(Celina's POV)I didn't expect it to be Landon, who just kidnapped me from the bonfire.Under different circumstances, I would have been happy to see him, but not after how he treated me when he came to the diner.“Why are you here?” I asked as I looked around, clenching the blanket that I was covering myself with tight around me. It was cold in the forest.“I thought you'd be happy to see me?” He asked, confusion written all over his face.“I was glad to see you at the diner, remember?” I scoffed. “When you treated me like a stranger?” I asked as I started walking, “It’s late, and I have to go to bed.”He appeared in front of me and said, “I didn't mean to ignore you, but I can't let anyone know that you are the person I'm in love with.” He said this, and both my and his eyes widened.“You love me?” I was surprised.He sighed as he hung his head and said, “I do. I just don't know if you feel the same.”I didn't know how to react; I was happy, excited, and a variety of other emotions

(Brody's POV)I went on a spiral of emotions when I saw my sweetheart's head on our bed. From sadness, to anger, to confusion, to denial then I just sunk into the darkness that my heart felt.I tracked down the rest of her body, which was lying in the same spot where I left her with her book just a few hours ago.It became worse when Ivory's pack came to mourn at our small village. Ivory's father didn't like me from the moment his eyes landed on me, and it didn't help our relationship that her daughter died when she was supposed to be protected by me.“You had one job!” He screamed after he saw his daughter, his head hanging and his fists clenching. He spun around so fast that I didn’t have a moment to think before he grabbed me by the neck and held me up against a wall. “What is stopping me from detaching your head from your body like you let someone do to my daughter?!” He growled.But when he held me up against that wall, I saw Ivory; she was dead, but she still looked so beautiful

(Celina's POV)I was seated beside the lake, watching the orange glow from the sun cover the lake as the sun set. The thought of Landon and I here, his arm wrapped around me as I leaned on his shoulder, made me remember why I wasn’t at the lake with him to begin with. I frowned as I hugged my legs.“Celina, there you are.” Austin said as he walked up to me from behind.I sighed. “Stop acting like you've been looking for me; you already knew where I was.” I replied without turning to look at him.He slowly made his way to me as he sat beside me. “Brody wanted to come find you immediately, but I offered to be the one to come and find you.” He replied, “But I thought you might want some time alone, so I didn't approach you till now.”I looked at him and smiled. “You are a great guy.”“I know,” he said proudly.We looked at each other and laughed.“So,” He said.“So,” I said with a sigh.“You should hear him out.” Austin suggested.I scoffed: “You heard what he said, right?” I asked, “He

(Landon's POV)Today was the last day since I asked Celina if she would like to be my mate. I had been keeping my distance from her so she didn't feel like I was pressuring her into making a decision. But I was anxious about what her response was going to be.There was a knock on my door, and I sighed as I went to open it.“Good morning. How was your night?” Connor asked as he pushed past me and walked in.I sighed, “fine.” I replied.He still had no idea who I was in love with, and it was for the best if it remained that way.“You don't look fine.” He stated.“I am. Just a bit anxious.” I replied.“Because today marks the end of the week we agreed upon?” He asked.“Yes. Today marks the end of the week. And I know you can't wait till you have to choose a mate for me.” I blurted it out.“Actually, if today your lady doesn't agree to be your mate, tomorrow the council will bring you a mate.” He replied, “I didn't see the need to delay as you need to learn how to be a responsible person

(Isabella's POV)I was seated in front of a mirror, brushing my hair. I always made sure to look my best. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to get married and have someone take care of me. I deserved to be taken care of.“Oh, honey, you already had your hair straight yesterday,” my mother casually mentioned when she walked into my room without knocking. As usual.She walked up to me and gently touched my hair; she leaned in and kissed me on my cheek as she whispered in my ear, “I always thought you looked great in curls anyway.”She said it as a suggestion, but she definitely wanted me to put curls in my hair.I looked at her through my mirror when she stopped, looked at me, and smiled; it didn't reach her eyes, but I knew better than to question my mother.I looked down to pick up a hair dryer, and when I looked back up, I was startled to see my sister standing by the doorway where my mom had been standing.“You look beautiful as always.” She stated.I didn't know