Loriann's POV The day I've been waiting for all my life is dawning.After Meg's ceremony, I stayed behind at Blue Blood to help clean up and put things back in order. Zalev assigned me an apartment, which I gratefully used.Only an hour to go and it's midnight, the hour when I have to find my mate.Romero is waiting for me in our pack, but like a coward I hide here, unable to face reality. Now I know how Meg felt yesterday when she wasn't sure if Alvarez would be her mate. In her case, her mate still had the confirmation, but Romero has all his hopes pinned on us being mates, it's just a hunch.'Lori, are you on the way back? We are waiting for you with champagne and everything, the pack has gone all out to celebrate this day with their future Luna'. Sweat breaks out on my brow as I think of what might happen if I go to Eclipse Howl now and someone else lays a claim on me. In that case, the man will have to do it in public, for fear of being attacked by Romero. With man

Future Alpha Romero's POV againI won't lie, but when Lori told me that Era wouldn't say anything about a mate yet, I was partly relieved. If I wasn't her destined one, then no one else would be either.My hopes were high when I saw her exit the Jet and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that she would pounce on me with her fangs barred. Of course, she wouldn't be able to mark me yet, but at least I'd know what to expect in a couple of weeks. I have been begging the beast inside me all day to tell me something about Era. It seems that Xan and Era are plotting something, which both annoys me and fills me with hope. So I've come up with this plan to go on holiday, the two of us alone on an island until the eve of my anniversary. There is nothing heroic or gentlemanly about it, my intentions are purely selfish. I want to prevent a male from claiming my Lori before I get the chance, I want to keep her out of the public eye. Today is her twenty-first birthday, and now that I am no

Again, Loriann's POVRomero's head jerks up and he locks eyes with me.The tension falls from his face, I see the love of the past few days filling his eyes. He's clearly surprised by my answer, it's obviously not what he expected. "Is that so, Lori? What if I ask you to prove it? Your mere words are of no use to me".I lick my upper lip, not sure where this conversation is heading. It is not me who has to prove something here, it is he who has to keep his promise, be strong enough to deliver. This damned mate bond could make him forget everything, including me. "Try me, Romero. You don't even know what I am capable of," I challenge him. I now have his full attention. For him, too, our conversation is starting to become very important. "Tell me what all our nights here have meant to you. We lived together in the packhouse, but I wanted to make special memories here. Did I succeed?""Perfectly, baby. It has been an amazing few days. Enough g

Future Alpha Romero's POVDamn it!This is not going as I had planned. My mother has thwarted the most important part of my plans for tonight. I wanted to keep Lori with me, there is something in her aura that forces me to be vigilant. Would she leave if it turned out that someone else was my fated?Hell, no! She won't leave, I won’t allow that. My cubs and I need her here, with us. Today I am ready to challenge the Moon Goddess if she appointed another she-wolf for me. I want Lori, with all her flaws. I know she is not the innocence itself, her looks are deceptive.Keeping my pups a secret as her title of Master in Martial Arts, the coldness to join our search for the one who torpedoed my dating life, and then the revelation from the rogues that she was the one who chased away all my crushes out of the pack. Well, that doesn't exactly fit the profile of the quiet, withdrawn girl at school.No, innocent is definitely not the word fit for my Lori. But she will be the perfect Luna to ke

Future Alpha Romero's POV "Lori, baby. Come to me. Come here, my fated Luna." I hold out my hand, calling her to me pleadingly. She hesitates, a confused look on her face. The witch nudges her from behind and she finally moves. She walks towards me with cautious steps.And then I noticed that her clothes were odd. She is dressed in black, and the cap does not match the event at all. But then she has a bow and arrow in one hand and a spear in the other. And I immediately understood what she was up to. This Luna is still fighting for her place in my life. When she was a few steps away from me, she suddenly sobered up. She looked wildly at the props in her hands and let them go, dropping them to the floor. The sound was sharp in the silence. Shaking my head, I grip her upper arms and pull her into my embrace.Our lips meet in a searing kiss and I have to stop myself, mindful of our guests who are still waiting in silence. "You didn't have to