Kaylee P.O.V. The rest of our walk was silent. I was so stunned by his declaration that I couldn't find words to respond. Love. He said I was the only woman he wanted to love him. With the intense pull to him, even without knowing anything more about him... I wanted to be that woman. I glanced up at him as he led me through the forest and toward the smell of fresh water. The light humidity in the air was refreshing in the midday heat. Before we even broke out of the tree line, I caught a glimpse of the lake. There was no point in masking my excitement. I hadn't seen a large body of water like this since I was a kid. Pulling out of Parker's arms, I rushed forward. My borrowed flip-flops slid off easily, and I ran right into the water until it reached my knees. A child-like giggle broke free from my lips as I kicked up, splashing water around me. "You are so beautiful," Parker said softly, and I froze, turning to him with my smile still in place. "You're not so bad yourself." With
Parker's P.O.V. "You would warn me, right? If you decided to leave, I mean. So, I could prepare myself and my wolf?" I asked as I gathered some clean clothes from my dresser. Everything in me regretted asking the question as soon it passed my lips. She was my mate, but that didn't mean that she would be accepting of my mark. Just because someone had a soulmate, didn't mean that everyone chose to be with them. After the unwelcoming first day Kaylee had here, I was surprised she hadn't left yet. The only person who had been truly happy to meet Kaylee was my mother. That didn't say a lot for my pack, but while they respected my position and the title I had earned over the years, it seemed that they still didn't respect me. When I had come home and found out that Kate had moved on from me, that not only had she been fucking my brother but had mated with him as well, I was livid. To me, I had reacted appropriately. I had waited for her for years as I busted my ass in training. I thought
Kaylee's P.O.V.There was a spring in my step. I was aware of it. I felt happy…free.I had woken up on top of Parker, his arm wrapped around me and our legs intertwined on the couch. As soon as I moved, he had held on tighter. It was the best sleep I had gotten in years. At first, I had given in to the temptation to snuggle into him further, pressing my face into his warm neck and relaxing back into the dream world.It was the sound of his father moving past us and toward the kitchen that burst the peaceful bubble I had been in. After the tense dinner that we had the night before, I was expecting at least one snide comment to come from him. Perhaps a look of disgust or disdain. But, as he moved passed, I cracked one eye open to see him staring back at us. He dipped his head in our direction, acknowledging our presence before continuing on.That brief, civil interaction had shocked me, but it wasn't the cause for the pep in my step. It was the way Parker had held my hand when we left t
Parker's P.O.V. I was ecstatic after getting the approval to start the blueprints for our home. Everyone in the pack was allowed a house of their own after finding their mate, under the condition that they contributed to the building of it themselves. Normally, the pack works together and brings the lines on the paper to life, but it was voluntary. I knew from my history that there wouldn't be many people lining up to help me. If there was one thing a wolf was guaranteed to do, it was holding a grudge. Our memories weren't perfect, but there wasn't too much that we would forget. It had been five years since I came home and reacted to Kate cheating on me with my brother. Knowing that pack hadn't forgiven me yet, meant that it would define me forever. That one outburst of hurt and betrayal had been held over me at every possible opportunity. Kaylee had gotten home before I did, and I had only hoped that no one was there to bother her. My mother adored her, but Kate, Jack, and my fath
Kaylee's P.O.V.I felt him tense beneath me before he slid the dining room chair backward. His arms moved down so he could pick me up easily, and I gasped as he rose to his feet, pulling my legs around his waist, refusing to let me go. The feeling of being pressed so close to him sent butterflies on a rampage through my stomach.My hands gripped his broad shoulders, admiring the way his muscles were moving and flexing beneath my touch as he carried me upstairs. His gaze was firm as he watched over my shoulder, and the darkness that grew in his eyes as I tightened my legs around his hips sent a thrill through me.Serious conversation aside, he was enjoying this closeness as much as I was. The feeling of our hips pressed together, of his hands on my ass as he carried me down the hall and toward his room… was incredible. I shifted in his hold, accidentally brushing against his hardening member and causing a growl to rip from his throat as he released one hand to open the bedroom door."Y
Parker's P.O.V. – Five Years AgoRunning had never felt so good. For the past three years, it was always a punishment or a training tactic to keep us in shape and build up our endurance. But now… now every step motivated me to take another, each one quicker than before. Because the faster I ran, the sooner I would see Kate.Being apart for the three years that I was at the Supreme pack for training was difficult, but being away from the woman I loved for that long was soul-crushing. I dreamed about her every single night. It was finally time for me to reunite with her, mark her, settle down with her, and start our family.All of my dreams were coming true. I had finished my training at the top of my class, something my father was sure to be proud of, I was about to have my woman back in my arms, and I was finally going home.The wind shifted as I grew closer, and the smell of my pack filled me with more excitement than before. I had yet to run with them in my true form. I didn't even
Parker's P.O.V. – Present Day The fresh morning air was refreshing and very much needed as I ran through the forest, stretching my legs. I knew Kaylee was an Oracle and not a wolf, but one day, I hoped we could run together, even if that meant I had to put her on my back. It was an exhilarating feeling to be able to move so quickly, so freely. It would be a nice way for her to bond with my wolf if she still wanted to be with me. Kaylee had been very understanding yesterday, almost too understanding. I told her about how after that incident, the pack was hard-pressed to welcome me back. She heard how I was ostracized to the point that I didn't want to stay here. She heard how I left for the next year and traveled from pack to pack, training with our allies and working hard to improve my ranking among our kind, not just our pack. The Alpha said it would be good to get away and digest the information before coming home. But by the way the packs I had visited paraded their unmated woma
Kaylee's P.O.V. One good thing came out of spending the day with Parker's mom. In addition to us getting along really well and having a blast together like old friends, was when I had touched her hand. I had the smallest of visions. It wasn't anything big, just her sitting on the porch swing, feeling peaceful. But it was a feeling that she seemed to be lacking currently. Knowing that she was going to finally have peace was exciting. Parker was stressed, and as the Alpha called the pack in for a meeting, I knew it was only going to get worse. The council didn't like that the Alpha moved in on the facility that was keeping Luna Olivia and myself in captivity. Not when the pack had a treaty with the clan of vampires, and the Vampires technically hadn't broken any of the agreements in the contract. The pack was in violation of the treaty, and there would be punishments for that. As he explained this to me, I knew I had nothing to worry about. As long as no one told them about me, their