TYLER. Black, just like me, was fighting against himself to stop my fangs from elongating. And I couldn’t be more grateful for that. If Black was not doing this, I had no idea how to stop myself from doing it. As soon as I was able to control my urge to mark her, I lowered my head, trailing kisses from her neck to her collarbone until I reached the valley of her breasts while my hands were skimming over her naked skin. I let myself enjoy this moment. I had dreamed of touching and kissing her, worshiping every part of her body, and my emotions overwhelmed me. More than the act of fucking, I was overly emotional that she was allowing me to do this with her. I knew Catherine was still a virgin and that she had saved herself for me. “Tyler,” Catherine whimpered, her hands clutching my shoulders tightly as my tongue circled her erected nipple before I sucked it and bit it gently. I slid my body up, taking her hands with me before pinning them over her head. A smug smirk crossed my f

TYLER. I didn’t see Catherine for the rest of the day. She was not at breakfast this morning, but I didn’t mind as I knew she was catching up on her sleep. However, I did check on her before I continued with my work, and we had been mind-linking each other throughout the day. And although we were just starting with this relationship, everything felt natural. It was like we’d been doing this our whole lives. Somehow, this was true, as Catherine and I had always been inseparable. The only difference was that we could finally tell each other what we felt for one another since there was no reason for me not to show or tell her I loved her. That feeling was enough to get me through the day. Jace didn’t work today as his and the Luna’s families were around, so Austin and I took charge, but there was nothing to worry about as it was the weekend. We just needed to ensure everything was in order after last night’s ceremony. It was almost time for dinner when I headed back to the packhouse.

TYLER. Catherine launched at me. Her foot was about to hit my face, but I blocked it with one arm, shoving her leg away, and the temptress just made another turn in the air and landed perfectly on the ground. “You’re not fighting fair.” I chuckled, positioning myself for combat. “Who says everyone fights fair?” She half crouched on the ground and raised her balled fists as her eyes squinted. And as I expected, she came surging forward and threw jabs at me, which I dodged. I saw her right leg lift, and just when I was about to block it, she retracted it too fast and instead kicked using her left leg, which hit me on my back thigh. “Fuck me!” I groaned. It wasn’t painful, but she caught me off guard. “Yes. I will do that tonight. Don’t be too easy on me, Beta. I want my body bruised and sore.” She winked at me, and it made me chuckle. She was enjoying this. I was never easy on her when we trained. Gone were the days when I always handled Catherine with care during sparring. I was

**FLASHBACK. Catherine - 15 years oldTyler - about to turn 18 CATHERINE. “So, what do you think?” Mom asked while I stood and stared at the view outside the window. I was in Dad’s office, as he and Mom wanted to ask about me joining them on their world tour after they stepped down as Alpha and Luna of the pack. “I’m not sure,” I answered softly, while my eyes focused on Tyler outside, who was fixing the engine or something in Austin’s car. He was in the parking space with Austin and my brother. “I thought you wanted to travel and see the world,” Dad said. “I want that…” I answered, but how could I tell them I wanted to do that with Tyler still around me? Three years would be too long to be away from him. What if he met someone he liked? What if he got used to not having me around? “But three years is too long, and I will miss my friends.” “But we’ve talked about this for a long time now. We will return home on your eighteenth birthday, so we can still throw you a big party a

CATHERINE. “Maybe you both need to rest.” I heard Mom’s loud voice after I just untangled myself from Aunt Jenny’s grasp. Aunt Jenny was a former female warrior from our pack and one of my Mom’s best friends. She moved to the Silver Moon Pack after she met her mate but remained close to our family. She was one of the godmothers I was lucky to have. She came two days ago, and we’d been doing non-stop combat training since then. And this will be my last session before the Claiming tomorrow. All was set, and I wanted to believe I was already prepared for the Claiming. I already had the blue gown I chose to wear when Tyler claimed me in front of the Council. Jace also ensured the Alpha Circle would be there to help us if needed. Cyrus will be the last to join us in the arena, as we didn’t want the Council to be suspicious as he was Tyler’s cousin. Arlo, Aunt Jenny’s son, Zach’s Beta, had wanted to help, but with everything going on in their pack, he was in no position to leave, a