Arielle’s POV:I think I was giddy with happiness. Even though I was tired, it was so easy for me to act so energetically, having only gotten about three hours of sleep the day before. It was now last 8am in the morning, and I was checking up on the other patient files that my assistant had so graciously arranged for me. We were not going to have too many patients, it seemed by the lack of a large piling of folders.But it was the thudding of the mate bond within me, and the feeling of assurance I felt through it, that made me feel ever better.Richard did not reject me.And I loved him.It seemed like everything was moving along for the better, now that I had finally gotten to tell him about my abilities and all that had come along with this mate bond. This was truly the first time in which I felt like I belonged in a pack. When I was in my previous pack, it always felt as if I had to work ten times as hard to prove myself, for the time I was a young pup until I left.But this was dif

Arielle’s POV:What the hell, I thought to myself.But of course, Richard heard it too and responded with a chuckle.“Damn it,” I whispered out loud in the comfort of my office.A mind link. If being mates and suddenly developing these abilities was not enough, we just had to have one of the uncommon abilities for mates to share.I knew what it was of course, but I had never met anyone that had one at such a young age. Only fictional stories and historical tales of couples mates, especially those that ended up having a bond so strong that they ended up dying within minutes of each other during their old age.That kind of bond was hard to find in an instant. Especially with younger couples, such as Richard and I.It was usually taken as a sign of commitment and the deepest form of bond that mates could share.And that scared me. Of course I loved Richard, so much that it made my chest ache at the thought of it. But I wasn’t ready for such a thing. At least, I thought I wasn’t.I hated

Arielle’s POV: I didn’t know how things were going to go with Richard. And this had less to do with the mate bond and more to do with the fact that he had apparently kept news of Devin being attacked by a Rogue, though nameless away from me. “Ugh,” I pressed my palm against my forehead. I was back in my room, having closed the clinic up early in order to prepare for my date with Richard. “What is wrong with me?” I decided to jump in the shower quickly, and then proceeded to scrub off every inch of my body. meanwhile my mind kept on whirling, and the gears in my head turning. What was Richard’s motivation for not telling me about what had happened with Devin, that a Rogue had been involved? Was he doing this to keep something away from me? Or was there something else involved? I didn’t want to think that Richard would mean harm for me. After all, he was my mate, and now that I finally had the guts to admit that I loved him, I didn’t want to begin to let my fear get the better of m

Arielle’s POV:I had to admit, I was more than a little pleasantly surprised about how the date was going.A picnic. It had been like what I was expecting out of Richard. As I had mentioned to him, it was such a romantic setting. I had definitely not thought that Richard, the strong and stubborn Alpha with such a dominant personality, would do this.Still, I liked it, a lot more than I could ever express.The food had also been delicious, and we had eaten it in comfortable silence. It had simply been scrumptious, and I had found myself swallowing every bite with relish.Now that we were done eating, I watched as my mate gathered up the dishes and placed them back in the picnic baskets where they had come from.Letting out a sigh, I looked around. The place was simply beautiful.“Enjoying yourself?” I heard Richard ask, and I turned my head slightly, glancing out of the corner of my eyes at my mate.He looked incredibly handsome, with his face glowing due to the candles lit around thi

Richard’s POV:The mate bond continued to burn even an hour later, as I sat on a couch in my study. Darren would be here soon, as I had promised to send him a message when the date was over and done with. Yet, instead of thinking about the damned mission, all I was thinking of was what a disaster I had made on this date with Arielle.I was brooding, yes I admit that. It was hard not to, especially with how much of a fool I had acted.The image of Arielle looking teary-eyed and begging me not to lie to her about anything, was still carving a hole into my heart.Damn it, Richard.Why had you done that?Why had you made her feel like that?Why had you done that to her?I was berating myself on the inside.A knock came on the door and I frowned to myself, not even bothering to look at the door when it opened.“Richard, how was the-“I cut my best friend off with a glare in my eyes as he entered my study. As soon as he caught the look, I noticed just how tense he suddenly became.“Darren,