From Alessia's POVDaunte and I sat in silence. The tension in the air could be felt. I wanted to say something, but I had no idea where to begin. I felt terrible for acting this way towards him, especially after telling him to mark me. Now I was acting like he was a walking plague. I tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. I needed to calm down and break the ice."I'm sorry," I finally said.Daunte's brows furrowed. "What are you apologizing for?" he asked."For not telling you I was out here and how I have been acting," I replied.He chuckled lightly and shook his head."What's so funny?" I asked."We knew you came out here because Hector has this entire place covered with surveillance cameras, and I can sense you now that we have marked each other," he said as he stood and walked over to me, sitting in the chair next to me."Why and where are these so-called cameras?" I asked, glancing around."Hector is the CEO of Benatti Industries, the leading security tech

From Daunte's POV As I awoke the following day with Alessia next to me, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I had not expected us to consummate the mate bond. I wanted to ensure she was comfortable before we did anything, but I couldn't hold back when she initiated things. I glanced over and saw Alessia was still fast asleep. I kissed her forehead and whispered I love you before slowly getting up and getting dressed. I left the room, heading down the stairs. I needed to talk to Hector and let him know about Jared's threat. I walked into the kitchen and found him already there, drinking coffee. "You're up early?" Hector smirked, cocking a brow at me. "We need to talk," I replied as I sat across from him. "Yeah, let's talk about the fact that the fucken room you're in is not soundproof, mother fucker," he said, chuckling. "Fuck you!" I replied, laughing, running my hand down my face. "I think your mate already did that to you last night," Hector replied sarcastically. I shook my head

From Jared's POVI hated myself - I hated that I had made a deal with this entity now consuming my body. I would have never agreed if I had known everything he was planning. All I wanted was my wolf, and now that seemed as though it would never happen. I felt powerless and helpless. I had no one to turn to, no one to help me or understand my dilemma. I was alone, and I felt like I was going crazy.Then there was Alessia on top of everything else. Whenever I thought of her, I couldn't stop thinking about all that I had done to her. The things I subjected her to were beyond anything I would allow my sister or mother to endure. The worst part about the entire thing was that I had done these things to maintain my title, which no longer existed. While I sat and thought about everything, I couldn't help but wonder if Selene had been testing me all along. If that was the case, I was in a difficult position as a result of not seeing it until now.My feelings of hatred for myself increased as

From Alessia's POVMy heart dropped the moment Daunte asked me what I meant when I said Adam wasn't going to kill Hector. In my heart of hearts, I never wanted to tell him about what I saw. I was still trying to piece it all together myself. My vision came so fast that I wasn't able to put it all together before Daunte and Hector started fighting.I felt so bad that the two of them were at each other's throats because of me. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have run off into the woods that night, especially knowing this would happen. In spite of this, I don't regret what I did because I knew it was the right thing to do.Despite my reluctance, I had to share my vision with Daunte, especially after what had happened between Hector and him. Daunte was taken aback by what I had to say. He asked me for more details, but I couldn't accurately describe what I saw.After I told him, Daunte had been a little more reserved for the remainder of the night. I knew he was processing ever

From Daunte's POV As I pondered the situation, I was unsure of what to do. When Alessia told me I would die at the hands of Adam, my world seemed to be turned upside down. I was terrified and confused. I had never felt so scared in my life. I knew I had to do something, but I had no idea what. The last thing I wanted was to leave Alessia without anyone to protect her, and I still felt I had a lot of things to accomplish. I knew I had to make a decision, and fast. I had to think carefully about what to do. I had to find a way to save both of us. I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. As I made my way outside, I heard Romo's voice echo in my mind. "You worry too much, old man," he said. "Why wouldn't I? There's so much that we have yet to do, not to mention if something happens to us that leaves Alessia alone," I replied. "Mate will never be alone. We will always be there by her side to protect her," Romo replied confidently. "You must be on some good shit," I said, chuckling