Lily “You’re my mate, Lily, and I am yours.” Nothing felt real. In that moment, stars could have fallen from the sky and Lily would not have noticed – or cared. His words made something deep, something sacred, stir within her. She’d known all along; hearing it aloud was acceptance. It was peace. Elijah watched her, just as she watched him. His eyes were quiet, their grey alight in a way she’d never seen before. The silence between them stretched, though in it a thousand words were said. Everything that had mattered seconds ago fell away. Alpha or not, Elijah was not Atticus. The eyes that watched her now with such intensity, such affection, were grey, not green. Lily unpicked Elijah, bone by bone. She traced the scar running from his temple to his lip, followed the hard lines of his cheekbones and jaw.

  Elijah “Well, where is she, then?” Caslein asked. His pale eyes twinkled, though his dark skin was sallow with exhaustion. Elijah sighed. He’d missed Caslein. But he hadn’t missed the light, joking tone that weaved between his every word. Lily was… serious. She wasn’t a joke to him. Ithia flicked a stray lock of golden, wavy hair behind her shoulder. Elijah’s heart lurched, and then a fond, familiar warmth settled in his chest. He’d missed them both. “Yes. I did so wish to meet the girl that dragged you away from us for – how long was it again, Cas?” Caslein brought a sweeping hand to his forehead. “The pain makes it hard for me to recall. I only know that each day felt longer than the last.” Elijah rolled his eyes. “She’s rest

  Elijah “Lily?” Slumped in the window seat, she stirred. Her limp head lifted, making her damp braid shift against her curved back. Elijah smiled softly. She was beautiful. Gently – ever so gently – he nudged his hands beneath her, lifting her slowly until she came to rest against his chest. The feel of her skin against his was like lightning; a series of tiny arcs racing from her body to his. She was warm and pliant, and a surge of protectiveness rose from deep within him. Tightening his grip, he stepped away from the darkened window. He hadn’t wanted to stay away from her for so long, but the meeting with his Beta and Gamma had been a necessity. They’d discussed their options until the moon had reached its peak, so swollen that it almost looked full. Their time was numbered, and Elijah had missed half a month of training

  Lily  Blinking away the daze of her revelation, Lily shook herself. Elijah’s words swam unbidden in her head, shining light through the fog of uncertainty she carried. He understood. Perhaps… perhaps Atticus had been a stepping-stone. He had sent her on her journey – to find Elijah. Her second chance mate. Her true mate. An Alpha that understood the suffering that came with fighting. And, even with the full moon approaching, Lily found that the pit inside her had lessened, had eased. There was still worry, but it was not the gnawing, ever-present ache she’d become accustomed to. “Come on,” she said, grinning up at him. Linking their hands once more, she nodded to the doorway. “I thought you said we had somewhere to be.”  * * * 

  Lily “This was her idea, wasn’t it?” Lily did not know the name of the wolf that spoke. She tried to focus on his appearance, on his brutish frame and washed-out blue eyes, but he blurred as tears rose, unbidden, to fill her vision. She’d known today would be hard. Even with Elijah – her sweet, strong, sensitive Elijah – by her side, and even with the bond smoothing over the rough edges of her emotions, the coming full moon brought with it everything she hated about herself. Here, she wasn’t prepared. Blood Moon had been awful – but her contingency plan had been solid, the shackles in the cellar secured before her first shift. For some reason, she was scared to admit this to Elijah. He’d been open with her about his past, about his fears, but he spoke with an undercurrent of steel that suggested he’