LOGIN"For acting on those feelings despite knowing it's wrong. Emily, I'm giving you chance to stop voluntarily. To accept that I'm mated to Hope and—and maintain friendship within appropriate boundaries. Or—or you can keep pursuing me and face exile. Your choice." "This is Hope's doing. She's—she's ma
"Emily's going to be hurt. Angry. She'll—she'll see this as me choosing Hope over our friendship." "You are choosing Hope over the friendship. Because Hope is your mate and Emily is—is friend who crossed boundaries. Those aren't equal relationships, Caden. The mate bond takes priority. Always."
The Next Generation Caden pov I woke up the next morning with absolute clarity. Hope had left around midnight—her parents' rules about her being home despite being twenty years old—and I'd spent the rest of the night thinking. Processing. Realizing exactly how blind I'd been to Emily's pursuit
"Even though the bond is only two days old? Even though you've known Emily for years and me for—for basically just two days as potential partner?" "The bond isn't two days old. The recognition is two days old. But Hope—I've known you my whole life. Watched you grow up. Admired you from distance. I
The Next Generation Caden pov I paced my apartment waiting for Hope, the mate bond humming with—with something off. Discomfort. Anxiety. That weird tension that had been building all afternoon since training with Emily. I didn't understand it. Training had been normal. Professional. Just—just
I didn't know that. Didn't know Dad had—had faced similar situation. Had people trying to convince him to reject Mom. "What did Mom do? When she-wolves were pursuing Dad?" "She told him. Communicated her concerns. Asked him to—to set boundaries that honored their bond. And your father did. Becau
My Cheating Mate Jeremy pov I finished bandaging the worst of my wounds with the supplies Emma had left behind, my hands shaking slightly from blood loss and exhaustion. Every movement pulled at the gashes across my ribs, sending sharp spikes of pain through my body. My phone buzzed. Then agai
"How much time?" "Grace gave me twenty-four hours. I have eighteen left." "She gave you a deadline?" Courtney's laugh was sharp. "That's very—controlling. Connor, is that really the kind of mate you want? Someone who issues ultimatums?" *She's protecting herself. She saw you with Courtney and
"Do you ever think about where we'd be if you hadn't made that phone call?" Emma's voice was quiet. "That night, six years ago, when you called Cas for help with Black River?" "Sometimes. Usually when I'm watching him explain horse parliamentary procedures to our daughter with complete seriousness
My Cheating Mate Jeremy pov Grace's fifth birthday party was winding down. The backyard was a mess of torn wrapping paper, half-eaten cake, and exhausted children running on pure sugar. Grace herself was showing Uncle Cas—she'd dropped the "Lord Castellan" entirely by age three—her new art suppl







