Back on her desk, Izzy tries to focus on her work but she finds it impossible. Every time she shuts her eyes, she can feel Miles’ lips on hers, warm and tender. She shakes her head vigorously as if trying to shake off the memory.But it’s there, etched in the corners of her mind, resurfacing every so often with a potency that makes her catch her breath. She rubs her temples, willing herself to concentrate and move on from the distracting memory.“Concentrate, Izzy,” she mutters to herself, forcing her eyes back on the pile of work on her desk. But it’s no use. Her thoughts keep on drifting back to Miles — his warm voice, his soft gaze, the way his kiss made her feel... and her wanting more of those gentle kisses.She pushes the papers away in frustration, knocking over a cup of pens. She stares at the scattered pens for a while before bending down to pick them up. As she does, a picture falls out from one of the books stacked on her desk. It is a picture of her and Miles from last summ
Miles takes her hand gently in his, lacing their fingers together. “I want to embrace you the entire night.”She frowns.“The elders and your other mates allowed it,” he adds, his eyes pleading.‘Hugging, huh,’ she thinks as she gazes into his eyes. They’ve hugged before, so it doesn’t sound so bad.Annoyed by all the second-guessing, she groans. If Miles is already taking up this much head space, how could she handle more mates? Still, she cannot be selfish. This is Miles. He has been a dear friend to her since five years ago.“Okay, we can hug,” she agrees. “But we can’t do anything... intimate.”Miles smiles before pulling her close to him, their bodies pressing together. “Of course not, Izzy. Just... be with me.”She can feel his warm breath tickling the skin of her throat as he sighs softly against her neck before replying in a quiet, shaky voice, “Thank you.”Izzy has to admit, it feels strange at first — the way Miles is holding her, their chests pressing against each other as t
Izzy walks into the kitchen and finds Miles already there, preparing the ingredients for their breakfast. His back is on her, but she can sense his happiness from the way he moves.He turns to her and finds her looking at him. “Hey, good morning!”She makes another of her lopsided smile. “I’ll help you,” she says, walking towards the counter where Miles is standing.“As promised?” he asks, looking pleased, and then he laughs.“What?!” she asks, confused at his reactions.“I’m sorry for teasing you earlier.”“You already apologized earlier.”“That’s not a complete apology, though.”Her frown deepens. “Then what does a ‘complete’ apology look like, Mr. Miles?” she asks, looking at him skeptically.“Well, for starters,” he says, turning toward her with a playful glint in his eyes. “It involves food.”She rolls her eyes. “And here I thought it would involve something more dramatic.”He laughs, a warm sound that fills the kitchen and makes her heart flutter. He gestures to the array of ingr
After a long day of work, Izzy and Miles finally meet up at the park. They found a secluded spot under a large oak tree, where they spread out a picnic blanket and opened a box of steaming hot pizza.“Here’s the pizza as you requested,” Miles says while Izzy prepares drinks for both of them.“This pizza is amazing,” Izzy exclaims as she samples one slice.“I know, right? Perfect for a lazy day like this,” he replies with a grin. “This reminds me of that movie we watched before, about pizza and cheese as ultimate weapons.”“Ah! I remember!” She clears her throat before continuing, “Watch out, I have the ultimate weapon,” she says, making her voice a little deeper while pretending as if her pizza is a weapon.Miles laughs and holds up a gooey slice. “Oh no, I will need to defend myself by using the dripping cheese attack!”“Pffft!”And then they both burst into laughter. For Izzy, spending hours with Miles has always been effortless.“Remember that time we got lost in the woods?” he asks
Izzy stands through the entryway of her room. Her mind is still fixed on that scene with Alpha Landon. Miles accompanied her to her room and is looking down at her, observing her reactions. “Thank you, Miles,” she murmurs.She is grateful for his intervention with Alpha Landon earlier. She can’t even imagine how things would have turned out if he hadn’t stepped in — or what she could have allowed him to do — and that makes things even scarier. “And sorry about earlier.”“Why are you apologizing?”“Well, about that thing with the alpha. Thank you for stopping him.”Miles frowns. “You mean when he was about to touch you? You could have stopped him yourself, though.”Her shoulders slump at his words. “I don’t think I can,” she admits, glancing down at her hands. “This mate bond is trying to cloud my senses, making it hard for me to resist him.”“Only resist him?” Miles frowns. “You mean that you will also… with—“She looks up, apprehensive. And seeing the look on her face, he takes a dee
She tucks her head against his chest, taking comfort in his presence. Tranquility starts to settle over them as they just lay there, tangled together on the bed."Hey Miles," she starts after a while, her words muffled by his shirt.He hums in response, his fingers lightly tracing her spine. "Yeah?"She swallows nervously before continuing. "Can you... can you loosen your hold on me?" she asks hesitantly. "I mean, it's getting really tight..."Miles chuckles softly, causing his chest to rumble. "Are you saying I'm suffocating you?" He teases, his grip slowly loosening around her waist."No, it's just..." she fumbles with the words again, feeling oddly vulnerable under his gaze. "I can't think clearly...""About what?" His voice is a soft inquiry and Izzy can feel his warm breath against the top of her head.She looks up at him to scold him, but he might have seen the need in her eyes, because the next thing she knows is that he is leaning over her and placing a kiss on her lips. Izzy'
Izzy groans audibly and then she takes another deep breath to calm herself before speaking again. “Look, I’m sorry. But can you please quiet down for a bit? I really need to focus on my work.”Carter nods. “Of course, my love,” he says, understanding her need for space and quiet.Yet, that little endearment tugs at her heart all the more. Carter quiets down and stays on her couch and starts to work on some documents, same as her. She sighs and rubs her temples.She is turning into someone she doesn’t like. But then, why of all people should she have three mates?! She was content living on her own, working hard to achieve success in her career! But now, everything seems so complicated and overwhelming!With a shake of her head, Izzy tries to push her thoughts aside and focus on finishing her report. However, it’s proving to be difficult with Carter constantly popping up in her mind. She can’t deny the sexual desire she feels for him. But she also can’t ignore the fact that their persona
Izzy’s stomach grumbles as she scours her eyes around the place. It is grand and elegant, with sparkling chandeliers and plush velvet chairs. She can’t believe that Carter took her to a five-star restaurant for their first date. And it’s even in a different town!“Next time, can we have dinner somewhere nearby?”“You didn’t enjoy the ride here?” he asks. “Maybe I should pilot the chopper next time?”That’s not the point! She’d like to tell him, but then a waitress approaches, and she can’t help but notice how Carter seems completely at home in the fancy setting. He even flashes the waitress an easy smile.“So, what’s the cuisine of the day?” he asks, his tone smooth and charming, as if he just didn’t show Izzy that pained look earlier. It is the reason why she agreed to a dinner date with him. It is a token of apology for being mean to him.As the waitress starts to recommend dishes that she is not familiar with, Izzy’s attention goes to how Carter carries himself outside. He’s already
Izzy opens the front door and is surprised to find several maids standing outside. She steps back, allowing them to enter the house.“Beta Carter paid for our services,” one of them explains as they enter the house.“Ahm, thank you,” she says, surprised. “…I guess.”She looks over her shoulder to where Carter is leaning against the wall. His wet clothes cling to his muscular frame, making him look even more enticing than usual. But there’s also a hint of something else in his gaze, a desire that matches hers.She moves towards him, and with every step she takes, his desire grows stronger. She can feel it radiating off of him like heat.“Is this common for you? Having pack members help out with the laundry and chores?” she asks, trying to distract herself from the intensity of their desires for each other.“If I am busy and overwhelmed,” he answers in a deep voice. &ldqu
As they reach the house, Carter offers to help with the chores. Izzy hesitates, but she’s too tired to argue so she agrees. She is also afraid that her desires will flare up during an argument with him.“Fine,” she grumbles. “You can help me with washing the blankets.”Carter grins and follows her inside. “I knew you can’t resist my charms.”Izzy rolls her eyes and starts taking out the blankets that smell like they’ve been stored in the cabinet for a long time. She hands a pile to Carter, who takes them without complaint.They work in silence for a few minutes, until Carter breaks it by saying, “You know, I used to do this kind of thing all the time when I lived in the packhouse.”“Oh, really?” she asks. “Why did they allow you to stay there? You have a mansion, and your chain of hotels is not too far from here.”“The elders don’t want the
Carter leans to her, and she savors his smell. She wants more. She wants him to do more than just imprison her between that same nice body and the rows of grocery items.“My dear Izzy… I know that you want me too… And if I really am the selfish man that you think I am, all I need to do is touch you and you will jump at the chance to make love to me. You are my mate, and I can sense your inner wolf begging for me.”She is about to say something when he presses his finger to her lips. “Shhh…” He presses himself to her and she can feel his hardness between her legs. “Like you, I am also starting to lose myself the longer we don’t make love. Just your smell, your voice, the heat from your skin, is making me heady… so please, don’t look at me, or I might not be able to control myself anymore.”And just like that, she tightly shut her eyes.“Good girl, just stay like that.”Then she felt his hands on her shoulders. And when he moans, she shivers. “What are you doing, Carter?”“Shhh… Let me
Izzy wakes up early on Thursday, feeling refreshed and determined to start her day. She gets dressed quickly and heads downstairs to grab some breakfast. As she is about to take a bite of her toast, there’s a knock on the door.She frowns. It’s too early for Carter. She sets down her toast and walks to the door. She takes a deep breath before opening the door.“Can I help you?” she asks coolly.Carter gives her a small smile. “I came to accompany you today…” he says. “…as what is expected of me and especially of you.”Izzy snorts but can’t help but allow him into the house. “I’m going somewhere.”“Where?”“Somewhere.”“Izzy…” he says, a scolding tone in his voice.“Grocery,” she finally answers as she returns to her breakfast. “I also need to buy a couple of items.”“I can accompany you with that.”“Ah, the young master will do such menial things, huh?”He presses his lips and she can feel his pain because of her words. She takes a deep breath and apologizes. “I’m sorry.”The hurt in
Izzy wakes up to the smell of bacon and eggs. She sits up groggily, rubbing her eyes before glancing at the clock on her bedside table. It reads 7 AM and so she goes outside of her room and finds Miles, who is already up and about. He is cooking breakfast in the kitchen of the house that he has allowed her to stay at. She watches him for a moment, still feeling a little awkward after last night’s events.He turns around and catches her staring at him. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” he says with a smile, flipping the bacon in the pan.“Morning,” she mumbles, running her fingers through the ends of her tangled hair.Miles serves them both breakfast and they sit down at the small dining table. Izzy watches him as he pours them each a cup of tea.“Other than the bacon and eggs, I also prepared you a tea, because I know that you will be drowning yourself in coffee the entire day. Don’t worry—”“About last night…” she interjects.Miles looks up from his plate, his expression unreadable. “It’s
“Hey, Izzy, I prepared dinner,” Miles says as he peeks through Izzy’s door. “Would you like to eat with me before I leave?”The answer is a resounding NO, and yet, Izzy shifts her attention from her laptop to Miles. It’s late now. However, she finds the need to pretend that she’s busy just so there would be no more conversation with him. In fact, she already finished half of her work for tomorrow!“You don’t have to cook for me, Miles,” she answers as she returns her attention to her laptop. “Besides, I am still busy.”She hears the door open wider and she can’t help but look at Miles again. He is scrunching his brows at her, as if he knows that she is just pretending to be swamped with work.“Do you really want to pretend as if nothing happened between us last night?” he asks.“Not now, Miles.”He moves closer to her desk and places his hands on top of it—making it impossible for her to ignore him any longer.“What do—”She stops because Miles surprises her with his next actions. He
Izzy wakes up to the warm rays of sunlight peeking through the curtains. Turning to her left, she sees Miles sleeping peacefully beside her. His messy blonde hair is stuck on his forehead and his arms are wrapped around her, holding her close.She smiles at the sight and gently traces his jawline with her fingertips. It was an intimate night. It was perfect. It was as if he was her only mate—then she pauses. Finally realizing what she’s been thinking about, her fingers freeze.What now? Now they’ve crossed the threshold from being friends and into lovers. What will she do once she rejects the mate bond with him and he would be in so much pain—that is, until he finds another mate?The mate bond only activates once a year. That means, he will hate her for a year. Will she be able to handle his hatred? Can she take being the target of the grief that she will cause him?She cannot! Last night was a mistake! She was being horny and gave in to the haze of the mate bond!And so, she withdraw
Miles takes his time worshiping her, the intensity in his eyes making her heart race faster. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and it drives her wild. She can feel herself getting lost in the ecstasy of his touch, unable to think about anything else except for the pleasure he’s giving her.“Miles…” she moans out his name, grasping onto the couch for support as pleasure consumes her body. “I can’t take it anymore…”But Miles doesn’t stop there. He continues to pleasure her until she is on the brink of orgasm. Just when she thinks she can’t take it anymore, he sucks on her clit and that unravels everything. She comes so hard that it feels like an explosion inside of her.“Oh!” she cries out as waves of pleasure continue to wash over her.Miles doesn’t stop there though. He keeps going, prolonging her orgasm until she's a shivering mess beneath him. When she finally comes d
"Izzy..." Miles whispers, his voice barely audible over the sound of their breathing.She can feel her heart pounding in her chest, the butterflies in her stomach turning into a storm as she looks up at him. And for the first time, she sees Miles in a different light. Aria is correct, his features are handsome, so it’s not a surprise that he attracts a lot of women in their pack.Then, Izzy’s inner wolf screams at her and commands her to pull him closer, to close the remaining gap between their heated bodies.“I have always yearned for your love, Izzy…” he whispers as he touches the side of her face. “So, if you don’t like this, just push me, a gentle push is enough if the haze is becoming hard to control.”However, instead of pushing him, she raises her body to touch his and she hears him groan. With her need so pronounced, she closes the distance between them and their lips meet.For a moment, everything fades away except for the feeling of Miles' lips against hers. They're warm and