I bet Rion hopes I forgot about asking him about Wake. Nope, not even close. I still need to know what happened there, especially with how close he got to the other pack's border.

“Tell me what happened with Wake,” I remind him. Of course, this comes out of my mouth a second before we pull up to his house.

“Inside,” he states. “I promise I'll tell you. I just want to get out of the car. I'm tired of driving.”

His exhaustion was evident at the school. I haven’t stopped to think about the toll watching over me night after night—while I sleep—has taken on him. I could also offer to teleport him every day, but what if something happens to me, and he’s home waiting for me to get him? I’m sure he’s thought the same thing. Rion likes to be in control. He wouldn’t want to wait. He’d want to be there in case I needed him.

“You didn't have to pick me up today,” I tell him. “I could have gotten a ride home with Paige.”

“I was already there.” He scrubs a hand over his face. “I've been nearby all day. After what happened, I don't want to take any chances with your safety.”

“Wake didn’t hurt me, Rion. He was only there to talk. Besides, Ford showed up. If I needed help, he was there.”

“He wasn't there the whole time, though, was he?” Rion can’t be around me night and day. He’d never sleep. Nor would I expect him to be. I have a new ability. I’m not as helpless as I was before.

“No, but I can teleport now. I could have gotten Paige and me out of there fast, if I had to.”

“And take her where? Inside your house? You wouldn't be safe there.” I feel like I’m being tested.

“I could have taken us to Ford's house. That's far enough away. I don’t think many know where he lives.”

“And leave your parents unguarded? Someone could have gone for them, too. While you were out back talking with Wake, someone could have entered your home.” Cold dread pours over me. He’s right. They could have. Hold on. Is he trying to make me paranoid?

“No one else was there. Wake was alone.”

“You're still naïve, Ari. You have a lot to learn about my world.” He opens the door and gets out of the Jag before I have a chance to reply.

I don't wait for him to come to my side. I'm out of the car a second after him. “Don't talk to me as if I'm so much younger than you. You're only a year older.”

He rounds the car and is in front of me, his crystal blue eyes staring me down. “I may only be a year older, but I have a world of knowledge behind every one of those years. I know Wake as well as I know my uncle and everyone else in this pack. He's not your friend,” he says harshly. Turning, he walks toward his home. Over his shoulder he adds, “He knows where Ford lives, by the way. He used to be friends with him.”

“Are you seriously walking away from me right now?” I stomp after him. Can’t he stand here and have a conversation with me?

“I am, because you're acting like a child.”

I freeze in my tracks. “Take me home.”

He spins to face me. “I will not. I want you to see where I sleep so you can come here for protection if you need it.”

I widen my stance, firmly planting my feet. “I'm not going.” Okay, so this is a little childish, but I'm not going to let him talk down to me. Arrogant wolf. It serves him right to have someone stand up to him and tell him no. If he thinks I'm going to have a relationship with him and bow to his every command, then he’s very wrong. Mutual respect is the only way I'm going to be in this with him. Right now, he's trying to strong-arm me, and I won't have any part of it.

“If this is going to work between us, then you're going to need to respect me,” I say. “Our relationship has to be fifty-fifty. I won’t have you thinking I'll do whatever you want, whenever you say.”

“Fifty-fifty?” he yells as he stalks toward me. “Don't you see how much pull you have where I’m concerned? This relationship is ninety-ten at best.” He’s lost his mind.

“You're insane! You're barking orders at me and telling me who I can and cannot speak to.”

“One person, Ari! One! Person! Do you know what he did to this pack? To his own father? To me?”

I nod. “Ford told me.”

“Then how can you stand here and be okay with talking to him?” Everything he’s saying only angers me further. I’m surprised I’m not shaking.

“Because he's the only other watcher I know! That's what I am, Rion! Yet no one bothered to fill me in on what that entailed. How me having premonitions has a name. How I'm the only one in the Avynwood Pack with that ability. And while we're at it, when did I become a member of your pack? I'm human! I'm not mated to you!”

“Do you want to officially be mated to me, Ari? Are you ready for that?” I don't reply. He’s aware I’m not. “I thought so.” He makes a fist and thumps it on his chest, over his heart. “I am! I'm that committed to you! This isn’t a game for me. You’re my life! But I'm giving you the chance to feel for me what I do for you.” Some of my anger falls away. He is giving me breathing room in that instance. He’s not pushing me to fully commit to him outside of us being boyfriend and girlfriend.

“I told you I feel something for you. I'm not denying that.”

“Do you love me?” he asks. “Does your heart beat solely for me?”

“I-I've never told any guy I've loved them.” I’ve also never been in a relationship before. Neither has he, for that matter.

What I'm not saying is that every day I'm with him, I fall deeper and deeper into this. Is it love? I think so but have never been in it before; it's hard for me to know for sure. What I don't want to do is utter those three words until I'm absolutely certain I am in love with him. There’s also this tiny part of me, which screams: this is moving too fast! I shove that part away. This isn’t a human-human relationship I’m in. This is a human-paranormal one, and after all the books I’ve read, I understand that none of this goes along with conventional standards.

He closes the distance between us; his body only a breath away from mine. Leaning down, he peers directly at me. The emerald green eyes of his wolf front and center when he speaks. “I've been falling for you since the moment we met. No, you don't do as I ask. You don't bend to my will, and that only makes me want you more. My wolf and I don't desire a weak mate. We want someone strong who will challenge us. But we also need to protect you. I love you, Ariane, with every part of my being.”

Tears prick my eyes. I try to blink them back, but it's of no use. One escapes, trickling down my cheek. The barrage of emotions I'm feeling has a lump forming in my throat. “How can you know for sure? It’s been less than two weeks since we met.”

“Because I'm a shifter. Everything in me runs on pure instinct, and that instinct pulls me to you like a moth to a flame. You’re my soul mate—my one true love. I would do anything to prove how deep my love for you runs. I would drop to my knees and show the world I'm submissive to you. My wolf would lie at your feet, in front of the entire pack, if that's what it would take to prove how I will always yield to you.”

I open my mouth, but no words form. What could I possibly say that would communicate how I feel? I understand everything he's telling me, but I can't get those words past my lips. Instead, I stand on tiptoes and press a kiss to his lips. Rion tilts his head as I part my lips, inviting him in. The kiss deepens as I try to convey my emotions through it, hoping a tiny bit of what runs through me flows to him.

Then I'm jolted—rocked where I stand. It's as if there's an earthquake, but as I break away from him and look around, nothing has changed. It's only Rion and me. And he's wearing the same shocked expression I am.

“What just happened?” I glance to the ground, trying to make sense of things. I'm standing on the same smooth, dirt drive I was before. The cabin is still there. The car is fine. No one came running out saying they felt it, too.

My eyes settle back on Rion as he rubs the center of his chest. “We connected,” he says softly in awe. “I heard you in my mind.”

“Say what now?”

“Think of something and let me see if I can hear you.”

“This is crazy. You know that, right?” What am I saying? Every day since I’ve met him has been this way. Why should today be any different?

I think for a moment. This is going to be embarrassing to admit, but I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Focusing on Rion, I think of something and try to send it to him, even though I have no clue what I’m doing. “There have been a few days since we met, when I’ve counted the minutes until I saw you. It felt like I couldn't breathe until you were standing in front of me again.”

His response is to kiss me again. It’s sweet and brief. He pulls back wearing a huge smile. His voice enters my mind as clear as if he were saying the words aloud. “I love you, Ariane. I love you so very much.”

“Whoa. How can we…? Why did we?”

“We're truly mates. Not that I had any doubt. You must have given a part of yourself over to me.” He pauses for a moment. “You believe my love for you is real. That this between us is genuine.”

“I don't doubt your love, Rion. It's only hard for me to believe that this is all happening. This is my life now. I have a shifter for a boyfriend and a vampire for a friend. Know another wolf who gets premonitions like I do.” I pause. “Wait! We need to talk about Wake.”

I wonder if what I think automatically goes to Rion or if I have to intentionally send it. “Rion? Can you hear me?” He smiles and nods. I think about the way his lips felt against mine. How my heart opened up and part of my very being became one with him. I didn't surrender it all. Maybe I will someday. I'm not there…yet.

“Did you hear anything after I asked you if you could hear me?”

“No,” he replies.

“Okay, so I have to intentionally send you a message. You can't hear my thoughts. I can't hear yours.”

“Correct. I don't hear anything unless you specifically send it.” Good to know. It’s not like Ford. He hears everything I think. There’s an open stream of my thoughts that flows right to him.

“Back to Wake,” I state, needing to finish this conversation.

“I'll tell you what happened, but you need to see my room first. I want you to know where I sleep so you can find me.” If going to see his room means I get more information, I’m in.

“Hey, I wonder how far apart we can be and still communicate.”

“I'm not sure. We can try tomorrow when you're at school.”

I smile. “Sounds like a plan.”

We go inside the cabin. Cassandra and Aries aren't home, so we have the house to ourselves. On the upper level, we pass two bedrooms and a bathroom before reaching Rion’s room.

It's spacious, with a large sliding door and its own small deck. There’s a king-size bed, a long dresser, and two nightstands, all in sleek, black wood. The walls are a slate blue. An adjoining bathroom and walk-in closet complete the area. No clothes are scattered about. Everything is tidy, including the closet. The door stands open, giving me a glimpse into how Rion keeps things. For some reason, I imagined clothes thrown everywhere, an unmade bed, and blinds haphazardly closed.

“I think half of the upstairs at my house could fit in this one room,” I observe.

He shrugs. “It's home. For now.”

“What do you mean for now?”

“Once our book is done, I don't know that I want to stay here. Maybe in the area, but not in this house with my uncle. The pack has a lot of land. I could build a home on it to have my own space, away from everyone else. Most of the pack love being in tight quarters, but I don't. The only one I never minded sharing with was Wake.” The pain in his voice causes my chest to tighten. It’s not anger but hurt.

“Have you tried mending things with him?”

“No. He was trying to talk to me last night, but a broken jaw got in his way of forming words.” I knew something must have happened. It would have been too easy to have a conversation. No, Rion had to get all shifter tough and fight.

“What happened?”

“I chased him to their boundaries. Not once did he try to attack me as we ran.”

“Maybe that's because he doesn't want to fight you. He's older now. Maybe he's changed.”

“Of course he's changed. He's part of a rival pack. He could have gone anywhere, but he went to them.” Rion sits on the edge of the bed, putting his head down in his hands.

“Maybe because at the time he knew that would hurt the most. He was in pain. He lost the woman he thought was his mate. Can you imagine that? Think about it, knowing and feeling what you do now. If that were you and there was another shifter after me, saying I was their mate, wouldn't you put up a fight?”

His head snaps up and he growls. “I'd kill them.”

“Wake didn't kill Sevan. He lashed out, running off pure emotion. Instead of passing judgment, maybe try putting yourself in his shoes.”

His eyes flash green briefly before returning to blue. “I'd still kill whoever challenged me for you.”