The sun had barely taken its place in the morning sky when Rinc poured a cup of coffee. The warmth hit his tongue as he sipped and stared out the window at the glorious mountains in his backyard. The view seemed so much more meaningful now that he had someone to experience it with; a mate that would make even the most beautiful sunrises better. Today was the beginning of a new life for him as he would begin training Lacee, and she would soon not only completely awaken her wolf but also know the full mate bond that was inside of her as well. A smile crossed his face as he thought about her and the bond they would share for eternity.  He couldn’t wait to share it with her, but for now, he would have to settle on sharing a cup of coffee with her instead. Rinc drank his coffee black, but how did his mate prefer hers? He had so much to learn about the mysterious woman. “Are you making your princess breakfast in bed?” Victoria walked into the room and stretched her ar

Lacee was covered in blood, dirt, and sweat. Every muscle in her body was aching and her stomach was growling from hunger. It had been a long day of training. They had been training since the sun came up, and now the sun was disappearing, and the moon was beginning to take over the sky. All she wanted to do was go take a shower and crawl into bed, but she was too comfortable laying in the grass next to the lake at the moment to even get up and walk.The training had started off easier than she’d thought, running through trails up the mountain, but it went downhill from there. Sure, she’d impressed them with her run, but running was just the start. They continued hiking for what seemed like hours, farther into the mountains so that Lacee’s natural instincts may kick in while among her own in their beloved habitat, but it seemed like a failure because all she felt was hunger and boredom.As the day went on and they reached some zin-like spot for wolves,

Lacee sat next to the lake and stared at the Moon’s reflection over the rippling water. After being attacked just an hour before that, she was still on edge and sore from Gideon’s viscousness. Rinc had shown up just in time to save her from the crazed male. Then, he announced that he had something important to tell her, and it seemed as though he was too nervous or scared to get the words out, which seemed odd for a man so brave and tough. Instead, Rinc led Lacee safely back to the house and told her to clean up and meet him to talk in an hour. It was obvious that he was dragging his feet to push back the conversation, but Lacee could sense that whatever he was going to tell, she needed to hear.After showering, Lacee had thrown on pajamas that Victoria had picked up for her. She knew the girl had once again found humor in picking out unflattering clothes for her. The pajamas were too big and the bottoms drug on the floor when she walked, but Lacee was an expert o

It was almost nine o’clock at night when Leena heard the shower turn off in the bathroom that connected to the bedroom that she shared with her sister.“You can’t back out of the deal.” Leena reminded Laran, who was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a disappointed look on his face.“She’s still got time to remember.” He said, but it was obvious that Lacee had forgotten Leena’s birthday and was not going to suddenly remember before going to bed.Leena and Laran had waited impatiently in the kitchen as Rinc and Lacee came home from training. The two of them fixed their plates of food, sat at the table, ate bite after bite, and never mentioned the birthday. Laran was obviously hoping that Lacee would pop up and surprise them with a “Happy Birthday” so that he could get out of taking Leena to the party, but her sister never gave him that satisfaction.Now, they were both stalkin

“I forgot my own sister’s birthday.” Lacee closed her eyes and shook her head in shame. “How could I forget her damn birthday? I’m a horrible person.”“You’re not a horrible person.” Rinc tried to reassure her.“Well, I’m a horrible sister.” She looked out the window at her little sister who was sitting by the lake with Laran.“That’s not true. Everything you do is for her.” His hand touched her shoulder, and she felt an instant comfort wave over her body. She wondered if the bond he had told her about had anything to do with his comforting touch.“I’ve been so focused on training. It’s exhausting me, physically and mentally. It’s consumed me lately.” She said.“Exactly, and you’ve been working so hard at it for her safety,” Rinc told her. “You’re a great sister.”“She has barely sa