Page 34 of Once You Go Pack
Get it together, Mila,she ordered herself as the cold water sluiced over her flushed skin.You’re here to learn about his world, and to see if you can really step into this life. Not to get completely consumed by the only man who’s ever made you feel truly desired.
But even as she stood under the punishing spray, she knew it was too late for that kind of rational thinking. She was already consumed, already falling, already lost to the magnetic pull of the wolf prince who’d kissed her like his life depended on it.
Tonight, she would dream of green eyes and desperate kisses and the promise of something extraordinary just within reach.
The rhythmic knocking the next morning dragged Mila from dreams that made her cheeks burn with remembered heat. Cade’s hands and his mouth?—
“Mila! Rise and shine, future queen!”
Lyra’s cheerful voice cut through the fantasy like a blade. Mila groaned, burying her face in the silk pillows that still smelled faintly of pine.
Impeccable timing,she thought ruefully as the knocking intensified.
“I know you’re awake in there. I can practically hear you thinking about my brother.”
Mila’s eyes snapped open. Heat flooded her face as she stumbled to the door, still wearing the silky slip from the nightbefore. When she cracked it open, Lyra’s knowing grin made her want to disappear into the floor.
“Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well? Dream of anyone in particular?”
“Lyra...” Mila’s voice came out as a croak.
“Relax, I’m not here to interrogate you about whatever earth-shattering kiss happened last night.” Lyra pushed past her into the suite with boundless energy. “Though Martin did mention Cade looked like he’d been struck by lightning when he returned to his chambers.”
Panic fluttered in Mila’s chest before Lyra waved a dismissive hand.
“Don’t worry about all that right now. We have bigger priorities than your romantic endeavors. It’s now time for your crash course in being a wolf shifter queen.”
Mila blinked, still trying to process the whirlwind that was Princess Lyra at dawn. “I thought we were taking things slowly?—“
“Slowly?” Lyra laughed, the sound bright and infectious. “Honey, my brother doesn’t have time for slowly. Neither do you. Now get dressed in something comfortable—we’re covering everything from pack hierarchy to ceremonial traditions to light combat training.”
Combat training?Mila’s stomach lurched.
“I can see that panic in your eyes. We’ll start easy, I promise. But if you’re going to be Cade’s mate, you need to understand our world completely. No stone unturned, no tradition unexplored.”
Twenty minutes later, Mila found herself following Lyra through corridors she hadn’t seen before, dressed in fitted leggings and a soft t-shirt from her mysteriously perfect wardrobe. Her hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail, and her body hummed with nervous energy.
“First stop—the archives,” Lyra announced, pushing open massive oak doors. “History lesson before anything else.”
The library took Mila’s breath away. Vaulted ceilings soared overhead, painted with constellations that seemed to shift and move in the morning light. Ancient books lined shelves that stretched impossibly high, and the air smelled of leather, parchment, and something indefinably wild.
“This is impressive,” Mila whispered, running her fingers along leather-bound spines. “How old are these texts?”
“Some date back to the original packs, before the great migration.” Lyra pulled a heavy tome from a nearby shelf. “This one details the founding of the Ice Moon pack and our bloodline.”
As Lyra opened the book, something electric shot through Mila’s veins. The pages seemed to glow with their own inner light, and the ancient script looked almost... familiar.
That’s impossible.She’d never seen these symbols before, yet somehow her mind translated them effortlessly.
“The Ice Moon pack has always been blessed with strong mate bonds,” Lyra read, her finger tracing the elegant text. “Our wolves recognize their destined partners through an ancient magic that transcends species and time.”
Mila’s pulse quickened. “What do you mean, transcends species?”
Lyra’s green eyes sparkled with mischief. “Oh, you have a rare gift. Most humans can’t even read these texts without training, but you’re following along perfectly.”
“Yes, strangely I can read it,” Mila said slowly, the realization hitting her like a freight train. “I shouldn’t be able to, but I can.”
“Must be a natural ability with wolf shifter language,” Lyra murmured, watching Mila carefully. “It’s like you were born for this world.”
