Emily could feel his satisfaction through their bond, even as her own pleasure flooded her mind and body. She couldn’t ignore that it was there anymore. He always got what he wanted, but what about her?             As they lay there in the afterglow, her mind went over the memories from so many times in their past. Did she want this in her life? What would have happened if Rebecca did in fact not go to her mating ceremony? Would James have turned to her for comfort after that? Or would this all have happened either way? Did any of it matter? With that contract looming over her head, the bite from the wrong man on her shoulder, and everything else. It was like a house of cards, and she feared it would all come tumbling down like one.             “See. Now you’r

             Eva couldn’t believe the passion he put into the kiss. After his words to his alpha, left her feeling cold and rejected. The demanding heat in his kiss infuriated her further. Once his lips left hers, he didn’t get a chance for the passion drunk smile to cross his lips fully before her hand connected with his face.             “Really?! You have a contract to mate with one of my best friends and you kiss me like that?! Mate or not. You don’t have the right to do that.” Eva broke out of his embrace and stormed off toward the lake house again. “I’m too busy looking for my friend and your mate-to-be.” was all she said as she disappeared up the path.             “Eva!” Damon threw up his hands and looked at the lake for an

Emily left the bathroom, and she pouted through most of the breakfast as they ate. “You know what bothers me the most?”“No, but that’s never stopped you from telling me before. No, that’s not true, is it? You’ve been keeping things from me for years. Just saying the bare truth with none of those pesky embarrassing details. Am I right and this will be one of the more biting ones?”“At least, you recognize what you’ve been doing. What would have been the point? You showed no interest in me as a woman. I was always an afterthought, or don’t you get it? I’m the crutch you fall back on. Maybe you should be the one looking for truths about why I said nothing about this before? Or perhaps you might try remembering the times I told you and it fell on deaf ears.”James looked at Emily like he was seeing her for the first time. But she was sure that this was only a momentary lapse on his part.

             “Hate you? No, I don’t hate you. But I am at the end of my rope. I can’t take watching you damage yourself and put this pack at risk anymore. That means if I can’t fix it, then I can’t stay.” Emily decided now she’d tell him the unfiltered truth, even if he wasn’t ready. The fact is, he’d never be ready.             “Bull. I have never put the pack at risk.” James couldn’t believe she said that about him. He was a good alpha. Truth was now that she said it, something niggled at the back of his mind, and he didn’t like it.             “Don’t make me count the ways. We’ll be here for days. But I’ll say it this way. This is just the latest in a long line. You disappeared on them f

             James woke because he heard something. He wasn’t sure what. But something woke him. His first thought went to Emily, but she lay beside him, asleep. He needed to get her squirrelled away safely before he investigated the noise. It could be nothing and it was a member of his pack or a stray forest animal trying to find a dry place to stay. Either way, they were just coming to some agreement, and he didn’t want anyone interfering with her staying with him.             “What’s wrong? Why are you so tense?”             “Heard something, like someone on the stairs. Stay here. If it gets noisy, hide in the bathroom.”             “You know I’m trained to fight at y