KNIGHT “Yes.” I nodded glumly. “She’s better off without me. She’s—” “Human? Yeah. And the intoxicating mating pull was nothing I’d ever felt before. It was so strong I couldn’t control it, and it started to drive me insane.” “Poor thing. I won’t help you, Knight. You’re being selfish. Werewolves and Lycans can have human mates. It works just fine.” “Really?” I met her gaze. “What’s the lifespan of a human? She grows old, and I barely age. I can’t go through that. When my father died, my mother took her own life. And they were both werewolves and were strong, but my mother couldn’t handle losing her mate. She couldn’t handle the pain.” Every time I thought of having a mate, I saw my mother’s lifeless body in her bed as she took poison to end her life. “Is that why you don’t want a mate?” “Yes. We will both suffer in the end. Considering how weak humans are.” “You’re wrong. When Shadow lost her wolf and her ability, she did everything to fight against Aciano. She may not have wh

NIRVANA “Knight is visiting Blackwell Firm, and since I’m his assistant, I came with him and used his card to book a suite for myself.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You book a suite for yourself?” “That’s what we agreed upon, or I’ll leave the vineyards, stay with you, and find a job.” “Huh.” That was all I could say. “He’s loaded anyway. He has a penthouse here. He can stay there or book a suite for himself, but I didn’t.” Of course, it wouldn’t be a surprise, but Knight, besides his nasty, gruesome attitude, seemed grounded. Before I could reply, a knock on the door interrupted us. “That’s our coffee.” Kailin rose to her feet and went to the door. Since she was my roommate, she still had keys to our apartment, even if she left months ago. I was about to get up when I heard a familiar voice from my small living area. I was curious to know if it was still a remnant of my dream. I went to see if what I heard was right. “Be nice, or I swear to—” Kailin warned Knight when they

KNIGHT “Mr. Blackwell, welcome to Case Restaurant.” He offered his hand. “Thank you.” I shook his hand hesitantly, but he was in a pack. I could smell that. “Oh, you two have met.” My cousin had just arrived, or she was already here. “Yeah.” I was still confused, and the man didn’t introduce himself. “I’m Case Woodrow.” He smiled as he must have seen the look on my face. “You’re the owner.” My pulse accelerated. I looked at Kailin, and she just shut her mouth. “Yes, son. And you’re an alpha.” “Yes. White Moon from California.” I paused for a moment to gather my bearing. “Can we speak in private?” “Of course. My office is downstairs. Follow me.” He gestured as he led me the way. Before Kailin could follow Case, I held her wrist. “You knew?” “Obviously, I can smell him.” I tightened my grip around her. “Are you going to tell me about this?” She met my gaze, and I instantly saw the guilt in her eyes. “I promised Case I won’t tell what we are to his granddaughter.” Case open

NIRVANA “Never. Knight’s always focused and a little bit aggressive, but he’s respectful, protective, and loyal to default. Forgive his manner, Grandpa Case, Zarah. My cousin is a lot, but he’s very respectful. Lately, he’s been temperamental.” “I completely understand, honey.” “It’s all right, Kailin. Your cousin is under a lot of pressure,” said Zarah, agreeing with Grandpa. “Excuse me for a moment.” I got up. “I’ll go find him.” “Good idea,” Zarah and Kailin said in unison. “He’s probably in the parking lot, honey.” I went out towards the parking lot. He was there pacing before the rental car. I hadn’t got closer, yet he somehow sensed me. He stopped and turned to me, still wearing a confused look on his face. “Look, I know you hate me, but you can tell me now if I shouldn’t join you over lunch. I don’t want to make it more awkward than it already is, and I don’t want you to look disrespectful in front of Zarah. I will understand.” I stopped before him, and he just stared at

KNIGHT I glared at Zarah. I knew what I wanted. I wanted her even the first time our eyes met. I knew she was mine, and I knew without a doubt that I would protect her with my life— but she was also human, so I thought I did what was rational at that time. Yeah, I wasn’t ready to have a mate, didn’t know how to deal with her, and wasn’t near ready to meet her too soon. And things got out of hand, but she was mine and mine alone. “Knight, please?” Kailin pulled me back to reality. “We have to protect her. I don’t know how to convince her to come with us, but I’m the only hope you have. She trusts me. I will help you break the news. And maybe she will believe me if we show her the truth about us.” “Just don’t drop the bomb all at once,” Zarah warned us. “She hates me.” “And who’s fault is that?” my cousin blamed me. I chuckled sadly. “I never wanted to reject her. I don’t know how to handle the situation, and the pull drives me crazy.” “You’ve never been in love. I got that, Alp