CATHERINE. My phone pinged. I used to dread that sound, but not anymore. Ever since Tyler was here last week, he has been messaging me nonstop, which has always been the highlight of my days. The only time I would not receive anything from him would be when he had things to do, but he would inform me beforehand. Tyler was giving me the dream that I always dreamed of — his attention. And despite the distance between us, he was making sure I felt that he was interested in me. I walked to the living room from the kitchen, as I wanted the phone away from me so I wouldn’t get tempted to message him, as he said he would be in a meeting. My face lit up when I saw Tyler’s name pop up and his message on the home screen. Tyler: How are you? Catherine: Fixing dinner. Your meeting took so long to finish. What did Jace want this time? T: The meeting was over hours ago. C: *rolling eyes emoji* T: Did you miss me? C: My ears missed the sound of my phone pinging. T: No one is texting you

CATHERINE. Time stopped, and all rationality went out the window when his lips met mine. I kissed Tyler hungrily, pouring into the kiss everything I was not been able to tell him yet. I loved him, but I was scared I might change my mind the moment I smelled my mate. But I prayed to the Goddess that I wouldn’t because my heart knew who it belonged to. Tyler flipped us over, and I was on my back. But in just a few seconds, he moved us again. He was turning me around as if I weighed nothing. And the next thing I knew, we were already seated, with me sitting on his lap and my back against his torso. His lips were still on mine, and although tilting my head to the side to kiss him was uncomfortable, I was not complaining. I wanted more of his lips. I had dreamed of this for a long time. His hand clamped on my stomach, holding me in place while his other hand trailed along my exposed inner thigh. He parted one leg, and I voluntarily opened both. I had no idea what I was doing. All I

CATHERINE. Austin had already advised that families from both sides of Jace and Amara were already at the packhouse, so I knew the attention wouldn’t be on me, and I was happy with that. I just wanted to lie low and not be noticed. But the moment we entered the packhouse grounds, I saw Aunt Alia and Uncle Gavin exit their car. And they waited for Tyler’s car to stop. I was not sure if they knew he picked me up from the city, but regardless, I was still having cold feet. I had always liked Tyler’s parents, but I was not sure if they would be okay with us being together since we were not fated mates. “Wait for me. I’ll open your door.” He told me before he stepped out of his car, and I slowly unbuckled my seatbelt without tearing my eyes off the windshield, watching Tyler’s parents approach him. They were discussing something, but I couldn’t hear anything except the thudding of my own heart. But if anything, Aunt Alia was smiling, and she looked rather excited. I hoped the smiles

CATHERINE. I sat in the bed with my back against the headboard and watched Tyler put on his clothes after he went for a quick shower to take off my scent from him. And as much as I wanted to shower with him, I knew doing so would delay him from starting his day. “Will I see you at breakfast?” I asked. “I’m not sure, but I will link with you.” “Can you keep your mindlink open for me the whole day?” “Of course. And if I don’t see you at breakfast, I’ll check on you whenever I’m at the packhouse. So let me know if you are going somewhere.” “I’ll just be here until the ceremony. The makeup artist will come here instead, so I don’t see me going anywhere.” “Good…” He smiled at me as he slipped on his pants. “Tyler… what if I meet my mate tonight?” His head shot up, and he looked at me as he put on his shirt before he placed his hands on his hips. He let out a deep breath before he spoke. “The choice will always be yours. But my request is still the same. Don’t rush, and give me a

CATHERINE. “I’m sure I like you a little bit more than Purity, just as Black likes Purity a little bit more than you. Is that fair enough?” Tyler said. “Good. Now, explain to my wolf why you like me a bit more.” I giggled, but I was not able to reply as Tyler had begun kissing me again, and he was doing it aggressively. I stopped giggling and kissed him back. His hands fumbled to unbutton my pants before tugging them down, and I kicked them off my feet. He then got hold of my top, yanked it up, and pulled it off my head before tossing it to the side. I pulled away from him with an amused look on my face. “We are shifting into our wolves, but why do I feel like we are about to have sex with the way you were taking off my clothes?” “Are you complaining?” He asked as he licked his lips. I was only left with my bra and panties on, and they were laced ones, so I was sure he could see my nipples and newly shaved pussy. “No.” I rolled my eyes at him before I unclasped my bra, letting