LOGIN"Me neither. Caden, we're both—we're both learning. Both trying. That's—that's okay. As long as we're honest. As long as we—we talk instead of assuming. As long as we give each other chances to fix mistakes." "Honest communication. No assumptions. Multiple chances." He was still holding my hand. S
"You felt it?" My voice was small. Hopeful. Terrified. "Caden, you actually felt the mate bond? You—you recognized it?" "Yes. Not immediately. Not when we were talking at the gathering. But after—after I was alone and thinking about why you looked so upset—it hit. The certainty. The pull. The—the
The Next Generation Hope pov I lay on my bed facing the wall, knees pulled to my chest, trying not to cry anymore. The mate bond was—excruciating. Every instinct screaming that Caden was mine. That he should be here. That watching him with Emily was wrong on fundamental level. But he'd looke
I went upstairs. Found the second door on the right. Knocked quietly. "Come in." Hope's voice. Muffled. Like she'd been crying. Fuck. I'd made her cry. Had devastated my mate before even realizing she was my mate. I opened the door. Hope was sitting on her bed, eyes red, looking—looking vulner
"I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Didn't want to—to make things awkward since we're friends and train together and—" I stopped. "I was being a coward. Should have been honest months ago instead of letting her build expectations." "Yes. You should have." No judgment in Dad's voice. Just observat
The Next Generation Caden pov I watched Hope Reed-Castellan leave with her family, and something in my chest twisted. She'd looked—gutted. Devastated. Like something had broken when we were talking. And I—I didn't understand why. We'd just been having normal conversation. Me and Emily planning
My Cheating Mate Jeremy pov The forest was silent as we moved into position. A hundred and ten wolves, spread across three strike teams, converging on the mercenary encampment from west, south, and east. The vampire contingent moved with us on the eastern flank—twelve shadows that barely disturb
I found him in human form, bleeding from multiple wounds, three mercenaries circling him like sharks. He'd shifted back—never a good sign. Meant he was too injured to maintain wolf form. Rage exploded through me. My wolf surged forward with protective fury. These bastards had hurt my father. My Al
My Cheating Mate Jeremy pov I was pacing the war room at 2 AM, staring at troop deployments that still didn't quite work, when the idea hit me like lightning. Vampires. We had vampire allies. Not close allies—more like an uneasy treaty signed thirty years ago after a territorial dispute was r
"Emma? Everything okay?" "My dad told me. About the vampires." Silence. Then: "I can explain—" "I don't want explanations. I want to know if you've lost your mind." The words came out sharper than I intended, fear manifesting as anger. "Jeremy, you owe a vampire lord a personal favor? Do you h







