At first, I'm scared of him. I haven’t had great luck with guys so far. But after a while, I relax. He has no intention of hurting me. And even considering everything else I’ve gone through, I already trust him to a strange degree.     There's relief as we start walking away from those who want to hurt me. But I'm still afraid. What if the distance I put between us won't be enough?After walking in silence for a little while, I turn to him."Don't you want to know my name?" I ask. He shrugs."Only if you want to tell me," he says. "I don't care what your name is to be fair. I'd try to protect anyone like this. It’s just the kind of person I am."It hurts a little. I want to feel like I'm special to him. I don't know why. It’s also nice to know though. It’s sweet that he’s the kind of person who cares about other people."My name is Katia," I say. "Katia." He works over my name, despite not wanting to hear it. He seems to like the way it sounds. "I'm Kaleb."Kaleb. I like t

I've enjoyed talking to Kaleb so much that I'm a little disappointed once we reach his pack.Time has simply gone by far too quickly and I want more time for just the two of us so I can get to know him better. I want to know everything about him.I know he's my mate. The way I feel about him is unlike anything I've ever felt for anyone else."I know you'll love my pack," Kaleb assures me. "And they'll love you too. You'll fit right in."I'm a little nervous, but I also feel a little silly for being nervous. I just want to fit into his world. I want a place to belong more than I’ve ever wanted anything else. "Are you ready to meet the rest of my pack?" he asks."Yes," I say. "I'm ready."He smiles at me, and I have to fight the urge to reach out and touch him. I want to run my fingers through his hair. I want to touch his face. I want to hold him in my arms.The whole pack comes out to greet Kaleb as we step onto their territory, but they all seem surprised to see me there wit

I manage to avoid the pack for the rest of the day, but I know I can't avoid them forever. By the next day, I leave my room to get to know the people I'll be living with at least for now.Ina comes up to me right away."I was wondering if you were ever going to come out again," she says. "I was getting worried about you.""I'm sorry," I tell her. "Yesterday was just…a bit of a shock. It’s all a huge adjustment.""I know," she says. "It’s going to be a lot to get used to. But I'm glad you're out of your room now.""I just need some time to get used to this, to get used to everything.""I understand," she says. "I'm not going to rush you into things. I know this is a lot. But I think you'll really like it here. How about I show you around?”“I’d like that,” I say.If I can focus on my life here, maybe I can manage to be here while still having to cope with seeing Kaleb with someone else. The way this pack has built a life with nature appeals to me. Ina and I run, taking in the

"I love you."I kiss Katia one more time before reluctantly leaving. I wish I could be with her all the time, but I have to be careful until I make it official.I'm already supposed to be Evie's mate. And I'm the Alpha, so it'll be even more scandalous when I break things off with her. But I must.I go to find Evie right after leaving Katia, I don’t want to want any longer than I have to. But I find Ina instead. She falls into my arms and I hug her as she sobs. "It's Jacob," she says. "They've found him and he's been murdered."I feel like someone has taken my heart and ripped it out of my chest. I can't believe that Jacob is dead. He was my younger brother. I’m supposed to protect him. It can’t be true. I wouldn’t allow something like that to happen to him."What happened?" I ask. “There’s no way. He wasn’t gone for that long.”"They think he was killed by a wolf," she says. "Maybe by a wolf from Katia's old pack. The pack that’s hunting her down.""That doesn't make any sen

KALEB’S POV"Is she gone?" Ina asks, as I leave Katia's room.I nod. I'm heartbroken after having to banish Katia, but I didn't have a choice. I shouldn't even be sad about it. She killed Jacob."I don't know that Katia is behind this though," Ina says, horror in her eyes. “I think we have it all wrong.”"What do you mean? I ask."I don't think Katia killed Jacob," Ina says."What?" I ask. "Do you think she's telling the truth?”"She did deny it at first,” Ina reminds me. “So I think she’s lying about some things, but telling the truth about others. I think I’ve grown to know her enough. It’s like our souls know we’re meant to be sisters. So, I know what’s in her heart. I know she didn’t do this.”"What are you saying?" I ask."I think she told the truth when she said she didn’t have anything to do with it," Ina says. "I think it's Brandon. I bet he's the one who killed Jacob.""But maybe Katia told him to," I say, though I’m clinging onto a new hope. I never want to accept