~ CATHERINE ~
I lower my forehead to my palm, listening as Alex storms from the room. Everything’s gone from bad to worse, and I can feel the last thread of control snapping somewhere inside me. I can’t afford to lose this friendship—not with Alex Zander. His magic is the only thing that lets me space out my feedings, helps tame the madness crawling under my skin, keeps the bloodlust at bay. Without him, I’d have to drink at least once a week, turn twice a month, and slowly lose my mind in between. Our relationship isn’t normal. It never was. This means I have to tread lightly and careful ao as not to push him past the line he’s already toeing. At the thought of how we met, the memories come uninvited—vivid, messy, and far too sharp. Alex had been just another business contact when we crossed paths. We weren’t friends yet. He needed help exorcising a dem~ CAIN ~ Each brush of Catherine’s delicate fingers against my skin is pure torture. It’s too little… yet just enough. Up until now, I haven’t known if she would truly accept me. Even with the tension burning between us, even as my body produces the pheromones designed to pull her to me, I haven’t been sure if she’d let it go this far. But now, as she touches me, her hands hesitant but certain, I can’t stop the growl of satisfaction that rumbles in my chest. She’s mine. My female. My mate. There’s a peace that comes with knowing that and it makes something in me settle. She fits. Like the final piece in a puzzle I didn’t realize was incomplete. I want to make her laugh and watch her eyes sparkle when she’s happy. I want to be the reason she feels real safety. She’ll grow to care for me, and in return, I’ll protect her. Shelter her. Nourish her.
~ CATHERINE ~ Cain lifts me by the waist and places me on the counter, our lips never parting. The leather of my pants scrapes the wooden edge, forcing my panties to rub hard against my already aching clit. A groan rips from my throat as I roll my hips, desperate for more friction. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, teasing, coaxing. He tastes like fire and storm, and his scent is intoxicating male, wild, and devastating. His lips drift from mine, grazing over my cheek, down the sharp line of my jaw, and along my throat. I whimper, gripping his arms and tilting my head back in surrender. His tongue skims over my skin, each pass fanning the flames surging through my body, stoking a deep, hollow ache that coils in my core. I should stop this. I shouldn’t dig myself a deeper grave emotionally with this wolf, but I can’t. I can’t stop. “So responsive,” he growls, his hand cupping my sex. “I can’t wait to find out if yo
~ CATHERINE ~ As the machine keeps playing, my heartbeat climbs higher and higher. The message is too intimate, too damn personal. When Mark mentions his behavior, alluding to the bite he begged for that nearly killed him, I want to fold in on myself and disappear. If I could shrivel up and vanish into the floor to escape his voice, Cain’s presence, and my own mortification, I would. The message ends. The tape stops. And silence stretches between us like a blade. Cain just heard another man confess his love to me. A man who believed we had a future. “You’re involved with someone?” His voice is calm, far too calm. Like he’s asking about the weather. We both know it’s anything but casual. I shake my head, words stuck behind the lump in my throat. “Do you love him?” “No.”
~ CATHERINE ~ "I’m going to need my hands if I'm to do anything you say, Cain." I wait, teeth clenched and patience thinning, as Cain finally lets go of my fingers and instead loops his arms around my waist. Not that it helps. It just pins me tighter to him. His body heat wraps around me like a second skin, refusing to give me space. Even during the drive across Ashridge Hollow in Alex’s Jeep, he hadn't let up. The memory makes my face burn. Cain had made me sit in his lap, leaving me no room to breathe. His hands roamed unapologetically—my thighs, my stomach, my back—every motion a clear declaration. I belonged to him, and he was making sure the whole damn world knew it. Alex didn’t hide his eagerness to be rid of us. The moment we climbed out of the Jeep, he peeled away like the road was on fire. The damn bastard. "You like my touch, Hopper," Cain growls, n
~ CAIN ~ I feel it the second Catherine's resolve starts to slip. My attention shifts to Alex, and I growl low and dangerous, “Release me before I break free of the goddamned spell and demolish this entire fucking room.” I know they feel the weight of my words—him and the woman who's unraveling me from the inside out. My gaze stays locked on her because I need her to see what I am. What I’m fighting to control. If she wasn’t near, I’d already be gone. The month I’ve spent starved of her presence is now eating me alive. “If you think I’ll allow you to harm her, you’ve got another thing coming,” Alex snaps, standing his ground. “All you have to do is give your word. Promise me you won’t hurt her, and I’ll set you free.” Catherine’s attention flicks between us, her frustration flaring bright. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not standing right here!” s
~ CAIN ~ “Get away from my mate,” I snarl, stepping over the shattered remnants of the door. I storm into the room, barely able to contain the urge to destroy everything in my path. My wolf is feral, clawing at the inside of my chest. It wants blood. Her blood. His blood. Anyone's blood at this point. The sight of Catherine in another male’s arms is enough to send it spiralling toward madness. I feel the tremors in my muscles and bones, my body already aching to shift, to rend, to mark. When Draven told me where she’d gone—to another male for protection from me—I nearly lost it. It took everything I had not to shift right then and there. Only one thing kept me grounded: the blood bond. It’s still there. Even now. When I realized I could feel it enough to use it, I didn't hesitate. I tracked her through it like a damn hound, and the closer I got, the worse my thoughts became. What if she’s in love with him? What if he’s touching her? That last thought was like a dagger to