Zoe’s POV “Happy Birthday!!” Cinna purred excitedly in my head the minute I woke up this morning. “Thanks, girl!” I responded with more enthusiasm than I felt, stretching my limbs and trying to work up the will to get out of bed. “Aren’t you excited? We can find our mate today!” Cinna pranced around in my head, shaking her booty in a wolfy version of a happy dance. “I don’t know, Cinn.” I told her honestly, hating to disappoint her but needing her to understand. “On one hand, finding the one person put on this earth specifically to love and adore us is appealing. But I have goals. You know I want to go to medical school like Kat. I want to do something to make my own mark on the world. And even if we find him, there is no guarantee he’ll be our happily-ever-after.” “He will! I know he will!” She insisted, sticking her nose in the air confidently and refusing to let me rain on her parade. The truth was, I was confused. Something had changed with Dillon lately. And while I

Zoe’s POV Dillon’s kiss robbed me of every thought but him. All I could do was taste and feel as his lips moved against mine, so soft and so delicious. He tasted like strawberries and sunshine on a warm summer day. Every nip, every lick only made me crave him more. The moment Dillon parted my lips with his tongue, I opened for him willingly. His kisses were heavenly. That was the only way to describe the feel of his silky tongue sliding against mine. A brief pang of sadness floated through my chest at the thought that eternity would never be enough time to savor his taste. Dillon’s woodsy scent surrounded me, mixing with the fragrance of our combined arousal, producing an intoxicating aroma that slithered into my brain insidiously and lit my body on fire with an ease that should have frightened me. I took in deep lungfuls, drunk on the way it made me feel, vibrant and alive. If I thought Dillon’s taste was addictive, the way he smelled covered in my scent was its own special kin

Dillon’s POV What the fuck just happened? One minute I had Zoe in my arms, her soft body pressed against me, relishing her taste and drowning in her scent while she melted under my touch. My heart was soaring, knowing she finally belonged to me. Then suddenly everything changed and I still had no idea why. Every cell in my body told me to go after Zoe, to not let her walk away from me so easily. But my feet refused to move, paralyzed with shock over what had just happened between us. Of all the scenarios I’d tortured myself with in the days leading up to Zoe’s birthday, the one that just played out had never crossed my mind. I’d been deliberately late to the party tonight, unable to overcome the soul-shattering fear of seeing Zoe mated to someone else. I knew it would crush me to watch her find her mate, erasing any possibility that we could end up together, as if my love for her had never existed at all. For someone who considered himself a fearless warrior, that thought had ter

Zoe’s POV “Go away!” I grumbled in response to Zayne’s incessant knocking, but he pushed his head in anyway. “Not happening, princess. I’m not sure what’s going on with you but it’s gone on long enough.” He said bossily. “You haven’t been out of this bed since the night of your party and you’ve barely eaten anything. I wish you’d talk to me.” I flinched at the mention of my birthday party. I didn’t want to remember that night, didn’t want to think about it, I wanted to shut out the world so I wouldn’t have to face the cruel reality fate had dumped in my lap. “I’m not hungry.” I responded flatly to my brother’s complaints. “Fine. I can’t force you to eat.” Zayne replied, and I sighed in relief thinking he was going to let it go and leave me alone. I was wrong. “But if you think I’m letting you go off to college alone without feeling satisfied that you can protect yourself, you are dead wrong. So get out of this bed and get ready because you are going to training with me this m

Dillon’s POV I sat in my office, throwing back another tumbler full of whiskey as I savored memories from the morning’s training session. She’d been there! I’d felt her the second I stepped out onto the field. Dorian had yipped in my head, racing in circles in his excitement to finally see his mate after days of missing her. I had scanned the crowd and immediately located Zayne but she wasn’t with him. Where was she, I wondered as I continued my search. Finally, my eyes landed on her. She was hiding in the back, probably avoiding me, but I wasn’t going to let her get away with that. Not when she was right in front of me, within my reach. Nice try my little love. She’d ignored me for a whole week and it had taken every ounce of restraint I possessed not to kick her damn door in and tie her to a chair, or better yet, the bed, until she heard me out. Instead, I’d sat outside her suite like the loyal fuckin’ puppy dog I was, hoping she would take pity on me and let me in. I knew it