“A dress would be good, but not like black tie. We have people in from another pack so it’s good to look nice. But you’re gorgeous so that’s already handled.”

She held up two dresses, a bright green one and a red one.

“The green one, definitely.”

“It’s a bit more low cut than the red. Is that okay?”

He barked a laugh. “Am I okay with your boobs being visible?”

She blushed. “Not all of them! Just my cleavage.”

“I’m always okay with cleavage.”

She looked over at the clock. “When do we have to be there?”

He took one look and groaned. “We need to leave here in about half an hour.”

“Shit!” She grabbed the dress and headed into the bathroom where he could see she’d taken over half the space, and the sink on the left. “You stay back with your sex eyes, mister. I have to get ready and we don’t have time for what you’re after.”

“I can make it good and quick too.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “You are not a quick type. And I’d have to shower afterward or everyone would know exactly what we were up to before we arrived.”

She shucked her clothes, and he leaned back and watched, fingers itching to touch all that skin.

“They’re going to assume it anyway.”

“I already took a shower. I want to look good for this, Josh. All the females you took for a ride will be there, and I want people to think you made out okay instead of oh bummer, look what poor Josh bonded with.”

He moved to her, pulling her in for a long slow kiss. He licked his lips, taking one last taste of her before he stepped away a little.

“You could show up in a garbage bag and they’d still think I was a very lucky wolf. As for those other females? They know who you are and what you are. And that’s everything. You understand?”

She gave him a smile. “Yeah, yeah.”

He grabbed a quick shower and got dressed as she got ready, putting on makeup and doing her hair in tousled curls around her face.

At least the party thing was stressful enough to give her something else to worry over beside the awful weight of Allie’s loss. It was strange to have so much happiness in her life even as at the same time she drowned in crushing, horrible sadness.

She’d spent the hours driving back to Portland alternating between tears and happiness. But he helped. Being around him helped, soothed her. Though she also understood he realized she was in pain and that she had every right to feel like crap because of it.

But life went on and she had to do all this stuff. The tri-bond thing especially. Gina had talked to her a little about it when she’d called to ask her opinion on what to wear that night. Gina’s anchor lived in Portland, and they had dinner with him a least twice a month. He and Damon were good friends. Michelle didn’t want to say she thought it was weird. Though she did. But who was she to judge? It was someone else’s culture, and she’d have to find her own peace with it because in a big way, it was her culture now too.

So she sucked it up because there was nothing else to do but suck it up and try to move forward.

Tracy came out as they pulled up, the girls practically bouncing at the sight of Josh. When he got out of the car, they clapped and started calling his name. He grinned at them but moved to get Michelle’s door first.

“Wow, Michelle, you look great!” Tracy laughed as the girls leapt into Josh’s arms. They giggled and kissed his cheeks as Tracy made her way over. “Welcome. To Pacific and to the house and all that. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your friend. Anything we can do to help is yours. I know you’re starting over up here, so please know you’ve got a shoulder and an ear whenever you need it. You don’t know me well, but I’d like us to be friends. I moved here and didn’t know anyone either.”

Touched, she nodded. “Thanks, I appreciate it. It’s all so much. I feel…I don’t know anything. Not just about your world but my own really. I don’t want to embarrass Josh or do something wrong.”

“Plenty of folks who are happy to share. Just ask and if we can get you the answer we will.”

“I’m nervous,” Michelle blurted out.

“I know there are a lot of people here, but they’re all here to celebrate you. To welcome you. This is something really special to us. The bond, I mean. Josh is so happy. Everyone is going to see that. He leads them, keeps them safe. To see him happy and with his mate is a good thing. My pack will see you as a positive. Even before they meet you, they’ll think that.”

“Aw, thanks. But I also mean the anchor thing.”

Tracy took her hands and squeezed. “That’s going to be all right too. I mean.” Tracy shrugged and looked around the area, full of ridiculously gorgeous people. “They’re all beautiful. You’re beautiful. Josh is hot. Just…it’s part of the process. Let it happen. It’s your choice, you know.”

Tracy walked with her up the steps and into the house. Josh had the hands of both girls as he followed.

“Let’s see.” Tracy scanned the room. “Ah, so over there, that’s Trace. He’s here from Cascadia. He’s ranked lower than Josh, but his power level is high. High enough to be the Alpha of his own pack anywhere else. He’s an Enforcer too, works for my sister, who runs the Enforcer team up there.”

Trace had long pale hair tied loosely back from his face. Piercing brown eyes.

“Over there is Erik, he’s visiting here from Boston with Jack, that hot blond-surfer-looking dude.”

“Jack is the National Enforcer, right? He’s also in a threesome and he’s anchored to your sister-in-law?”

“You’re a fast learner. Yes, that’s Jack. Oh and then there’s Akio. Akio is Jack’s right hand.”

Holy cow. Now that was a beautiful man in a room full of really exceptional-looking people.

Tracy continued. “The anchor is special. They make a commitment to you to take on the weight of the death of a mate. It’s…hard to explain, but it’s more than just fucking. Your anchor is part of your family. None of them agrees to do it lightly. We’re all a bit superstitious, wolves I mean. We believe in fate and all that jazz. So just because an available wolf is around, he may not agree to serve as an anchor. There has to be chemistry. He has to really connect with the couple, the female sure, but also the male because they’re sort of partners in keeping the female safe.”

“Yeah, no pressure. Just a lifetime commitment to make a decision in a few minutes.”

Tracy laughed. “It’s not always like that. I only knew Gabe for a day though. Sometimes you just know when it’s right.”

Which, Michelle had to admit was true.

Akio took that moment to turn around and see them both staring at him. Well now. He was long and lithe, his dark hair loose, framing a face that would have dried the spit in any thinking woman’s mouth in seconds flat.

“Damn,” she whispered to Tracy.

“Right?” Tracy waved and he began to make his way over.

Josh moved to them, pausing to kiss Michelle. “Sorry, I got caught up. Rose wanted to show me the picture she drew of Milton.”

Akio approached and Josh held a hand out that Akio took. “Akio, this is my mate, Michelle. Michelle, this is Akio Minami. He’s part of the Enforcer corps in Boston. He’s here with Jack and the wolves from National.”

She smiled and he took her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Josh was telling us all about you on the way over from the airport.”

He had a great accent. So much Boston in it.

As she chatted with Akio, Josh put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, looking up at him with a smile. He’d seen this dozens of times. A member of his pack when they’d come to a Joining with a new bonded mate. He’d always thought it was great, but now that it was him, he understood the ridiculous smiles, the way they’d needed to touch so much.

As it was, wolves needed that contact. They were a touchy-feely group. But every time he put his hands on her, it soothed him, excited him, made him feel like he’d just won something awesome.