Page 8 of Once You Go Pack
“We need a hotel.” His voice came out rough. “Somewhere discreet. Near her law firm.”
They emerged from the power plant into Salem’s late evening bustle. The city pressed around them—smaller buildings than Nova Aurora’s crystal spires, different rhythms, and air thick with unfamiliar scents that made his wolf even more restless. Everything felt muted and contained, like a world built for smaller dreams.
The hotel Lyra found was modest but clean, tucked between office buildings in the financial district. Cade barely registered checking in, his attention fractured between maintaining human politeness and the magnetic pull drawing him northeast.
Dinner in the hotel’s quiet restaurant passed in a blur of strategy and barely contained energy. Lyra chattered about cultural differences—the food, the architecture, and the way humans moved through their world with such careful boundaries—but Cade’s mind was already thinking ahead to tomorrow.
“How do I approach her without scaring her?” The question escaped before he could stop it.
“Carefully,” Lyra said simply. “This is going to change everything for her too.”
Lyra’s words echoed through him as they said goodnight and retreated to their adjoining rooms. His space felt too small and too quiet, charged with anticipation that made sleep impossible.
He paced the narrow confines, his wolf pressing against his control like a caged beast. Somewhere in this city, Mila Eldridge was living her ordinary human life, unaware that a wolf prince was losing his mind over her existence.
Tomorrow,he promised his restless beast.Tomorrow we will meet her.
But first, he had to survive the night.
THREE
MILA
Mila’s reflection stared back at her from the restroom mirror that morning and she barely recognized herself. The sleeveless navy dress hugged her curves in ways her usual blouses and skirts never did, the mascara made her blue eyes look deeper, and her golden blonde hair fell past her shoulders instead of being pulled back in its typical ponytail.
What am I doing?She smoothed the dress fabric with nervous fingers.Getting dressed up to meet a wolf shifter prince from another planet. That’s completely normal Tuesday behavior, right?
The walk to her office felt surreal. Every familiar hallway and doorway seemed different today, as if she were seeing them through new eyes while her mind kept circling back to Gerri’s impossible proposition from the night before.
A future queen.The words still made her stomach flutter with equal parts terror and excitement.Me? The woman who can’t even get her father to notice her contributions to the firm?
She settled at her desk, but concentration proved impossible. The case files that usually demanded her complete attention felt trivial compared to the magnitude of what lay ahead. Every fewminutes, her gaze drifted to the clock, calculating how much time remained before she’d meet this mysterious Cade.
What would a wolf prince even look like?Her imagination conjured images of brooding intensity and raw power, the kind of man who commanded rooms simply by entering them.Please don’t let him be another arrogant alpha type who thinks a paralegal isn’t worth his time.
Her dating history read like a catalog of disappointments. Five years of being single, punctuated by awkward blind dates and one promising connection that had fizzled when he’d decided she wasn’t “adventurous enough” for his taste.
Well, traveling to another planet to become a queen certainly qualifies as adventurous.
The thought made her laugh despite her nerves. Maybe her track record was about to change dramatically.
“Earth to Mila.” Riley’s voice cut through her wandering thoughts. Her sister stood in the doorway, immaculate as always in a charcoal gray pantsuit that probably cost more than Mila’s monthly salary. “You’ve been staring at that same document for three minutes without reading a word.”
Heat flooded Mila’s cheeks. “Just thinking.”
“Dangerous habit.” Riley stepped into Mila’s office, her sharp hazel eyes taking inventory of Mila’s appearance. “You look different today. Good different. That dress is absolutely gorgeous on you.”
“Thanks.” Mila fidgeted with her pen, unsure how to navigate the compliment without revealing her morning’s agenda.
“Special occasion?” Riley’s tone carried that mixture of genuine interest and competitive edge that had defined their relationship since childhood.
Before Mila could formulate an answer, heels clicked down the hallway like castanets announcing an entrance. Then, Gerri Wilder appeared in the doorway wearing a vibrant emeraldpantsuit that somehow made her look both professional and magical.
“Good morning, sunshine!” Gerri’s smile was radiant as she swept into the office. “Ready for our brunch date?”
Riley’s eyebrows shot up. “Brunch date?”
Mila’s heart hammered in her chest. The moment of truth had arrived, and she felt woefully unprepared despite a sleepless night of mental rehearsal.
