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"𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝."
After unloading her worries onto Emily, Mia had fully intended to retreat home, bury herself in a blanket cocoon, and drown her confusion in horror movies and ice cream. But the thought of Laurent still lurking in the woods quickly snapped her out of that plan.
Instead, Emily suggested a distraction—baking. Not Mia's strongest suit. Her distrust of measuring tools and tendency to eyeball everything usually led to culinary disasters. Still, she agreed, if only to keep her mind from spiraling back to Embry and the word imprint.
Unsurprisingly, the kitchen soon looked like a war zone. A cloud of flour puffed out of the bowl as Mia dumped in way too much, dusting the counter—and herself—in white. Emily laughed, leaning on the island. "Hey, at least it's not as bad as that time you tried to use my hair straightener to make grilled cheese."
By the time the dough was set to rise, Emily guided her into the living room, smirking as she pointed out the flour on Mia's cheeks. "Go clean up. The boys will be back soon, and we wouldn't want Embry getting jealous over cookie batter now, would we?"
Mia groaned. "Don't start," she muttered, but her stomach still flipped at the thought of him. Despite everything, she wanted to look halfway decent.
She jogged upstairs and rummaged through her emergency stash in the Uley bathroom. A swipe of gloss, a quick eyeliner fix. It wasn't much, but it helped her feel a little more like herself. As she leaned closer to the mirror, though, her reflection gave her pause. She didn't want to be that girl—the one who fell apart. Wesley wouldn't recognize her like this. He'd always believed in her strength. Hell, she'd always believed in it too.
Just as she was mentally lecturing herself back into confidence, the front door slammed open downstairs, followed by the chaotic sound of half the pack charging in. Mia froze, her heart racing until she heard the laughter. Relief flooded her. No blood, no screams. They were all safe.
"Move!" she called, squeezing into the packed living room. Paul and Embry exchanged a surprised glance—neither expecting her to show up after that morning. They'd silently agreed not to breathe a word about the imprinting to anyone else, terrified of making things worse.
"Why would I move if I'm so comfortable?" Jared replied from the couch, grinning up at her. Mia narrowed her eyes and gave his leg a nudge with her foot.
"Fine," she huffed, scanning for a seat. The only open spot was the loveseat beside Embry. Her heart leapt into her throat, but she made her way over and sat down, leaving just enough space to pretend it wasn't intentional.
She flashed Embry a quick smile before looking away, nerves fluttering in her stomach. He didn't say a word, but the small curl of a smile on his lips told her everything. Emily appeared with a tray of unevenly shaped cookies, grinning like she didn't notice the flour still streaked in Mia's hair. "Help yourselves. You earned it after taking down he-who-shall-not-be-named."
"Voldemort?" Mia asked, genuinely confused.
"Laurent, you dumbass," Jacob muttered, before Sam quickly cut him off.
"He's not a problem anymore. That's all you need to know."
Mia blinked and nodded slowly. So they'd found him. The boys dove for the cookies, eager to change the subject—but the moment they bit in, chaos resumed.
"God—what is this?" Jared gagged.
"Please tell me Mia didn't help make these," Sam groaned, holding a half-chewed lump in his hand.
The girls' silence said it all. Collective groans echoed through the room.
"I found a quarter in mine!" Paul complained.
"Karma's a bitch, isn't it?" Mia grinned, tossing a pillow at him. He flipped her off, but the energy had shifted to something lighter—something she could handle.
"Well... I like them," Embry said softly, forcing down the cookie like it wasn't torture.
"You would," Paul snorted.
Emily shushed him with a firm look, trying to keep the peace. Thankfully, the others were too busy arguing over which cursed ingredient had ruined the batch to notice Mia inching closer to Embry.
"You really don't have to eat that," she said under her breath, her hand brushing his knee. "But thanks."
Embry looked up at her, surprised. Mia gave a small, sincere smile before pulling her hand back, not wanting to draw attention.
"Jay asked me to help Jacob and the others tomorrow—well, technically it's so Billy can babysit me while he's out," she added with a smirk. "But I was thinking maybe we could talk? You know... about things."
She kept her voice low, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Luckily, the pack was still deep in their dramatic cookie autopsy.
Embry's face lit up, his eyes meeting hers with warmth. He nodded slowly, the tension in his shoulders melting away. This was all he wanted—a chance. Not for a perfect romance, not right away. Just a real connection. He didn't care what their relationship would become—only that he was a part of her life.
And now, finally, it seemed like she might let him in.