KESTER.SIX MONTHS LATER.It was late afternoon, and the rain outside was heavy.Dr. Ansel leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed neatly as usual, pen resting on the edge of his yellow notepad, and his ugly glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.Me? My arms were locked tight across my chest, like I was holding something broken inside me together."So that's it," I muttered in a flat but tight voice. "Six months. I showed up. I talked. I didn't throw a chair through your window. I didn't burn the place down. I'm still standing. That should be good enough."Dr. Ansel studied me the way a surgeon studies an open wound with curiosity, patience, and a little too steady for comfort.He tilted his head, calm as ever. "Is it good enough for you?" he asked.I didn't answer. I looked toward the rain dripping down the glass like the sky was leaking secrets it never wanted to share."I didn't come here to cry on couches or to get soft," I muttered. "I came here to get my shit together
KESTER.Again... Who said men don't cry?Because, fuck. I was doing all I could to hold back the tears. This was unreal. This was a dream... And I didn't want to wake up from it.Reading my vows to Mine made me more emotional than I thought I was capable of. And seeing her cry that way? It ripped me open. Never knew I could be a romantic. But, hell, Kasmine brought all that out of me.She looked even more perfect than I thought in that wedding dress. I knew it’d be perfect on her, but nothing prepared me for the kind of perfection standing before me.She looked so fucking perfect today.Ain’t I a lucky bastard?The priest turned to her."Kasmine, do you wish to share your vows?"She took a slow breath, her fingers tightening in mine."Kester…" She said my name, and I swear something inside me twisted. My name had never sounded so delicate. "If you had asked me years ago if I could ever stand here… I would have said no. Not because you didn't deserve it, but because I was too scared. S
KASMINE.Ever heard of the word crazy?Kester Hamilton was crazy. The man had gotten me a wedding dress even before I’d come to terms with the idea of ever being with him.Speak of positivity and determination.And it fit perfectly. The intricate designs, theI stared at my reflection in the mirror, and God knows I was doing everything in my power not to shed a tear. I didn’t want to ruin my makeup for the second time today. My chest was tight, and my hands fidgeted in my lap as the maids moved around me.And then my gaze slid down the gown again. It was impossible not to. The fabric shimmered faintly under the lights. Kester had a maddening talent for choosing the best of everything — and this dress was proof. He didn’t just have good taste; he had unforgiving taste.Everyone busied themselves, putting the final touches on my hair, my face, my dress — every detail had to be perfect. The rustle of silk, the faint scent of fresh flowers, the click of heels across the floor — it all mad
KESTER.I was hanging by a damn thread. Every muscle in me screamed to take her the way I'd been used to — rough and deep, until she couldn't walk for days — but the doctor's voice kept ringing in my head: "Safe, but with caution."Safe. Caution.Two words I'd never been good at.But tonight… tonight I was trying. I was putting in a lot of restraint, I swear to fuck. Otherwise, I would have fucked my mate into a coma already.Fuck.Do you have any idea what it means to finally own the woman you've bled for? The one you've fought like hell to keep? The one you swore you'd claim against all odds, even if it meant burning down the world?She was right fucking beneath me now, being fucked as MINE... Being marked as MINE. I finally owned her. And every aspect of me felt the thrill, including my cock. Now it knew it was fucking OUR pussy. Fuck. If that wasn't a major turn on.Kasmine Hamilton. My mate. My Luna. My fucking everything.Zeth got what he always wanted... Putting our mark on Kas
KASMINE.Was it okay to say I was a bit nervous?Yeah. It was.I wasn't a virgin anymore. Heck, Kester was the one who disvirgined me. I was carrying his babies, for God's sake! So why the hell was my stomach doing flips knowing what was about to happen tonight?The bathroom door slid open, and Kester stepped out, water still dripping from his skin. My eyes followed the trail — broad shoulders, hard chest, those deep grooves that dipped into his hips… and no towel.My heart stuttered. My throat went dry.I shifted on the bed, trying to sit up, but his smirk told me he'd noticed the effect he had on me."There is no need, Mine," he said in a rough voice, "I'll meet you there." He took excruciatingly slow steps toward me, and I let out a nervous smile. My thighs pressed together on instinct.We'd had a long day. We attended to a lot of visitors and congratulations, but Kester made sure I didn't overwork myself one bit. The moment he sensed the tiniest bit of exhaustion on my face, he br
KASMINE.The moment the double doors swung open, I swear my heart skipped about ten beats at once.The hall was already filled to the brim, the whole place radiating with excitement and warmth... The cheer that erupted almost knocked me off my feet... the roar of the hall... The claps and the deep, resonant howls of my pack. Oh, God.We walked into the hall. Alphas and Lunas from far and near were in attendance.My fingers were laced tight in Kester's, his thumb brushing over my knuckles like he was grounding me, and telling me 'stay with me, Mine', his other hand at the small of my back, steering me like I was something precious he wasn't about to let the world handle on its own, as we walked to the podium.I could feel the subtle tension in him, that coiled, possessive pride that was so very him. Every step we took together down that aisle felt like it belonged to a dream I'd once been too afraid to have.The golden light spilling from the chandeliers caught on his dark hair, the sh