Abbey's point of view I woke to a sharp knock at the door, dragging me from a restless slumber. My eyes shot to the clock on the bedside table—just past seven. I barely remembered Ezekiel leaving me here before exhaustion pulled me under. The guest room he had chosen was comfortable, though unsettlingly familiar. It reminded me too much of the one I was placed in when I first arrived, back when everything felt foreign, suffocating, and dangerous.For a moment, I just sat there on the edge of the bed, my body heavy, my mind fogged from lack of sleep. Then came another knock, firm and insistent, and I forced myself up, padding across the wooden floor. I half-expected whoever it was to barge in the second I cracked the door open, but instead, a familiar face greeted me.“Aira,” I said, startled, but genuinely relieved to see her.She raised a finger to her lips with mock severity. “Hush, Miss Abbey. Some people are trying to work.”Before I could respond, she slipped inside carrying a t
Abbey's point of view.I kept staring at Jeremy, trying to hold my ground even though my heart was racing. The conversation was slipping out of my control, and I hated the heat rising to my cheeks. I forced myself to speak.“It’s not about that—the sex part,” I said quickly, brushing away the thought before it burned me alive. “It’s about me being comfortable during the ceremony. Elizabeth said after the ceremony I’d be forever tied to you and the pack. I know that’s normal, but there’s something else that’s been bothering me.”His eyes narrowed, suspicion cutting through his features. “And what would that be?”“The cells.”The word left my lips like a stone sinking into water. His reaction was immediate, sharp. A harsh breath hissed between his teeth.“I thought we discussed this before. I’ve already talked to Ezekiel about the cells, and we’re still working on other measures to make them better.” His tone snapped like a whip, his jaw clenched so tight I could hear the strain in his
Abbey's point of view The unsettling weight on my chest refused to lift, pressing down harder with every passing hour. My head felt foggy, stuffed with thoughts I couldn’t untangle, each one looping endlessly since the weekend. Jeremy wanted the ceremony to take place this week. This week. The words repeated like a drumbeat in my mind, suffocating me. I had said yes—I had sealed my fate with a single word—but I never imagined it would come so soon. When he first said it, I thought he was teasing, trying to rattle me. But Jeremy never joked about something like this.There was no possible way I could be ready, not in the way I wanted to be. I wasn’t prepared mentally, and my heart wasn’t ready to carry the weight of an entire pack. I had hoped the preparations for the ceremony would bring Jeremy and me closer, give us space to bond before everything changed. Instead, the opposite had happened. He was consumed by his duties—endless meetings, advisors in and out of his office, late-nigh
Abbey's point of view It felt pathetic, but the words slipped out of me anyway.“Are you mad at me?” I asked.Ever since we left the daycare, the mate bond had been clawing at my chest, a sharp, nagging ache I couldn’t ignore. I knew something was wrong; I could feel it.The clatter of utensils was the only sound between us. From across the table, I stared at Jeremy, silently begging him to answer. My food sat untouched, my stomach far too tangled with anxious energy to even consider eating. Finally, he looked up, pushing his plate aside as though he could no longer pretend to be occupied.“I’m not mad at you,” he said at last, emphasizing the final word.That small shift in tone was enough to tell me everything. “Okay… then who are you mad at?” I asked, though the answer was already obvious.His lips curved into a bitter smirk. “That pack doctor. Look at the way he disrespects you—and me. If he wasn’t among the best we have, I’d have ripped his head clean off his shoulders for darin
Abbey's point of viewIt was the end of the day and the last of the pups were finally leaving. Liza stood in front of the door, chatting warmly with parents and guardians as they came to collect their little ones, while Ben Stone and I tidied up the daycare. I bent to pick up the last stray toy from the floor, tossing it into the basket."Will you be here tomorrow?" I asked, glancing toward him."Why, trying to spend some quality time with me?" he teased, flashing a cheeky grin as he balanced a box of supplies in his arms.I rolled my eyes, though a smile threatened to tug at my lips. "You wish. Don’t flatter yourself."He kept smiling, the corners of his mouth curved in a way that made it hard to tell when he was being serious. "Just joking. But no—Fridays are packed at the clinic, so I probably can’t make it." He shifted the box in his hands as we walked toward the front door, dropping supplies in their places along the way. "But, hey, volunteering isn’t the only place to hang out.
Abbey's point of view"I... I’m sorry," was all I could manage to say to him. Jeremy’s body inched closer, the space between us diminishing until his warmth pressed against the edge of my resolve. His voice came low, gravelly, weighed down with truth."I am not a good man. I can't lie to you and say I would change everything for you, but I will try."For the first time since fate bound us, I felt the raw pulse of connection—an unfiltered glimpse into who he truly was. There was no veil, no mask of dominance, only the quiet clarity in his words. Yet even as the mate bond tugged at my chest, urging me to console him, my heart splintered with confusion. The grief of losing my parent and pack members was heavy enough, but seeing my mate unravel was a different kind of pain I didn’t know how to carry."I will try," I whispered, barely above a breath. With those words lingering in the air, I turned away, retreating to my bedroom. Curled up on the floor, arms wrapped around my knees, I cried