Mate?!　　How was that possible? How could Jeremy possibly be her mate? Was she still in her dream?　　Celeste's eyes widened in horror. She must have heard it wrong. She must have!　　Her heart raced like thunder in her chest, the sound drowning out even the howling of the wolves in her ears. The silence around her was suddenly too eerie. Mixed emotions of fear and confusion crept into her bones as she was left with silence and the thunderous cry for her mate ringing in her ears.　　She couldn't believe it.　　No matter how much she denied it, Celeste could feel a strong pull bringing her to him.　　Deep down, she had an inkling about this. She had thought about Jeremy's strange behavior after his first shift. She forbade herself to think more about it, but she guessed she always had a theory hidden behind the back of her mind.　　The deafening thump of her heart threatened to wake Jeremy from his peaceful slumber next to her, but miraculously he remained sound asleep.　　She couldn't help

　　Celeste was glad that Nancy was finally gone. Her patience was hanging by a thread. She wouldn't know what she was going to do had Nancy stayed for one more second.　　She thought Jeremy was going after Nancy, but she was glad when hearing the click of the lock. Turned out he just went to lock the door.　　And now… she and Jeremy were alone again.　　The heat of her anger had been scorching Celeste, but now it fizzled out entirely, leaving her feeling empty and hollow like a deflated balloon.　　She could feel Jeremy walking back toward her. Then, suddenly as a clap of thunder, realization struck her again. Jeremy was her mate.　　She wished she could just shrink and disappear from under the quilt. She calmed her breathing to maintain the illusion of her still being in a coma.　　Shame went through Celeste as she realized she was just a coward who ran away from her problems. But damn it! She just couldn't bear the thought of talking to Jeremy right now.　　Her mind raced as she recalled th

　　Time seemed to stretch out to Celeste. It felt like an eternity since Jeremy walked out of that door. But in reality, probably only a few minutes had passed since he left the room.　　She had never been so clingy. She had never felt such a need to be close to Jeremy. She guessed her wolf had quite a lot to do with what she was feeling. Her wolf within her had become restless for Jeremy. But she couldn't help with it.　　She didn't know if Jeremy was feeling the same, though. But when he turned back to look at her before leaving, she could sense his wolf wanting the same as hers did.　　The memory of Jeremy's first shift flashed in her mind. She remembered Jeremy's wolf frozen when she tried to touch him. And she remembered herself standing in front of Jeremy's room, with just a thin door separating the two of them. If he had known they were mates, how much had he gone through to keep himself locked away from her? How on earth did he manage to control his inner beast?　　Her wolf yearned

　　Jeremy did a double take, clearly not anticipating Celeste to suggest they share a bed.　　"I…" He fumbled for words while she waited calmly.　　Eventually, he swallowed hard and seemed to make a big decision, "You sure about this?"　　"I am. You must have felt it too. My wolf doesn't just need you for her healing power. She longs for your wolf and wouldn't settle down if you're gone." Her face was warmer when she admitted that, but she ignored it and continued, "You don't have a place to spend the night, and I don't want you to sleep on the floor or even a chair because of me. So it's better if we share a bed. I don't mind it, anyway."　　Her words were soft but firm. As she said so, she didn't look away from his eyes.　　Jeremy nodded and made his way to the opposite side of the bed. He carefully picked Celeste up and moved her over, leaving enough space for him to settle beside her.　　Celeste couldn't help but notice how warm his chest felt as hi

　　Celeste felt a strange wave of safety when she listened to Jeremy's words. He said no one was gonna hurt her, and she believed him.　　Even the anxious wolf inside her seemed to calm down a little.　　Jeremy stood up from his seat to go see who was lurking outside the house. Celeste put down her book, ready to follow him. But he shook his head, "No. You should just stay here. You're not fully recovered. I'll handle it."　　She wanted to argue, but she saw the determination and concern in his eyes. She knew she couldn't shift yet. If there was danger outside, given her current state, she would only distract Jeremy. So she nodded in agreement.　　Jeremy gave her arm a reassuring squeeze before turning around and heading towards the door quietly.　　Suddenly, the doorbell rang, startling both of them. Celeste knitted her brows. She thought the figure was sneaking outside, and now they had the gut to ring the doorbell and confront them head on?　　Jeremy looked