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
We spent the next hour going over every detail. Vampire positions. Communication protocols. Contingency plans if things went wrong. Extraction routes if Emma and Grace needed to be pulled out quickly. It was thorough. Professional. Exactly the kind of planning that should have made me feel confide
"Emma, three hostiles approaching your six," I said into the comm. "Don't react. Let them get close. Vampires will handle it." "Copy." Her voice was steady. "I trust you." Those three words. After everything we'd been through. After all the betrayals and rebuilding and impossible choices. She
"What do you recommend?" "Full security. My vampires surrounding the meeting location. Your father and Marcus present but armed. Emma and Grace nowhere near the actual meeting—they stay upstairs, protected by my best warriors." He paused. "And you need to be prepared for them to say things designe
The honesty was refreshing. And somehow more reassuring than empty promises would have been. "Fair enough." I started up the stairs. "Forty-five minutes. We'll be ready." I checked on Emma and Grace first—both still sleeping peacefully. I left them there, closing the door quietly, before heading







