Andras   I hear the word mate and I am by her side in the blink of an eye. I growl at the man, wanting to tear him limb from limb. I feel a deep burning urge deep inside me to attack him and to protect Bronwen. To show him that she is mine and to warn him against even speaking to her. He can't just come in here claiming that she is his mate and that he was drawn to her. She is mine. Mine. “She is not your mate!” I feel her small hand come to rest on my arm, trying to calm my blazing anger. She tugs me backwards, but I don't budge. I keep my glare trained on the man, the deep

My mom? My mom was his mate? How could that even be? “She, your mom, was raised in Georgia. Grew up in a farm house right outside of the territory boundary of our pack. I used to sneak over and play with her when were little kids. She was my best friend and we did everything together. As teens, we would sneak off and go for walks through the trees, lay out under the stars and talk all night. We were each others first kiss, first love, first.. uh, everything. I loved her long before I felt the call the mate bond. She was my whole world from the time I turned six years old.” He looks so sad, bending his head over his knees, lost

Bronwen   “I really, really want to go.” “Bronw-” He begins but I cut him off. I know exactly what he is going to say because he has said it all before. Many times. That I have not known Jeremy very long and his family is a bunch of strangers. That maybe it isn't a good idea to travel halfway across the country with him so soon after meeting him. That we have no way of knowing if Jeremy is trustworthy or anything about his family, so it could be dangerous. He makes it sound like Travis is leading me to a group of freaks that will gut me like a fish and make a skinsuit out of me. I'm not sure what he

Andras   “What?” I must have misheard her because surely she is not saying what I think she is saying. “I think you heard me just fine.” She tells me and I smile at her saucy reply. “Are you sure?” I am not convinced that she even knows what it is that she is asking for. I would never hurt her and the fact that she is asking this of me makes me think that she trusts me, which really touches me. Deeply. But I don't think that she fully understands how temptin

Bronwen   A twig snaps behind me and I turn around to look. One of my uncles stands behind me and it takes me a minute to conjure up a name from the forty I have just heard in the last few hours. He is the one that looks like my dad.. the youngest one, which makes him.. “You are my uncle Zeke, right? Dad's youngest brother.” “Yes m'am, that is correct.” He looks at the expanse of the grassy knoll beside me and smiles. “Do you mind if I join you up there?” “Sure. Go ahead.” I