Asher POV I smell her the moment I open the doors to U-GET. Ruby and I come here every Friday to spend time with the pack. Plus, the food is awesome. I can sense her disinterest as soon as I sit down. Brickland and Syl are quick to make conversation. “We missed you at the farmer’s market today, Alpha,” Syl says as she takes a sip of her water. “Speak for yourself,” Saph mutters quietly under her breath. Come on, Bunny, did you forget I’m a werewolf? I don’t say anything in response; I’ll give her that one. “Yea, sorry. I went to the hospital to check on a couple of the patrollers. They weren’t feeling well after their morning shift. They came in with fevers, apparently,” I explain, trying to hide my concern. Werewolves don’t get sick unless we ingest some type of poison. “What other symptoms are they showing?” Saph asks, sounding genuinely curious. She looks over at me, her light brown eyes looking so gorgeous. “Not

Saph POV My head rolls to the side, sliding off the oversized fold-out chair in Kent’s room, but I’m able to catch myself before I completely fall off the chair onto the white, linoleum floor. I rub my eyes, blinking the sleep away. I must have fallen asleep in Kent’s room. I look outside and see the sun isn’t up yet and Kent is still sleeping. The rash on his neck has been spreading. I’ve tried different mixtures of herbs, which seems to have soothed the pain, but he’s getting worse- all the patrollers are getting worse. Ten others were brought in over the last week. I apply a fresh layer of the herb mixture to Kent’s rash, trying my best not to wake him. A soft knock startles me, making me snap my attention to the door. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare ya, Bunny. Just wanted to check on him,” Asher- he insists I only call him Asher now- whispers from behind the half-open door. I scrunch my face at the stupid nickname he has given me. His brown eyes and pink

Archie POV “SHE’S MY MATE!” I shove Ash away from Yaya and hurry over to her. I unhook her chains, ignoring the burns on my hands from the silver. I bring her down to the floor, and she collapses into me. All I have wanted this last week was to hold her and have her close to me. She cries uncontrollably, hissing and groaning when my fingertips graze the raw slashes across her back. Her beautiful skin is now marred because of me. I’ve been so concerned about not letting anyone find out about us- about being judged. I rest my chin atop her head, brushing her wild hair away from her face. Ash is stunned, unmoving from his spot outside the cell. “I’ve got ya, Bright Eyes. I’ve got ya,” I promise her. I’ve been a shit mate since our bond snapped into place almost two weeks ago, and I will do everything I can to prove to her that I want this- that I want her. “Arch…” Ash’s voice cracks. He drops to the ground, sliding against the wall opposite Yaya’s cell. I hear the whip thump against

Saph POV I am such an idiot! Of course he doesn’t want me making cookies for him and his daughter! He probably thinks I’m being weird and trying to worm my way into their tradition. I don’t know why I offered to make them cookies, but here I am, mixing flour with baking soda, cracking eggs, and preheating the oven. I’m such an idiot. I pull the first batch out of the oven and rest the cookies on a cooling rack. As I’m placing the second batch in the oven, I hear footsteps racing down the stairs. I close the oven door and turn my attention to the stairs. Asher. He’s back in that pair of gray sweatpants. Just a pair of gray sweatpants. I have felt his body through his clothes. I knew he was muscular, but holy shit. He is lean and cut perfectly. Small beads of water run over the grooves of his abs and disappear into the fabric of his pants. “Gonna burn a hole through me if you keep starin’, Bunny.” I throw my hands over my face and drop to the floor

Asher POV I feel something poking the side of my face. I scrunch my eyes together, batting away whatever is tapping me. “Wake up, Papa,” Ruby whispers directly into my ear, pulling me out of my deep sleep. “Wha- what’s the matter?” I spring up, my protective instincts kicking in. Ruby giggles as I work to calm my racing heart. “You were snoring, Papa,” she teases as she mimics a loud snoring sound, then bursts into more giggles, falling back onto her bed. I look around the bed, searching for Saph; she’d dozed off before I finished reading the story. When did she leave? It felt like we truly had a moment last night. We were staring into each other’s eyes, and it seemed like she could sense that there was something between us. It was at that moment that I truly wanted her as my mate. Up until last night, I have been following my wolf’s instincts and keeping Saph close because the bond has been drawing me to her and making me pro