They Called Me a Homewrecker——Then Three Wolves Refused to Let Me Go

POV: Ivy

Moon Camp looked prettier in photographs.

In person, it was wet gravel, cold wind, and a field of expensive SUVs slowly sinking into mud.

I climbed out of my sedan and immediately regretted my thin sneakers.

Chloe had spent the entire drive complaining about her mother, Dean, and Sarah's family in equal measure. After days of pack pressure, Sarah still had not officially put the diamond ring back on, but both families had agreed to call the engagement "under review" instead of dead.

I hated that phrase almost as much as Chloe did.

At least Moon Camp gave us four days away from the worst of the pack gossip.

Or that had been the idea.

We had barely unloaded our bags when the camp coordinator hurried across the clearing with a soaked clipboard.

"We have a housing issue."

A storm earlier that afternoon had triggered a small mudslide on the east side of the campsite. Several guest tents were gone, one cabin had a damaged foundation, and everyone important enough to complain had already started doing so.

The elders claimed the main cabins first.

Chloe's mother pulled her into the large Vale family tent for what she called "strategy" and Chloe called "being held hostage by relatives."

That left me standing beside my duffel bag while the coordinator checked his list.

"One canvas tent remains at the north tree line," he said. "Two unassigned guests."

I followed his gaze.

Ace leaned against a black SUV.

Dark thermal shirt. Heavy boots. That face.

Of course.

"I'll sleep in my car," I said.

The coordinator frowned. "Temperatures are expected to fall below freezing tonight."

"I have a coat."

"Your sedan doesn't have winter insulation."

"It has doors. That's enough."

Ace pushed away from the SUV.

"No, it isn't."

I glared at him.

He came close enough to lower his voice.

"You slept in my hotel bed a few nights ago," he said. "But a tent is where you suddenly discover boundaries?"

My face burned.

"That was different."

"Obviously. The hotel had room service."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

A laugh came from behind us.

"Should we come back after the murder?"

Two men approached along the gravel path.

The first was blond, broad, and wearing a grin that made me distrust him immediately. The second had dark hair, a quieter face, and the kind of observant eyes that seemed to register everything before he spoke.

The blond one held out a hand.

"Ryder. And before you ask, Ace is always this charming."

"I'm Ivy."

"I know."

Ace shot him a look.

Ryder's grin widened.

The other man nodded. "Elias."

His voice was calm, almost clinical.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

I picked up my bag.

"I'm still sleeping in my car."

Ryder looked at the sky. "I'd reconsider that before the next wave hits."

"Everyone has an opinion today."

"Occupational hazard."

I walked away before Ace could say anything else.

By ten, I admitted every man in that clearing had been right.

The storm arrived with freezing rain and wind strong enough to rock my sedan.

My heater, which had survived winter through a combination of prayer and denial, chose that night to produce nothing but a faint clicking sound.

I wrapped myself in a fleece blanket.

Ten minutes later, my teeth were chattering.

The parking area turned to soup. I could feel the rear of my car settling lower as mud swallowed the tires.

A knock hit the driver's window.

I jumped.

Ace stood outside in the rain.

His hair was soaked. Water ran down his jaw.

I cracked the window.

"Go away."

"Your back tires are buried."

"I noticed."

"The drainage ditch is overflowing. If the water rises another few inches, you won't be able to open the rear doors."

Thunder rolled across the mountain.

I looked behind me.

Mud had climbed halfway up the tire.

Damn it.

"Get your bag," Ace said.

"Don't order me around."

"Fine. Freeze politely."

I hated him a little for making me laugh.

I grabbed my duffel and shoved open the door.

Rain hit me sideways.

My foot slid the moment I stepped into the mud. Ace caught my elbow before I fell.

"I've got you."

The words landed strangely.

I pulled free once I had my balance.

"I can walk."

"Then walk faster."

We ran for the tree line.

By the time we reached the remaining tent, my hair was plastered to my face and water had soaked through every layer I wore.

Ace zipped us inside.

The storm became a muted roar against canvas.

He switched on a battery lantern.

Warm light filled a space that suddenly looked much smaller than it had from outside.

One tent.

Two sleeping bags.

Ace.

Me.

Fantastic.

"You can change behind that divider," he said.

I blinked.

A hanging canvas panel cut off one corner.

"You're not going to make another joke about the hotel?"

"Not while you're shivering."

That answer took some of the fight out of me.

I changed into dry clothes and stepped back into the main space.

Ace had stripped off his soaked thermal and replaced it with a gray long-sleeved shirt.

The sight should not have mattered.

It did.

His scent was trapped inside the sealed tent.

Pine and storm.

My Omega stirred.

Not the casual awareness I felt around other Alphas. This went deeper, pulling somewhere behind my ribs.

Ace noticed.

His shoulders went rigid.

For once, neither of us made a joke.

I watched a bead of water slide from his hair to the side of his throat.

My mouth went dry.

I took one step toward him before I realized I was moving.

My hand lifted.

Ace caught my wrist.

Not hard.

Just enough to stop me.

His thumb rested over my pulse.

"Ivy."

The warning in his voice was almost worse than a touch.

I looked up.

His eyes had gone dark.

"Are you sure you want me to forget?"

I should have said yes.

I had rehearsed yes for days.

But my body had never been good at lying around him.

Footsteps splashed through the mud outside.

Ryder's voice cut through the canvas.

"If you two are done pretending you hate each other, we have a problem."

Ace released me and moved between me and the entrance in the same breath.

"What happened?"

Ryder's humor was gone.

"Rogue scent on the northern perimeter. More than one. They're circling the camp."