Sure, I’d thought he was hot when we first met, so there was natural attraction, and he’d proven several times over that he could be respectful and caring, but the bullheaded part of me couldn’t get over the fact that whatever Roman felt wasn’t something that grew over time. The emotions were part of his DNA that told him he had to care for me as his mate.

  I thought about Embry’s previous words as the sun came up. My initial thought was that the bond was cruel for taking away a person’s freewill, but to the wolves, it was a gift. They lived long lives, and having a partner meant just for you to spend those years with was sacred.

  I saw her point, and it made sense, but my still-human mind couldn’t see past the fact that my choices were being taken away. I’d had no option to deny the mark. No option to choose if I wanted to be bonded. No option to be me.

  Now I was stuck with an attraction I was fighting and a mark that held power nobody really understood.

  Time was up in the feeling-sorry-for-myself department, though. I needed to find answers. I needed to get a better understanding of whatever situation I’d found myself in. I thought about asking Embry to take me to Serene, the historian Roman had mentioned, but instead, I was going to get dressed and head to the pack library.

  People seemed to come and go through the house, so I hoped I could sneak in and get some reading done without being seen. As I got dressed and had a new sense of determination, I opened my door to find Embry already awake and sitting at the computer by the kitchen.

  “Good morning,” I said, heading to the kitchen for some tea.

  “Did you sleep okay?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “What are you working on?”

  “Accounting stuff for the mill. I need to head there today. Do you want to come with me?”

  I already had plans, but the thought of seeing the more human side of the wolves was too good to pass up. “What time?”

  “I’ll be working on these reports for a couple more hours and then we could go. Vaughn said he’d entertain you until then if you were bored,” Embry said.

  “Yeah, I’ll go with you. I don’t need a babysitter, though. Unless it’s not safe for me to be alone.” I remembered the way Roman had been on guard last night, and my wrist warmed as his words rang through my mind… The need to keep you safe is as strong as the need to breathe.

  Damn it, I was trying to avoid those thoughts.

  “You’re fine to go out on your own; just stay away from the forest. Not because anything will get you, but because it’s easy to get lost. Until you know your way around better, just stick to the main trails and areas.” Embry turned back to her computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard. I finished making my tea while she worked.

  When I was done, I stopped at the front door. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”

  “You’re actually leaving?” Embry’s eyes widened as she paused work.

  “I need to face the facts sooner rather than later, don’t I?”

  She grinned. “That’s my girl. If you need anything, you know where to find me. Roman will be around as well.”

  I nodded and opened the door before saying goodbye. I didn’t intend on needing anyone. I knew where the library was, and it seemed easy enough to navigate.

  The walk to the main house was tense as I watched my surroundings. I couldn’t even be sure what day of the week it was, because I hadn’t been checking my phone, but there was much less commotion around the pack than there had been the couple of days before.

  As I entered the house, I heard Ramona’s voice down the hallway. I wasn’t sure who she was talking to, but the sounds drew closer, so I darted into the library, leaving the door cracked behind me.

  Turning around, I scanned the room and breathed a sigh of relief when I found no one else in the room. Given I’d found a lot of wolf books upstairs, it was the first place I wanted to look. Going up the steep stairs made my legs ache even more the second time around and reminded me I wasn’t one who did lots of exercise.

  I let out a groan when I made it to the top and went straight for the table in the middle. There were new books out, and I searched the room, but still found myself alone. Being nosy, I peeked at what the previous person was reading and found strips of paper sticking out the edges.

  Opening to the first page, there was a note that only read human followed by two question marks with three hard lines struck beneath the word. I flinched at the aggressiveness and assumed it had everything to do with me.

  I peeled the paper up and read the two pages. They spoke of mates bonding for life. There was brief mention of rejected mates and the effects it had on the inner wolf. My chest ached as I read those words, and I hated the guilt I felt at wondering if I was hurting Roman’s wolf.

  On the next page, there was a mention of the possibility that wolves could bond with other supernaturals like witches, vampires, and fae, then references to another section for further detail. I flipped to another marker, this one containing more notes.

  The mark contains power descended directly from the moon goddess. Those who harness the gift are worthy of any mate they choose.

  I had a choice? Well, that was new information and something that brought my irritation levels back up.

  The metal stairs creaked as someone came up. I shut the book, slid it away from me, and turned for the shelf behind me.

  A groan sounded from behind me, and I caught sight of an older woman holding way too many books.

  Running toward her, I grabbed as many as I could. “Let me help.”

  “Thank you, dear,” the woman muttered as her face came into view, no longer covered by the stack of books.

  She had wrinkles around her soulful brown eyes, and straight grey hair that ended just past her shoulders. “You must be Cait. I’m Serene,” she said politely once all the books were on the table.

  Ah, I should have known. “It’s nice to meet you, Serene. I was hoping to at some point, but thought I’d start with the library first.”

  She smiled at me, the lines around her eyes deepening. “Smart girl. Better to come with answers than questions.”

  Well, that made absolutely no sense, but I let the comment go as she started to file the books she’d brought up. She hummed as she flitted about the room, and I grabbed one of the wolf mate books. I wanted to know more about the comment I’d read about possibly choosing my own mate.

  Serene tsked at me as I sat. “You won’t find what you want in there.”

  “Then, where might I find it?” I asked.

  “Well, if I knew that, then you wouldn’t be looking, would you?” She laughed, and I sighed.

  Maybe the pack historian wasn’t going to be as helpful as I’d hoped.

  A few minutes later, she tossed a few books at me and took one from the pile on the table. “The men around here are stubborn, but they mean well. Jack and Roman have been working around the clock to find out anything that can explain how you got that mark.” She nodded toward my wrist. “But they won’t find the answers they seek within the books.”

  “Then, why did you give me more books?” I asked.

  “Because you just might. At least enough to help you figure out the rest on your own. Just be careful. Some of those passages are easy to mistranslate.” She flipped open the book I’d first been looking at and straight to the note I’d last read. “Take this for instance. No wolf can choose their true mate, but a Luna Marked can choose a mate if they decide it’s the best choice. Do you understand?”

  “I don’t have to accept my true mate, and I could still find another wolf to bond with, but it wouldn’t be the same as a true mate,” I said.

  She patted my hand. “You’re smarter than most humans. Makes sense why you’re not one.”

  This woman was batty as hell, but she was quickly growing on me.

  “Just remember, Roman is indeed your true mate. You share a bond with him that was formed the moment that mark appeared on your wrist, but you are not mated. All wolves have to accept their partners, and until you can fully accept what you are, Roman is just a man you’d like to hump,” she said, and I nearly choked on my own air.

  “I can’t believe you just said that.” I began to laugh as I leaned back in the chair.

  “I’ve lived for over three hundred years. Keeping my thoughts to myself isn’t as fun as saying whatever comes to mind,” she said.

  “Well, I hope I can be you when I grow up, then.”

  She reached for me once more, this time holding on to my hand. “No, dear. You’re going to be so much more once you figure out what you’re capable of.”

  I raised a brow at her. “If I asked, would you explain that more?”

  “I told you. It’s better to come to me with answers and not questions. I’ll tell you more when you can tell me more.”

  “Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” I muttered, and she got up.

  “You’re going to be okay, Cait. Just focus on who you are and what you feel on the inside. Everything else on the outside is just noise for now.”

  That was the first thing she’d said that I could use. “Thank you.”

  She nodded and headed back down the stairs with her back straight and head high. For a centuries-old woman, she was in good shape.

  I took her advice to heart and stacked the books I was interested in together, hoping that there wouldn’t be an issue with me taking them from the library. When I made my way back downstairs, the door was open, and I heard loud voices in the entryway.

  Setting the books down, I hurried to see what was happening, and my blood turned to hot rage.

  A petite young woman with a white-blonde pixie cut, short black shorts and a thin white tank top had her body wrapped around Roman, and he was grinning from ear-to-ear.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” he said as he held her tight.

  “What the fuck?” I snarled, and Roman immediately dropped her, but it was too late. I’d already seen enough.

  15

  Roman

  It had been nearly five weeks since I’d last seen Sam. We were cousins, but she was also my best friend. Her parents died when she was thirteen, and my parents raised her through the teen years. It wasn’t always easy living with her, but I wouldn’t have traded her for anything.

  She was supposed to have been back the same day I was, and I could have really used her throughout all the craziness of finding Cait, but I knew her job wasn’t always predictable. She didn’t work for the supernatural council, but she was contracted by those who did.

  When Sam went on missions, she wasn’t allowed to bring a phone or make any contact home. We often went weeks without knowing if she was alive or dead, but given what I knew she was capable of, I tried to keep faith while she was away that nothing could best her.

  Sam waltzed through the door as I saw Serene leaving. I’d tried to catch the historian to see if she would meet with Cait, but seeing Sam had taken precedence.

  “Welcome home, Sammy,” I said as she yelled and jumped into my arms.

  I was the only person in the world Sam showed affection to and the only one allowed to call her anything but Sam. Her given name was Samantha, but after losing her parents, she never again went by it and put all her efforts into becoming a warrior.

  “Sorry I was late, Ro,” she said.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” I replied and began to tell her we had a lot to catch up on, but my blood went cold before I could.

  “What the fuck?” Cait said before storming out of the house and slamming the door so hard behind her that the windows rattled.

  Sam pulled her head back and let go of me. “Who was that?”

  “My mate,” I answered.

  Sam punched me in the ribs. “Seriously, dude? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I groaned. “You just got here. When was I supposed to tell you?”

  I moved to the door, intent on catching Cait, but Sam stopped me. “Tell me how this happened.”

  “She doesn’t know who you are, and that probably didn’t look the way it should have to her.”

  “You’ve got to be shitting me.” She sighed and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but Cait needed me more. Actually, I needed Cait to hear me out more.

  Sam rolled her eyes. “What are you still doing here? Go get her, idiot, and then come back and tell me how the hell this happened.”

  I didn’t bother to respond before I darted out the door. My wolf pushed to the surface, and we scented the air for the direction she might have gone.

  North, my wolf said, and I raced forward.

  Cait didn’t have wolf speed, so I wasn’t worried about losing her, but I was concerned with how things would play out. The good thing was that her anger showed she actually had feelings for me. If she didn’t give a shit about me, she wouldn’t have stormed out.

  Don’t be so full of yourself. Cait isn’t going to be easy to tame, my wolf said.

  Now you say that? What happened to all that confidence you were spewing a couple days ago?

  We’ve had time to get to know her a little better. I’ve spent that time listening, and confidence isn’t going to win her over.

  No shit, I thought.

  Finally, she came into view and I cut off the conversation. “Cait, hold up a minute,” I called out.

  She flipped me off and kept walking. I couldn’t help the grin that appeared. Angry Cait was adorable and attractive.

  I reached for her hand, but as soon as my fingers brushed against hers, she whirled around at me. “No. You don’t have permission to touch me.”

  I jerked my arm back and felt like she kicked me in the balls. She was more than mad, and I didn’t know what to do.

  “Cait, that was—”

  “I don’t need to hear about your hookups. We’re not together. Not now, not ever. You don’t need to feel obligated to me just because some freaky magic says so. Go back to her and live your life.” She turned back toward the forest, eager to get away from me.

  Nope. I wasn’t letting this happen.

  “Damn it, Cait.” I grabbed her waist and threw her over my shoulder. “You’re going to listen to me whether you want to or not.”

  “Embry!” Cait screeched as I tightened my hold.

  Embry, if you come to her right now, your rank in this pack will be severely impacted, I threatened through our wolf link.

  You’re an asshole, was her only reply, but it was good enough for me.

  “Embry isn’t coming. Quit screaming,” I said as I headed toward my cabin since we were already in that direction.

  Cait didn’t listen and kept calling for Embry while pounding her fist into my spine. For a human, she was stronger than I expected, but that was probably only adrenaline. My arms stayed locked on her legs so she couldn’t kick me in the balls. Then, I ran.

  Within a minute, she was out of breath and we had made it to the cabin. I didn’t let her down until I kicked the door closed behind me and tossed her on the bed.

  “That was Sam. My cousin. She has been gone for over a month. She is also my best friend, and that was not what it looked like,” I said with more authority in my voice than I intended.

  Cait shrank back for only a second as my alpha power tried to settle over her. She hissed and snarled at me. “You had no right to bring me here.”

  “I had every right. You were trying to leave for a reason that didn’t exist,” I snapped.

  She stood on the bed and was a few inches taller than me. That seemed to give her a confidence I hadn’t seen since I first met her. “I don’t need a reason to want to leave. Maybe I’m just done being here.”

  “We’re not even close to being done, darlin’.” She was making me so angry, my southern drawl was coming out.

  I saw a flash of something unfamiliar in her eyes right before she pushed against my chest. I ended up ten feet in the opposite direction, smacking my head against a chair.

  “Oh, my God.” Cait was still standing on the bed, her hands covering her mouth and eyes wide.

  “Seems to me you’ve channeled some of that power we’ve been feeling from the mark,” I said as I got up, “but that is something to discuss later. I need to know you believe me and that you’re not leaving.”

  Cait was in shock, and I didn’t want to pressure her, but I needed her word that she wouldn’t just take off, especially not after what she’d just done.

  “I believe you,” she said, but it was muttered from between her fingers still covering her face.

  I went to her, moving her arms down slowly. “Cait, it’s okay. You didn’t hurt me.”

  “What did I do?” she asked.

  “You defended yourself, as you should have.”

  Some of the shock finally wore off. “Well, you shouldn’t have taken me like a psycho.”

  She had a point.

  My wolf stirred. He wanted out. He wanted to claim her as our own more than any other time we’d been with her. The thought of Cait leaving us drew a panic in him I’d never known.

  “I’m sorry,” I said as I tried to make the situation better.

  “I guess I’m sorry, too. I don’t know why I reacted like that.”

  I grinned, unable to help myself. “Because you like me.”

  She glared at me. “No, I don’t.”

  “Your denial will just make it that much sweeter when you finally admit it.” I was unsure why I was taunting her, but it felt right.

  “Take me back,” she demanded, her hazel eyes growing darker around the edges.

  I tightened my hands around her hips. “What if I don’t want to?”

  Cait sucked in a breath but didn’t drop the tight look in her eyes. “Don’t make me ask twice.”

  “You haven’t even asked once, but I’m curious. What do you plan to do if I don’t?”

  She poked her finger in my chest. “I’m not sure, but we can find out if you insist on doing this the hard way.”

  Ha. She was threatening me. That was something new, and I liked it.

  “Alright, Kitten. We’ll do it your way. Today. Would you like to walk back, or would you like me to run with you?” I asked.

  She sneered when I called her Kitten, but I couldn’t help it. She was feisty yet irresistible, just like one.