Prologue

*Please note the events of this book take place prior to the ending of South. This will not make sense to you if you haven’t read the first two books. Thanks!

Scarlett

The quaint café was quiet after Ronnie and Willow had departed, no doubt the other townsfolk were busy enjoying the fresh air without Zeke’s interference bearing down on them at every turn, but my superior hearing could pick up on Mari in the back room with Roxi keeping her occupied.

I shot a grateful smile to the older she-wolf who manned the counter before she went to tell Mari, who had excused herself earlier to keep an eye on Roxi when Lucinda’s hands were full, the coast was clear.

Lucy had watched Roxi on the rare occasion all three of us happened to be busy in the past, and I knew Ronnie was elated for her help when I whisked Roxi out of sight after briefly meeting her mom’s alarmed eyes through the window outside the coffee shop.

I had only just returned from passing the kid off when Ronnie entered the building with the unfamiliar she-wolf I had observed trailing behind her through the glass, but I immediately comprehended Ronnie’s reasoning behind her desire for secrecy when she introduced the dark-haired girl as her brother’s true mate.

My mind pondered the numerous changes that had taken place in my life over the last couple of years while I waited for Mari, my eyes unseeing of my surroundings as the memories played like a reel in my head.

I never thought I would see another bear shifter again when I made the decision to bolt from my home without a backward glance. Well, I supposed I hadn’t seen many, but the whole town couldn’t shut up about how the war was over.

A couple had been blessed by Luna’s gift for the first time in years as far as they were aware. I would technically be the exception, but I wasn’t about to dredge up my own personal history for the sake of making a point.

The she-wolves were understandably chomping at the bit to find their own other halves after the oppressive regime Zeke had operated in the South the entirety of the time I had been here, but me? I sure as hell wasn’t eager for a repeat.

Our species as a whole hadn’t seen the matching of true mates by the Moon Goddess in decades. My mother had been one of the last from what I was told, but she was paired with a bear shifter before she had passed, which is why the bears’ assault had taken me so off guard.

I considered the bears my family, so I didn’t understand what could have prompted the unprovoked attack. I still didn’t if I was being honest, and I’d had years to puzzle over it by this point.

I had been roaming aimlessly through the wolves’ territories when the news broke, but I didn’t believe it until I had witnessed it for myself.

I would have been dead if Jace hadn’t stepped in then. I was a complete and utter train wreck those first few weeks after I fled the only world I had ever known. My mother passed years ago, but my heart still ached for those I was forced to leave behind.

I had begged my best friend, Clarissa, to come with me. Yet, she wouldn’t leave, and I couldn’t stay.

Finding your mate was supposed to be a joyous occasion on all counts, and it was, for most people. Don’t get me wrong, I had been over the moon when I found my own true mate when I came of age.

I was euphoric he turned out to be my other close friend, Hunter, and I felt extremely lucky to have been granted a soulmate. Even so, it didn’t take me long to figure out what a colossal mistake it had been.

I stayed for far longer than I should have, protecting him when I should have been protecting myself, but I rectified that mistake the night he pushed me past my breaking point. I kept making excuses, until finally I’d had enough.

I still remember the satisfaction I felt when my claws slashed through the thin skin of his face, the copper aroma of his blood spilling was near tangible as I recalled the memory fondly in spite of the agony that swiftly followed with my accompanying rejection as I hightailed it out of there.

“Hello? Are you ready, Scarlett?”

I peeled my eyes open at Mari’s voice, realizing I had let myself get carried away with my imaginings. “Yeah, I’m sorry. Let’s go home.”

My unease about the environment throughout town only increased as the next few days elapsed. There were whisperings the bears were not finished with us after all, but even that was not enough to distract the general population from the prospect of everlasting happiness.

I soaked in all the time I could with Roxi, feeling the precariousness of my situation without fully grasping why I felt so on edge, but it all came to a head the night I chose to accept Ronnie’s invitation to her brother’s farewell dinner.

I had felt something major was coming, but I was astounded when the instant connection snapped into place as I had crossed the threshold into the room where the others were situated, nonetheless.

My eyes had been drawn to his stunning silver orbs like a magnet, and I recognized the familiar feeling erupting throughout me as his spicy cinnamon and pine aroma filled my nostrils.

All the same, I had no intention of hanging around to face the culmination of where I knew our newly created mating bond was leading or even to learn his name.

I was reversing in my tracks before his fierce growl had ceased, but I could hear he wasn’t far behind me as I forced myself to move faster.

My wolf thrashed violently in my head as I advanced onward, intent on making it to my house before he caught up with me. I wasn’t a fool; I could hear how close he was, but I would be damned if I had this conversation out in the open where anyone could hear.

I strengthened my resolve, knowing what I had to do, as I viciously shoved my wolf’s presence to the recesses of my mind and flew through the trees like a wraith.

I slowed to a crawl as the building came into view, huffing hard as I caught my breath, and the male came to a stop a scant few feet away from me.

I could see the effort it took for him to give me the space he did as I ran my eyes over his close-cropped beard and neatly trimmed chestnut locks, and I couldn’t deny the deep level of attraction I felt. He was a little shorter than the other alphas I had met, but he was still taller than my 5’9” by several inches.

I cherished the friendships I had made here, and I knew it wasn’t fair to the male standing before me with a look of adoration lighting up his eyes.

Nevertheless, I hardened the shield around my heart as I shattered the tense silence regardless, saying in what I hoped was a confident voice, “I reje-”

My words were cut off by his firm lips slamming into mine, and I felt the hard lines of his body pressing into my soft curves as I registered the unforgiving wooden door at my back.

Any resistance I had was gone when he speared his tantalizing tongue into my reluctant mouth without delay, and then, I was kissing him back with everything I had.

It felt like ten minutes had passed, but, in reality, I knew it had only been a few short moments before he was pulling back, taking the warmth from his heavily muscled body with him. I was still recovering from the haze shrouding my mind with his intoxicating persona, which is exactly why I had wanted to avoid him altogether in the first place.

Sparks of electricity crackled across the sensitive skin near my temple when he gently brushed my hair back from my face, entreating, “Give me a chance. I swear I will never let you down, and I will give you time by yourself to process everything. Just don’t call it quits before we see how amazing we can be together.”

I couldn’t help the pangs of anguish piercing straight through my armor at the pleading look in his gaze, and I hated hurting him when he so clearly did not deserve it.

I caved, despite my better judgment, agreeing to try while simultaneously knowing it was a lie as it passed through my lips.