RIEKA My talk with Drea at the furniture store really helped me to feel less embarrassed about dinner, but there isn’t much anyone can do about my insecurities. I’m meeting with Aleksandr for lunch before meeting with one of the property owners, and for some reason I feel especially uncomfortable in my body today. I walk into the restaurant that he asked me to meet him at, and it’s the cutest little Italian place, although pasta isn’t great for my waistline. Running my hands across my stomach to smooth my shirt, and then pulling on the edges of my jacket to cover my stomach as much as I can, I wonder if I can get away with just ordering a salad. I’m actually pretty hungry, but I’m so sick of feeling overweight and gross, and today I’m extra sensitive about it. The hostess walks up and offers to show me to the table. I’ve decided that I’m not going to let myself feel awkward. He doesn’t know what I’m thinking, and while I can’t fully control the way I respond to his presence, I

ALEKSANDR The lunch meeting/date was a HUGE success! I was getting in my car, about to call Dustin and Drea to update them, when I began to feel like something was wrong. My wolf was pacing in my mind and unhappy about the idea of Rieka leaving without us. I tried to reassure him that we would see her again soon, but he would not settle down. The more agitated he became, the more worried I was about Rieka. Call it my wolf’s intuition, but I just knew that I needed to get to her. Rieka had emailed me the address of the property where she was going. She’s smart, she always lets several people know where she is going to be so that if she is late or doesn’t show up somewhere we all know where to look for her. She doesn’t tell me about all of her appointments, but because this one involves me, she included me in her list of safety contacts. I open my email on my phone and pull up the address. I’m about to start driving that direction when my phone rings. I look at the caller ID a

ALEKSANDR I’ve enjoyed my time with Rieka, but after our run was over, I had to get back to work. Dustin was spending the day with our trackers and seeing if we can find any more information on the rogue situation, and I’m itching to know what they found. I want to know that Rieka and her kids are safe. Back at the packhouse, I grab a quick lunch and then head to my office. I mindlink Dustin to meet me there for a report update on the rogues. I spend a few minutes reviewing the work my dad has been covering for me. Even though I have extra help right now, I still need to know what’s going on. Dustin wanders into my office about 10 minutes later. He pulls one of the armchairs over in front of my desk and takes a seat waiting for me to give him my full attention. I tuck away the files I’d been reviewing, and fold my hands together, resting them on my desk. “What have we found so far?” Leaning forward, Dustin hands me a map with several markings on it. “We’ve been scouring the

ALEKSANDR I had just finished setting up all the details for our date. I hate that I’m running late because I know how punctual Rieka is, but I wanted everything to be perfect. I know that it might be difficult for Rieka to leave her kids as well, so I planned the date to be close by. As I enter the packhouse, I can smell her delicious milk, honey, and rain scent. I love that her scent is stronger and more easily detectable now. I follow my nose and find Rieka and the kids in the game room with my mom and Drea. I can’t help but stand back at the door and just watch for minute. I almost feel like I’m seeing a flash into my future. I love the idea of my home being full of children. I don’t mind that they aren’t my kids. I will love them and protect them as if they were my own pups. Rieka must have sensed me behind her. She turns to look over her shoulder, and mom and Drea turn as well. Of course, mom and Drea already knew I was here. They could smell my scent as soon as I b

ALEKSANDR Rieka did agree to go out with me again, but she has a very busy work schedule this week, so we couldn’t get together for an official date until next weekend. However, she agreed to a quick lunch date on Tuesday. It’s not going to give us enough time or privacy to discuss the things I need to tell her, so I’ll have to wait until our next official date, but I couldn’t wait that long to see her again. Now that I’ve tasted her lips, I’m more addicted than I ever could have imagined, and my wolf keeps pushing me to be more aggressively affectionate. He’s been ready to mark and mate her since the moment we first scented her and laid eyes on her, but now that her scent has reached full strength and we have felt how perfectly our lips fit together, it’s getting harder and harder to hold him back. When I told my mother about Rieka’s scent increasing to full strength she simply smiled and nodded in approval. She never says more than what is necessary when it comes to her vision