ログイン"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 drive home was the longest and shortest of my life simultaneously. Every mile felt like victory. Every breath felt like peace finally settling over us after months of chaos. We'd won. The hunters were neutralized. Dr. Chen was cooperating. The alliance with Lord
My Cheating Mate Jeremy pov The armory felt different this time. Quieter. More controlled. No pack-wide mobilization, no warrior teams gearing up together with the energy of anticipated battle. Just me. Lord Castellan. Three of his most trusted vampire lieutenants. My father. And Marcus—the on
Tears were streaming down my face now, silent and hot. I clutched the phone tighter, reading the words again and again. *"Months."* They'd been watching us for months. Before Dr. Chen was even recruited. Before the Black River war. Before any of this started. Which meant Dr. Chen wasn't their on
"It's exactly what you did to us," I said, my voice carrying through the speaker system from the observation room. "You made us vulnerable. Made my daughter vulnerable. Now you get to choose: help fix the damage you caused, or face the consequences of your betrayal." "Emma?" Dr. Chen looked toward