"I did it for her own good. You know perfectly well what Augusto is capable of. Selene had the damn luck that this time it didn't escalate, but knowing that rogue, I know he has something else planned," Connor replies, still angry."Leaving aside Augusto's intentions, Connor, do you think Selene is going to wake up tomorrow and smile at you? Do you think she will simply forgive you for forcing her to bear your mark?""It wasn't how I planned it, but after she disobeyed me, I had no other choice. How did she expect me to react to what she did? She put herself in danger, she put the pack in danger, I couldn't let this go without doing something about it.""Well, ideally, you should have sat down and talked to her about the attack, about Augusto, about the council's rules, and about the agreement your father left," Jackson says, making Connor tense up. "I don't see Selene as an irrational person, quite the opposite. Besides, we know her parents, both are exceptional people, I'm sure your
Connor's phone rings loudly in his pants pocket, making him frown as it pulls him from his thoughts. He turns and looks at Selene, who is still in the same position since the morning. It's now afternoon, and he hasn't left her side for a second. He postponed all his activities and asked Jackson for help with the most urgent pack matters so he could stay with her.The doctor returned because the alpha asked her to take a blood sample from Selene to run all the necessary tests. She is due back shortly to report the results.Connor carefully gets up from the bed after leaving a kiss on his mate's forehead and walks to the balcony to take the call. He has no idea who it might be, but they've called a couple of times, so he assumes it must be important and that they will likely keep insisting if he doesn't answer now."Blazeheart?" he hears a deep voice from the other end as he picks up the call."Who's speaking?" Alpha Connor asks, looking at the number on his screen again."Turn on the c
Selene's improvement is immediate with the antidote. The dark spots on her hands and back slowly begin to disappear. Uriel has called a couple of times asking about his granddaughter and has calmed down seeing her improvement.Alpha Connor takes advantage of the night's silence and his lack of sleep and asks Jackson to check the email Katrina had sent him earlier, as he does not want to leave his mate alone.Jackson, accompanied by Alexia, opens the email that Selene's mother had sent to Connor the day he claimed her, surprised to find many attachments—not just the medical documents the alpha mentioned, but also several videos and photos of her from when she was young."Is that why...?" Alexia asks, but the words get stuck in her throat as she watches a specific video that leaves them both deep in thought."Most likely, yes," Jackson replies, still engrossed, his eyes fixed on the playback of a birthday party from several years ago. On top of the birthday cake is a number 4, and sever
Connor is terribly calm, as Selene can perceive. She can feel him watching her attentively, waiting for a response that perhaps she doesn't want to give at this moment."What's the point now? You didn't care about how I felt before, what difference does it make if I tell you now?""I was forced to act the way I did because you put yourself in danger," Connor tries to reason with her, his voice calm.She is aware of what she did and knew it would have consequences when she decided to leave, but she didn't think he would act the way he did."And of course I care about you, I almost went crazy when they told me they didn't know where you were. I couldn't contact you, no one could," Connor explains his reasons."I didn't put myself in danger on purpose, I was about to come back, I just stayed a few minutes to look at the water," she sobs.Connor stands there looking at her for a moment and then nods slightly before sitting on the couch next to the bed to face her."You disobeyed me.""I w
Selene inspects her naked body in front of the bathroom mirror and feels completely different from the naive and weak young woman who had arrived a few days ago. Something in her has changed and she knows it, even Saya is more active and focused. In these few hours she has been awake, she is learning to deal with some voices in her head from the members of the Redwood Wolves pack. She has no idea why she is hearing them, but she will soon find out. What she cannot ignore is the mark on her shoulder. She gently runs her fingers over that scar and her whole body trembles. She can feel the connection with Connor like never before, she can even hear his heartbeat and feel his heavy breathing from the other side of the door. Because she knows he is there, longing for her, but she won't make it easy for him.She runs her hands over her breasts and notices they are more mature. Her skin is glowing and the muscles of her body are firmer, as if she had exercised excessively. Definitely, Connor
"It will be an unforgettable day." That phrase keeps echoing in Selene's head. There was something in Inés's look when she said that which Selene didn't like. Additionally, Connor's insistence on changing the subject made her doubt; definitely, something strange is happening."Don't you like any of the options?" Clarisse asks, looking at Selene with a frown. "If you want, we can change them; there's still time.""Everything is fine, Clarisse. Thanks for your help," she says, realizing that she wasn't paying attention at all."But you haven't looked at anything, nor tried the menu.""I'm sorry, I'm a bit distracted," Selene starts tasting the dishes that Clarisse had the pack's chefs prepare. She immediately dismisses some and approves the ones she likes. "I was thinking about Inés's birthday. Is there something I should know about it?""No," Clarisse clears her throat, and Selene realizes from her reaction that she's lying. "It's just a birthday, don't pay attention to it. Let's get e
Selene is already seated on one of the couches waiting when Clarisse finally comes out of her station after choosing her own dress. Alexia is sitting next to Selene, and both are talking and smiling in a way that catches Clarisse's attention."Did I miss something while I was back there?" she asks as she approaches, waiting for the saleswoman who was attending to her to pack her things."Just talking about some anecdotes from when I was a child," replies Alexia, shrugging. Selene nods. That's indeed what they were talking about. She feels very comfortable with Alexia, and it seems that Alexia feels the same way. They even converse through the mental link very naturally, as if they had known each other forever. Maybe she is facing her new friend, despite the Luna-Gamma bond."I thought you would take a little longer to choose the dress. I wanted to see it," says Clarisse, making a few faces. "Now you're just going to kill me with anticipation until the weekend."Selene laughs, and Clar
Selene takes a long time in the shower, using some of the products that a saleswoman recommended based on her skin type. She also gives her hair a moisturizing treatment and dries it with a special brush for wavy hair before getting dressed. She looks at herself in the mirror and likes what she sees. Since she arrived here, she had stopped doing some things she enjoys, but that's all in the past now. Today marks the start of a new chapter in her life.Before leaving the bathroom, she thinks it over for a moment. Her plan to drive Connor crazy might backfire and spiral out of control, but she’s decided to go through with it. After all, he’s her mate, and he already bears her mark on his shoulder. Like it or not, they are bound to each other enough that running away now isn’t an option.She opens one of the boxes and pulls out a black lace lingerie set. With the waxing she had done and the moisturizing cream, her skin looks extremely shiny and healthy. She applies a few drops of perfume