**** Back to the Present **** The first time, when Denice rejected her mate, Avery didn’t follow behind her because their grandfather said she needed time. Deep within her heart, Denice wanted to be with Jake; they had become really close, and the mate bond only pulled her to want to be with him more. In the time she took over as Alpha, he was her anchor, the piece of her that made everything more still and the part that made sense. After the war, she threw herself into her work and closed off her emotions completely. Ultimately, she was denying Artemis the mate bond and they were going to continue to clash because of it. Avery and Anna were increasingly worried about her and rightfully so. Jake got tired of waiting around and seeing his friends happy to be with their mates; he held out for as long as he could, but in the end, he knew that he had to let go. Denice has become an incredible Alpha, but it came at a very high price; authority and responsibility always does. He also unde