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
"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
"Have they? Or are you just afraid of what it says about you if you hand her over?" A pause. "Jeremy, I've done my research. I know about the affair. Know about your plan to use her as a broodmare. Know you only started caring about her after she nearly died. That's not love. That's guilt." "You d
Jeremy's phone buzzed. He answered immediately. "Report." I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but I watched his face. Saw the tension increase, the lines around his eyes deepen. "Understood. Keep me updated." He hung up and finally turned from the window. "That was my father. The
My Cheating Mate Emma pov I shouldn't be doing this. That's what I told myself as I let myself into Jeremy's house with the key I'd kept, armed with cleaning supplies and groceries. He was meeting with his father about the rogue situation, and I'd decided—impulsively, maybe foolishly—to take a







