GINA I hadn’t realized how exhausted I was until Jericho left me alone in the cottage. After he took off for the training grounds I contemplated getting up and cleaning a bit, but I just couldn’t seem to force my legs to cooperate. I resigned myself to taking a short nap and then I’ll get up and do some cleaning while exploring the rest of this house. When my eyes opened it was barely light out, and I thought I’d done a great job of taking a short nap, but the moment I felt Jericho’s heavy arm draped over my waist, and smelled his sandalwood and Irish whiskey scent, I realized that my short nap must have actually been hours. Now that I’m paying attention, I feel significantly more rested. It must be dusk. My eyes scan the room for a clock of some sort so I don’t have to get up and disturb my mate. He must be even more exhausted than I was. He had to take off and work on something while I got to lay here and sleep. My eyes stop when I notice a beautiful bouquet of flowers sit

GINA I wasn’t expecting my ability to join the pack being dependent on my mating and marking Jericho. What happens if he rejects me? Will the pack reject me too? That’s it! I can’t handle the stress of not knowing anymore, I have to tell him tonight. I can’t put it off any longer. It’s time to rip off the band-aid and stop procrastinating. If it goes horribly wrong, I can leave tonight. I’m not sure where exactly I would go, but I’ll find somewhere. When Jericho pulled back to look at me, I could feel the emotion welling up inside, but I did my best to not let it show.“I’m sorry, I should have asked you…” he stumbled over his words, “You do want to stay and join the Silver Eclipse Pack, right?” Although he was asking my opinion, he didn’t phrase it like a question. It felt more like a statement of expectation and him looking for confirmation. The shock of it all was too much, and I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. What do I even say to that? When I didn’t an

JERICHOI had no intentions of mating with Giovanna tonight. My only goal was to earn her trust and further break down her walls that were keeping me at arm’s length. I’d been fighting against my wolf all night, trying to remind myself that we needed this to be different.Everything changed when she said she wanted me to mark her. My wolf surged forward, and I gave up on fighting to hold back my instincts. I took her up to our bedroom, and slowly explored every inch or her beautiful body. I took my time memorizing every curve, and finding the perfect spots that drive her wild.Based on what she told me, I doubt she’d ever experienced what mating could be like when your partner gives of themselves without selfish ambitions. I wanted this night to be something she would never forget, for all the right reasons.It was just after the fourth time mating that my canines extended, and I sank them into her flesh, forever marking her as my mate. She immediately returned the favor, and the pain

GINA“…You’re settled with your mate, and soon you’ll have a pup.”As soon as the words left his lips, my mouth dropped open, and my hands instinctively went to my stomach. Could I really be pregnant?! I look down while simultaneously lifting my shirt to reveal my well-defined abs. I don’t look pregnant, but of course you wouldn’t be able to see anything this early.Suddenly, I could feel and hear the little fluttering heartbeat of the pup inside my womb and time stands still. I wanted to laugh and cry and panic all at once.“How did you know?” I whisper in awe as my fingertips lightly graze the taut, tan skin of my mid-section.Jericho just laughs, “You’ve seemed a bit distracted lately, always looking around like you’re on high alert, so I’ve been listening for the last couple of days, attempting to hear an extra heartbeat.”Everything makes sense now. My heightened senses are an obvious sign that my protective instincts have been turned up a few notches.“And you’re just NOW telling