning on Julian’s arm as if she neededsupport. The urge to march over there and pull the woman off him was so strong it stole my breath.

Julian was giving off clear “give me personal space” vibes, from the tight set of his shoulders and the way he angled his body away from the woman.

My heart lurched, and I wished I was standing between Luca and Julian, instead of making sure this fancy event didn’t nosedive into a disaster.

Julian shook his head, his low ponytail moving across his tuxedo. He had refreshed his under shave, so his silky black hair stood out. He laughed, his dimples showing, and my stomach swooped. The image of being between the two of them presented itself again, except this time we were caressing and kissing as we went to find Logan.

I bit my lip, wondering how Julian’s tattoos, currently concealed by his tux, would feel. And whether running my hands through Luca’s hair would mess up the soft waves.

I shook my head, trying to push my thoughts away. I could long to be part of a pack, but at the end of the day I was just a beta.

The twenty-first century was trying to be kinder to the three designations than previous eras. A popular sitcom,Omega in Lovewas getting traction because it turned the stereotypes around: the omega wasn’t just a sex-crazed bombshell, the alphas weren’t Neanderthals dragging the first omega they saw off to their cave, and betas got to do more than just be there for support or to bring snacks during the heat.

Modern culture could talk about how betas did it better, but in reality, all pack dynamics revolved around an omega finding their mates. Alphas had to make sure they found their perfect omega, omegas craved alphas and their knots, and betas were caught somewhere in between.

Despite this, alphas and omegas were far less common, so most of the world was still made up of betas paired with other betas. In comparison, my mom and dads had been a pack and so had my aunt and uncles. Everyone pointed out that’s why there were so many alphas and omegas in my family.

My two sisters, Stella and Luna, were omegas, as was my cousin Ember. My cousin Raina was a rare female alpha, and I had another alpha cousin, Zephyr. My cousin Terran and I were the only betas in the family.

If my parents had still been alive, I was sure they’d have advice for me. Dad had been a beta, and he used to make jokes about the two of us getting away from all the hormones.

“Where are you from?” I heard the blonde asked Julian, pulling my focus back to the present.

Julian was half Korean and half Hawaiian—idiots always asked him where he was from.

“Hawaii,” he said. “But we’ve lived in Half Moon Bay for years.”

Sometimes when someone assumed that, since he wasn’t white, he must be from China or something, Julian turned it back on the person. But apparently, he didn’t feel like playing the racial microaggression game today. The woman giggled, and I tore my gaze away. If I watched them for too much longer, I’d walk over there and snatch her off Julian.

Luckily, Luca was already wrapping an arm around his omega’s shoulder, subtly pulling him closer.

I continued my course for the kitchen where I could torture myself with Logan. I’d tried out pack life before, but the pack I’d been with had broken things off with just over a year ago.

After cheating on me.

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