LOGINThe dread was still there. Heavy. Insistent. The mate bond warning that danger was—was coming. That Emily's plan was—was bigger than we'd anticipated. "Tell me about the dread," Hope said quietly. "Caden, describe it. What—what exactly are you feeling through the bond?" "Warning. Like—like somet
"And while we're watching Liam's meeting—while we're focused on gathering evidence against Emily—she's—she's gathering evidence against you." Hope's calm was gone now. Replaced by real fear. "Caden, she could—could destroy the bond by making me think you're—you're not committed. That you're—you're p
The Next Generation Caden pov One hour until Liam's meeting with Emily and I felt—wrong. The mate bond was humming with tension. With—with warning that something wasn't right. I watched Hope pace the Reed-Castellan living room, phone in hand, expression calm. Too calm. Like she was—was preparin
"I trust you too. Caden, I trust that—that you chose me. That you'll keep choosing me. That Emily's pursuit doesn't—doesn't tempt you. Doesn't make you question whether comfortable friendship with her is—is easier than complicated bond with me." "It's not about easy. It's about right. You're right
Caden kissed my shoulder. "You're devious. Hope Reed-Castellan, you're absolutely devious and I love it." "I'm protecting the bond. Emily wants to play games? Fine. We play smarter. We—we gather evidence instead of just reacting. We build case that gets her exiled if she doesn't back down." "I'l
The Next Generation Hope pov I sat in Caden's lap, comfortable and warm, his arms around me while we watched a movie. The mate bond hummed contentedly. Three days since we'd acknowledged it, and already it felt—felt natural. Right. Like we'd always been meant to be exactly here. My phone rang.
Emma's face again. Her trust. Her love. The future we were trying to build. I couldn't die here. The mercenary slashed again. I caught his wrist, twisting hard. Heard bones snap. He dropped the blade but caught me with a punch that sent me staggering. We grappled, both in human form now, stren
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
"I know. I'm done making that mistake." I paused. "Dad, I slept for twenty hours yesterday. My body literally shut down. That's not going to happen again." "How can I be sure?" "Because Emma will kill me if it does," I said, only half-joking. "She made it very clear—if I go back to those pattern
Marcus came out of nowhere. A blur of brown fur slamming into the leader from the side. Father and daughter. Protecting each other. They rolled, savage and desperate. Marcus was good—Beta for a reason—but the leader was better. More experienced. More brutal. I reached them and dove in, three wol







