“I really wanted to see Jace right now,” my best friend Megan said as we were waiting for her older brother, our soon-to-be Beta, to come and fetch us. We will be graduating today. That’s why we’re in our pack house. “Megan, Jace wanted to wait until his party to see you. This is his twentieth birthday, and he will know who his mate is,” I replied, trying to soothe her. “I called him this morning, and he plans to stay in his room until the party so he doesn’t come in contact with any she-wolves.” “I know, Carrie. I just feel it in my heart that he is my mate. I love him so much!” “I know you do. No matter what happens, I will be by your side,” I said, secretly rolling my eyes at her. Megan knew the possibility of her becoming Jace’s mate would be futile, but she didn’t consider it, no matter how many times I tried to reason with her. She should consider the fact that she might not be Jace’s mate. “Don’t worry, Carrie. We have been in love since freshman year. I think the Goddess b

I decided to have a hot bath since I wanted to sleep. Mom said she’ll be with his Mate on a business trip. She insisted that someone should look after me. I told her I didn’t need one, but Mom was worried, so I accepted it. I spent a good half hour soaking in a bathtub before getting out. I grabbed the towel and wiped myself up before wearing a bathrobe. This kind of routine has been present since I started to live with Mom’s pack. It was kind of relaxing, and it gave me peace of mind for a bit. As I exited the bathroom, I was greeted by a man sitting on the couch. He was probably playing on his phone since he was focused on his little device. The worst part was, I didn’t even know him!“Who are you? What the hell are you doing here!?”The man looked at me and smiled. He has this Alpha vibe, and I thought he must be Frank’s son. Mom told me Frank retired from Alpha duties last year and that his son, Derick, has taken over. I only saw him once; I was twelve years old. He was in Alph

Diesel had been by my side since then. He had blown me away when he had first turned his attention to me. I mean when I first arrived here. I'd been twenty-two and rejected back then when I had finally been given a chance to find me and my wolf a mate. A second chance, mate, in fact. Moving on hadn't been that bad when a bulky guy was always by your side, trying to make you smile. "Everyone else who was single gradually found their other half and paired up, but as I got older, the wait had become harder and harder to take," Diesel said as we were having dinner at my place. Everyone knew in his pack that if he didn't find a mate by the time he hit your mid-twenties, it was unlikely that he ever would, and it got even more unlikely with each passing year. He said he wanted to give us a chance and that he wanted to be my mate. I'm not going to lie; he had been flattering me, and when he proposed a relationship since neither of us was likely to find his mates, I'd been tempted. I held

Our arrangement was an open book in the pack. Even if Diesel hasn't marked me yet, everyone knows he will be soon, and they expect an heir from us. We've been together for years, and I was his chosen mate, and he was to me. But why now? Why was he cheating on me? Unless…Sweat started to form on my forehead. Oh no, I don't want to think about it. I'm too dependent on Diesel, and he's someone I would never let go. He was the one who helped me get through my first rejection, and I had already promised myself that if I ever picked someone as my second chance mate, it'd be him. But I knew that arrangement wasn't entirely sure, knowing Diesel had yet to find his mate, even if he had already passed the age of finding one. "Babe, are you okay now?" Diesel asked."Better, I guess."I realized he was already back. I watched him as he opened the bottle of wine. Then, I focused on the cell phone he had placed on the bedside table. Even without me going near it, I could tell it was in sile

"Who is she!?" I asked Mom after I arrived from Erix's pack. I thought I could stop thinking about Diesel's game, but it worsened. Flashes of unknown women flooded my mind, and even if Rain comforted me, I couldn't stop myself from thinking. So I made a drastic decision: I returned to the pack and confronted my mother. I wanted to end all this misery and let her speak, tell me the truth before I go insane."Mom!" I yelled inside their house. I don't care if the former Alpha was there. "Carrie? You're back so soon? I-""Tell me everything you know, Mom, before I lose my respect for you," I said, cutting her up. My mother bowed her head and couldn't meet me in the eyes. "Carrie sweet-""Do not sweet talk me, Mom! Tell me when did it start and if the whole pack knew about it!" I yelled, clenching my fist. My wolf has been fighting her way within me, wanting to shred our mother into pieces to keep us from what was actually happening. "I-It started after you got engaged with Diesel y