Chapter 5

[Valerie]

I tried very hard to deny the obvious, but too much was happening all at once. My second chance at life was becoming increasingly challenging, and I wondered if it was really a second chance or a test of will.

Alexander - the one who saved my life - was my mate. I could see it now; the dream in which the faceless werewolf kept me afloat and brought me joy now had a face. A beautiful one. I no longer had to fall asleep to see that dream, I would be able to simply close my eyes and see him, just as the memory of his features sketched into eternity in my mind. But the dream was unattainable - a fact I learned tonight.

Alexander was bold, as expected - I knew that from the moment he scolded me for not staying in bed. He was also hesitant. I felt his hand tremble when he touched me. Had he been less tentative, I might have allowed him to have his way with me. I might have sprung upon him myself, succumbing to the aching desire that called for a change of underwear before I left th