BLAKE It was finally the day of the ceremony. My father was clearly anxious because he was ready to bite the head off anyone in his vicinity. He was barking orders at all of the event staff. My mom tried, unsuccessfully, to calm him. My poor mom, always putting herself in his way to spare others. She looked beautiful in a long navy gown. My mom had always been very pretty, with long brown hair and a tall, slim frame. She was now allowing her hair to gray naturally. It was about half gray now and done up in an elegant chignon for today’s event. I went over to kiss her cheek. She pulled me into a hug and said, “Good luck today, honey. I’m really proud of you, and I know you will do great as alpha of our pack.” Luke and his parents arrived shortly before we were to go on stage for the ceremony. It wouldn’t take long, but the whole pack was here, and the event would be projected on big screens so everyone could witness it. The priest of the temple would be leading the ceremony. He was a

JASMINE I could see in my peripheral vision that Lucy was looking between us, completely unaware of what we were experiencing: a gravitational force pulling us toward each other. I suddenly wished I could mindlink in my human form, not wanting to create drama at my birthday party. After a few moments, I was surprised that a mindlink from Luke was able to come through. “Jasmine, please don’t say anything. We need to talk about this.” I looked at him, surprised that he was able to mindlink me not being in his wolf form. “I can mindlink in both forms now that I’m beta of the pack.” Drawing me out of my trance, Luke finally spoke out loud. “Nice to see you, Jasmine. Happy birthday.” He reached to give me a hug, spreading sparks and calm throughout my whole body. I was amazed at the feeling he caused, and he smelled so good—his divine and sensual scent much stronger now than what I had remembered. I didn’t want to leave the comfort of his arms, feeling like I couldn’t get close enough

JASMINE Before long, Blake appeared and sat down next to me. “I know I asked you to text me when you were ready to celebrate your birthday with me, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. Won’t lie though, if I knew I could celebrate with me and my body, I wouldn’t want to wait either.” “This is serious,” I replied. His eyes searched mine. “Tell me.” “I found my mate.” “You did? Why do you look so upset then? Where is he? And why are you with me instead of him right now?” “My mate doesn’t want me.” “I don’t believe that for a second. What kind of idiot wouldn’t want you?” I choked out, “My mate is Luke.” “Luke? Like my beta, Luke?” “Yes.” “Your mate’s my best friend and beta, Luke Hemming?” “Yes.” “Well, shit. That’s a plot twist.” He took a seat next to me, his shoulders slumping. “And you never realized he was your mate until today?” I looked into his eyes, and if I didn’t know better, he almost seemed sad, his brows furrowed and the corners of his eyes downturned. “He

JASMINE At five that evening, I told my parents that Madison had invited me over for dinner. My mom rolled her eyes but didn’t stop me as I left the house. I drove over to the packhouse and noted Luke’s silver Toyota 4Runner was the only car parked in the packhouse lot when I arrived. I took a few deep breaths, feeling a tightness in my chest as I approached the front door, not knowing what to expect. My hand was practically shaking as I rang the doorbell, but I did my best to hold myself together. Moments later Luke let me in, welcoming me with his enchanting scent. I inhaled deeply, having almost forgotten how amazing he smelled. My stomach fluttered, and I couldn’t help but smile widely, taking in his handsome face. He smiled back at me, showing off his perfect white teeth. He pulled me into a hug to greet me as sparks danced across my entire body, putting me instantly at ease. When he pulled away, he asked, “Can I give you a tour?” “It’s okay, I already had one,” I replied. “Fr

JASMINE Blake climbed into the driver’s seat. I looked over at him, watching his eyes scan my body. “Damn, you smell like a bar. How much booze did Luke give you?” he questioned as he started the car. “We shared three bottles of wine.” “It’s like he was trying to get you as drunk as possible so he could get in your pants.” “I don’t think so,” I groaned. “You sound like you were hoping he’d get in your pants.” “Mm,” I responded noncommittally. He pulled out of the packhouse lot and drove down the dark and quiet streets. “Are you sure you want to go home in that state? You’re really drunk right now and there’s no question that your parents will be able to smell it on you.” “Oh Goddess, my mom is going to claw me,” I moaned. “Claw you?” “She slapped me this morning because I told her I drank at the party lake last night. And she told me she’d use her claws next time. I am so screwed.” He burst out laughing. “You know, I did get an official complaint today that the lake wasn’t b