LOGINI checked the security footage by my door. I found out that the night before, Kyle had gotten an urgent call and left Owen right at my doorstep. He had said a few quick words to him, then left.Owen had knocked and knocked, but I'd been dead asleep and never heard a thing, so he'd wandered off on his own to look for Kyle. He searched all night without finding him and was eventually spotted by a stranger and taken to the police station.I frowned, about to ask Owen for the details of last night, when my phone suddenly rang.The caller ID read Ilona.I picked up, and her cold voice came through. There was a faint edge of madness underneath it."I have Kyle Vera. I want a million dollars in cash, and safe passage out of the country. Once I'm safely out, I'll tell you exactly where he is."I put her on speaker immediately so the police could hear."Ms. Hale, are you sure you've got the right one?" I said, laughing bitterly. "I haven't taken a single dollar from Kyle Vera. Where woul
I didn't want to deal with Kyle any longer, so I closed up the shop early and headed home.On the walk back, I didn't let him ruin my mood. I even stopped at a flower stall and picked up a bunch of bright, colorful blooms.I figured that after hearing how cold I'd been, Kyle would just disappear from my life for good.But the second I walked into my building, Lily shot me a knowing look."Leora, I had no idea your mate was that good-looking!"I sighed at the sight of the two of them leaning against my door.Then I corrected her, dead serious. "We've severed our mate bond."Kyle and Owen both turned at the sound of my voice."I thought I'd made myself clear," I said flatly.Kyle frowned. His gaze was heavy, like he had a lot he wanted to say.Owen came toward me first. He worked up the courage to grab a fistful of my sleeve."Mom, I'm sorry."He said it with real weight behind it. I believed that in that moment, he genuinely regretted everything.It was a shame that regret
The girls who'd been threatening me just moments ago froze in place, spray cans still raised, glancing at each other.Their whispers reached my ears anyway."Wait, she actually has a family?""Look at her partner. He's gorgeous. He's got that whole mature-guy thing going on.""You like that type? Then back off Julian. He's mine.""But that guy clearly has money. Why would she be selling bread out here? Maybe she's not really his partner. Maybe she's the other she-wolf..."I tensed, and my eyes shot toward him before I could stop myself.My lips parted, but before I could get a word out, Kyle had already stepped in front of me.He turned the ring on his finger, his voice flat and clear. "Leora is my one and only mate. We have the certificate to prove it. Watch your mouths."As I stared at his back, I felt a strange, hollow daze settle over me.If he'd said something like that a few months ago, I would have been moved to tears. I would have dropped every thought of ending our m
Leora's POVBut Kyle had no idea I was never going back.That day, I'd originally bought a ticket to another country. However, the plane made an emergency landing partway through the flight. Instead of rebooking with the other passengers, I walked out of the airport alone.On the drive to the coast, I made a bold decision.I contacted the buyer who'd always wanted my parents' old house, the one they'd left me, and had an old friend handle the sale on my behalf.I'd been down to my last dollar, barely able to afford a plane ticket, and suddenly I had enough to start fresh somewhere new.I picked a different country, somewhere warm, and bought a ticket on a ship headed there.It was already autumn, but the sun was warm and bright when I arrived in Larenne.The rental agent found me an apartment close to the Meira River. My landlady was a warm, gentle she-wolf who handed me a fragrant cup of tea the moment I walked in, travel-worn and exhausted.The instant I stepped inside that
Three hours later, Kyle got Ilona's latest medical report back from the family therapist.Her wolf spirit hadn't sustained any damage at all.She had no depression or dissociation.She was healthier than he was.Kyle's eyes went bloodshot. He tore the report in half with a sharp rip, crushed it into a ball, and hurled it into the trash.He shot to his feet and slammed a fist onto the desk. "Keep digging. Find out what else that she-wolf's been hiding from me. I want every last bit of the truth!"Then he squeezed his eyes shut and forced out one helpless question. "Any word on Leora?"Simon shook his head slowly and answered hesitantly, "Ms. Thorne's flight made an emergency landing due to a mechanical failure. I've gone through every passenger who evacuated safely. There's no sign of her anywhere..."Kyle's face went pale, his eyes turning bloodshot. "That's impossible. Keep looking. I don't care how you do it, just find her."He couldn't just let her end their bond that easil
Inside the box was a notebook.Leora's name was written across the cover. It was dated thirteen years ago, back when she was fifteen.Beside it sat a few other things Kyle found strangely familiar, though he couldn't place why.He opened to the first page, and for the first time in all these years, he actually stepped into Leora's life.The life that had always been looking toward him.[The first time I saw Kyle, I knew I was already in trouble. He stood on stage in a sharp suit, giving a speech as the top new student. He was handsome and composed beyond his years. It felt like a storm going off inside my chest.][I tried to get close to him and be his friend, but we lived in completely different worlds. He never once remembered my face. The only thing I could do was cheer for him at school competitions and hand him water like everyone else. But there were so many she-wolves doing the same thing, and he only ever drank from the cup Ilona handed him.][Everyone said I stepped for







