“She can’t die.”

“She won’t. She’s breathing. Look, Chase. She’ll be fine.”

“Then why doesn’t she…”

The voices faded, and Hannah frowned. Who were they talking about? Why couldn’t she open her eyes? And why the hell did everything hurt so much?

She floated in a sea of darkness, lost and alone, with nothing but pain for company, for what felt like years.

“I love you, Hannah. Come back to me.”

Chase. Why couldn’t she answer him back? She couldn’t find her body. She needed to tell him she loved him.

She heard a soft growl, and frowned for a moment, wondering why he was growling. But then she realized it hadn’t come from him. Who made that noise? Was it…

“See,” a soft feminine voice said. “Hear that? She’s going to be fine. Please, come eat something.”

“No. Not hungry.”

The voices faded again and Hannah screamed into the bottomless void. She needed to see him, talk to him, tell him everything.

She struggled against the pain, trying to force herself to have substance, but the black void unexpectedly fought back, and Hannah felt herself fade into nothingness again.

Chase jerked awake in his chair, his eyes immediately shooting to where Hannah lie still in his bed. The only movement visible was the reassuring rise and fall of her breath, and Chase blew out a relieved breath. She wasn’t awake, but she was still alive. Thank God. He couldn’t doze off like that again.

He sat up and scrubbed his hands against his face, trying to wake up more. Stifling a yawn, he stood up and went to the bed, gazing down at his love. He took her hand gently and studied her face. The bruises had healed, almost to nothingness, and her breathing was steady. But she still hadn’t woken up.

“She’ll wake up, Chase. She’s going to be fine.”

His brother was turning into a damned mind reader like Garret now. Although that had been on Chase’s lips so much since he brought Hannah home, it probably wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking anymore.

“It’s been two days, Ty,” he replied, still staring at Hannah’s beautiful face. “She should have woken up by now.”

“She took a lot of damage in that wreck. She nearly died. Give it time.”

He whirled away from the bed and shot his brother a glare. “I’m tired of hearing that shit. Two fucking days, and she hasn’t woken up once. How the fuck would you feel if it were Parker lying in that bed?”

Ty flinched and glanced down at his feet, looking pained. “Probably the same as you,” he replied as he met Chase’s eyes again. “But it doesn’t change the truth. You heard the growl in her chest. And she’s still alive. That says something. But you’re not doing her any favors, little brother. You need to eat, and sleep more than twenty minutes at a time in that damn chair.”

Chase glared at his brother for a few more moments before his shoulders slumped as he let out a heavy exhale. “Sorry. I’m just…”

“I know. But it’s going to be okay. It is.”

His lips slanted up in a brief movement that was gone as quickly as it appeared, and he shook his head. “Since when did you become such an optimist?”

“Since Parker, I guess,” Ty replied with a wry smile. “Being in love changes you. You know that as well as I do.”

Chase’s eyes went to Hannah’s prone form on the bed, and he nodded. Yeah, he did know that.

“Anyway, I came to tell you I just got off the phone with Frank.”

“Yeah? What’d the sheriff say?”

“Still no sign of the other driver. Wherever this Alex Kincaid went, no one has been able to find him yet.”

Chase frowned. He couldn’t understand it. The driver had been unconscious one moment, and had vanished the next. No one, not even his brother, or the other shifters here or on Bear Claw, had been able to find him. He hoped the guy was okay, but he didn’t have the mental energy to waste on him. Hannah took up all of it and then some.

“And the Jeep?”

“It’s back here, and fixed. Just like you wanted.”

“Good,” he said absently, staring at Hannah’s hand. It looked like her fingers twitched, and he prayed for them move to again, but they were still. He’d probably imagined it.

Ty walked over and clapped a hand to his shoulder, squeezing tight. “I’ll get out of your hair. I know it’s a waste of breath to ask you to come to the dinner table tonight. But when Parker brings you a plate, will you try to eat some? For her and Kelsey, if not for me. They’re worried about you. Hell, do it for Hannah. What will she think if she wakes up to find you looking like this?”

“I’ll try. That’s all I can promise. Now get the hell out of here. You’re freakin’ me out with all this mother henning.”

“Ass,” Ty muttered with a smirk as he walked out and shut the door behind him.

Finally. Happy to be alone with Hannah and his thoughts, he sank into the chair again, his gaze latching onto her fingers, willing them to move. That movement had been the first she’d made in two days, if she’d made it all, and he hadn’t imagined it.

He didn’t know what he expected to happen when he got her back to the house. When it became clear she wasn’t dying, and her wounds had begun to heal quickly, he knew the wolf he’d given her had taken. He thought she would just wake up, miraculously healed, strong as a shifter and ready to go.

Instead, she stayed unconscious. And he was worried the longer she was out, the less her chances of ever coming back were. It was like she was in a coma or something, although he’d never heard of a shifter being in one before. But they didn’t have what they needed here to keep her alive in this state.

They’d tried giving her broth, and while it seemed like she’d gotten some down, most of it had dribbled back out. They were running out of time. His brother had already found a shifter friendly facility they could take her for the care she needed, but Chase had responded to that by throwing his largely untouched dinner plate at his brother’s head.

A soft knock sounded on the door, and Kelsey opened it without waiting on a reply. “I have some dinner. Please try to eat some of it this time, instead of throwing it at Ty.”

She had a twinkle in her eye like she wasn’t averse to him doing so again, but it faded when she looked at Hannah. She walked over and handed him the plate before looking at her friend. She touched a hand to Hannah’s and sighed.

“I wish she would wake up.”

“Can you feel anything from her?”

Shifters each had their own special gift. Some were mental, some were physical. Chase had a gift for organization and management, nothing special. But Kelsey could feel other’s emotions like they were her own.

“Not right now,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ve felt pain from her at times, but that’s it. It’s mostly like she’s just sleeping.”

Chase swallowed hard and nodded, unsurprised, though he’d hoped for a different answer. He knew Hannah had been in pain. She’d moaned and thrashed uncontrollably for the first day, a constant growl from her new wolf in her throat. He hated that she was hurting, but there was nothing he could do to change it or make it better.

Too bad that wasn’t his gift. He’d have given anything to be able to take her pain from her. He’d gladly bear it himself a thousand fold if it would spare her from it.

“Hopefully she won’t remember this. She’ll wake up like she’s taken a dreamless nap,” his sister said, squeezing Hannah’s hand one more time before turning away.

“One can only hope,” he said, studying Kelsey’s pale and drawn face. A thought occurred to him, and he jerked upright as he looked at his sister. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it before. “Do you think Garret could read her mind, see if she’s even aware at all?”

“He tried,” she said sadly. Catching the surprise on Chase’s face, she explained, “You were passed out in the chair when we came in. He could tell she was there, but there weren’t any cognizant thoughts in her mind. I’m sorry. We didn’t tell you because there really wasn’t anything to tell.”

Nodding, Chase slumped back into his chair. It was a long shot, but he’d needed to try. He studied his sister’s pale and drawn face as she looked at Hannah, a hauntingly sad expression on her face.

Everyone had taken the accident hard, but Kelsey second only to him. She hadn’t known Hannah more than a few months, but she’d become attached to her almost instantly. She’d been the first one to call him out on his treatment of Hannah. His normally nervous and quiet sister, who rarely spoke to her newfound half-brothers, had turned fierce, giving him hell over Hannah. She loved her, almost as much as he did.

He just hoped this didn’t send her spiraling back to how she was before hooking up with her mate, Garret.

“Would you stop looking at me like that?” she asked with exasperation.

“Like what?” he replied, eyebrows raised.

“All… sad and shit,” she said with a wave of her hand. “You do it sometimes when you think I’m not looking. I’m fine. I’ve been fine for months, and I have no plans of changing that. The past happened. Nothing either of us can do to change it, so we need to move on. I have Garret now. He’s all I need, and he keeps me steady.”

Chase nodded as he glanced at Hannah, understanding completely. As long as he had Hannah, everything would be good. He barely noticed his sister leaving with a murmured warning to eat his dinner before Ty force-fed him that lingered in the air after she was gone.

He sighed and picked up the plate. It looked like chicken pot pie, one of his favorites, and his stomach rumbled faintly, though he felt no desire to eat. He picked up his fork and started shoveling it in anyway, knowing Ty would eventually get fed up and really try to force-feed him at some point.

He thought over what his sister said as he ate. She was right, the past was over and all they could do was move on. He couldn’t help the guilt that swamped him when he thought of her childhood. She’d been beaten, starved, almost raped. It didn’t seem to matter that he and Ty hadn’t even been aware of her existence. It still felt like they should have been there for her, regardless. That they should have known and saved her somehow.

He sighed as he set down his plate, half finished. He’d choked down as much as he could. And there was no point in thinking about Kelsey’s past, especially not right now. He had enough on his mind as it was.

He took a drink of the lukewarm, watered down tea sitting on the bedside table. He frowned as a sound reached his ears, but when his gaze shot to Hannah, she was in the exact same position she had been in, completely unchanged.

He was sitting his glass down when he heard it again. Eyes racing to her again, his breath froze in his chest when he saw that her gorgeous green eyes were open and she was looking right at him.

“Chase,” she said, her voice scratchy from disuse. “What… what happened?”

“Oh, God, Hannah,” he forced out through a throat tight with emotion. He shot out of the chair and to her side, brushing a hand over her face. “You’re awake. Thank the good Lord, you’re awake.”

She tried to clear her throat, wincing as she did so. “Can I have something to drink?”

Shit. He was a horrible nurse. Looking around frantically for the water they’d kept close for her, he gave up when he didn’t find it, and just grabbed his tea. He turned around and gingerly slipped a hand under her shoulders, supporting her upright while she sipped slowly.

“Why am I here? Where am I? And why do you look like hell?” she asked, her voice steadier.

“You don’t remember the accident?”

“The…” she trailed off as realization dawned in her eyes. She started to sit up and Chase protested before she cut him a look. “I’m okay. I can sit up. I feel fine.”

“Okay,” he told her soothingly. “Just let me help you.”

He quickly propped some pillows up behind her and eased her back against them. He looked her over for any sign of pain, but she was resting easily. Some of the tension left his shoulders as relief threatened to buckle his knees. He quickly pulled the chair closer to her bed and sank into it before he fell over.

“You still haven’t answered my questions,” she said, voice soft as she studied him with a growing frown, concern in her eyes.

“You’re at Red Moon. In my bedroom, to be more specific. I brought you here after.”

“You mean after the hospital? I had to have been in the hospital for a while. The pain… the wreck was bad, wasn’t it? Really bad. How long has it been?”

Chase cleared his throat and fidgeted in his chair, but there was no way to avoid telling her the truth. “It’s been two days.”

“Two days!” she exclaimed. “There’s no way. I was thrown from the Jeep, I know that much. If nothing else, I’d be feeling some aches and pains, and I feel none. Although my bad ankle is sore,” she said with a grimace.

“And I look like hell because I haven’t been able to leave your side,” he rushed out, hoping it would distract her for a few moments while he figured out how to tell her what he’d done.

“You haven’t left me?” she asked softly as her eyes snapped to his. At his nod, her look turned tender. “That’s sweet, Chase. But you should have gotten some rest. You look like you haven’t slept in days, and you look thinner, already. You need to take care of yourself.”

He reached out and grabbed her hand in his, loving the electric sparks that raced over his skin. His wolf sighed in contentment in his chest, happy to touch her, ecstatic that she was awake and talking to them.

“I just couldn’t, Hannah. I tried, but I couldn’t leave you.”

She rubbed her thumb along his hand. “I guess I can understand that. I wouldn’t have been able to leave your side, either. You avoided my question though. How it is possible it’s only been two days since the wreck?”

He blew out a breath and tried to brace himself for whatever reaction she’d have. Judging by how she reacted to his news that he was a wolf shifter, he somehow didn’t think learning she was one now too would go over well.

“You were dying,” he told her seriously and earnestly, willing her and her new wolf to hear the truth in his voice. “You were losing too much blood, and you had internal injuries. It was bad, Hannah, and help wasn’t going to get there in time. I had no other choice. Please, believe that.”

Her frown grew as she listened to him. “Okay. I knew it was bad when it happened, that I was probably going to die. So…?”

“I turned you,” he blurted out in a rush. “I put a wolf inside you. We heal faster, so much faster, than humans. I’m sorry I did it without your permission, but I don’t regret it. You would have died without it.”

Hannah stared at Chase, her mind sluggish as she tried to take that in. He’d given her a wolf. So he’d bitten her. He’d given her a claiming mark, and she missed it. She didn’t know why that was where her mind went first, but she felt so much disappointment that he’d claimed her and she hadn’t even been really been present for it.

She put a hand to her neck where the skin was tingling as she thought about it, and felt around. There it was. A perfect bite mark where her neck met her shoulder. She fingered it in awe for a moment as the truth sunk in.

She was a shifter now. As she thought about it, she became aware of a heaviness, a pressure in her chest, like it was too small and full to contain all of her. It had been there since she woke up, but she’d written it off as effects from the accident. But now she could feel the wolf’s presence, could even feel her stir, and a gentle greeting brushed her mind.

Whoa. That was different. She analyzed it, expecting to feel invaded or something, but felt serenity instead. It felt right, like the wolf was always supposed to be there, filling a void inside her she’d never noticed she had before now.

“Talk to me, Hannah. Do you hate me now?” Chase asked, his anxious voice cutting into her musings.

Her eyes shot to his, taking in the worry etched into his face, and the strain around his whiskey eyes.

“No,” she rushed out, reaching a hand out to intertwine with his. As his skin slid across hers, she felt her whole body relax, like all she needed was to touch him for everything to be right in her world.

Mate, her wolf sighed out.

Hannah startled hard as she heard her wolf speak for the first time. Then what the animal said slowly sank in. Her wolf said Chase was her mate. Happiness filled her chest, too much to be contained. It just cemented the growing bond she could feel forming between her and Chase.

Forcing those thoughts from her head right now, she focused on her mate, who hadn’t lost his worried look.

“No, I don’t hate you,” she repeated. “I’m not mad, or upset, or anything but grateful. I knew I was going to die, Chase. You did what you had to, to save me, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that.”

He studied her as the worry slowly slipped from his face, relief taking its place. He picked up her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. “Thank God. I would never regret doing whatever necessary to save your life, but I’m so fucking thankful you don’t hate me. And there’s no need for you to feel grateful to me. The fact that you’re alive is all I need. I just worried… well, you didn’t take the news that I was a shifter very well. I had no idea how you’d react about this.”

Hannah sighed, regret filling her. “I’m sorry about that. It was just too much. Too many emotions for me to handle. I went from being in love and ridiculously happy, to feeling like my heart was shattering when I thought you were playing with me, to suddenly seeing a gigantic wolf standing where you had just been. I freaked out, plain and simple.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me, baby. I can only imagine how it must have sounded and looked to you. I worried over how to tell you for so long, from the very first day I asked you to give me a chance. I didn’t want you to leave me, or hate what I am. I didn’t know how to tell you. And I know I screwed it all up, but there’s no easy way to tell someone you share your body with a wolf.”

Hannah smiled and reached out to brush her palm over his cheek. “I get that. Once I got home and calmed down, I understood a bit. I didn’t like that you waited so long, or that my friends hid this part of their lives from me for so long, but I get it. When the wreck happened, I was actually on the way to come see you. I’d come to grips with it all, and I wanted to come talk. I had questions, but I’d already decided I wanted to be with you, even if you do turn into an overgrown dog on occasion.”

Chase chuckled huskily at that. “I’m glad. Just remember you’ll be turning into an overgrown dog on occasion yourself, now.” Her eyes grew wide at the realization, making him laugh outright. She basked in the sound, running her eyes over the dimples bracketing his mouth, happy to see them again. His laughter tapered off, and he grew serious again. “I just wish you hadn’t gotten into an accident on the way. Finding you like that…” He swallowed hard as he shook his head. “What happened?”

She exhaled heavily as she thought back to the terror, the certainty she was going to die, the pain. She shivered. She wouldn’t wish what had happened to her on anyone.

“It was my own stupid fault. Some deer started to run out in the road, and I swerved into the other lane to avoid them just as another car crested the hill. I didn’t want to hit them, and I tried to go off the opposite side of the road, but I was hydroplaning and didn’t have much control. They clipped me, and it spun the Jeep off the side of the road. I was up on two wheels, starting to tip over, and that’s when my seatbelt snapped. I started rolling down the hill, and blacked out right after that, although I have faint memories of waking up after you found me.”

Chase squeezed his eyes shut and blew out a breath as his body shuddered. “Jesus. I’m so sorry you went through that, baby. I’d give anything to change it, or to have taken your place. I’m just glad I found you. I was out running in wolf form, and didn’t even see you at first when I came upon the wreck. I was checking on the other driver when I happened to get a glimpse of your Jeep from the corner of my eye. If I hadn’t been in the right place at the right time… if I’d been just a little later, or hadn’t been there at all…”

“Hey,” she said, squeezing his hand to get him to look at her. “None of that. You were there, and you got to me in time. That’s all that matters.” She leaned toward him and he met her halfway, giving her a long, gentle kiss. Damn, that felt good. Her eyes popped open, and she jerked away from the kiss. “Wait, what happened to the other driver? I can’t believe I forgot about him until now. Is he okay?”

Chase frowned. “I don’t know. He had a bump and a gash on his head when I looked at him. He was unconscious, but his pulse was strong and steady. I had already called 911 when I saw your Jeep, but once I got to you, I didn’t give him another thought. I bit you to change you, and then carried you to the house. I could hear the sirens approaching before I left, but they said later when they got there, he was gone. His car was still there, but there was no sign of him.”

Hannah felt herself frowning, unsettled. “That poor guy. I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he’s just fine,” he tried to reassure her.

She cocked her head as she studied him. It was weird, the way his voice sounded to her just then. It sounded all wrong.

“That’s a lie. You aren’t sure of any such thing.”

He glanced at her in surprise, and then chuckled. “Busted. I forgot for a second you’ll hear it if I’m fibbing.”

“I’ll hear it? Seriously?”

“Yeah, shifters can hear lies. The notes in people’s voices sound off. You can always tell a lie from the truth. Here, listen. I never want to have sex with you again,” he said, eyes dancing.

Hannah laughed, hearing the discordant notes in his voice clearly, now that she was paying attention. “Lie.”

He nodded, face going serious. “I love you more than life itself.”

“Truth,” she said breathily as her heart melted under his warm gaze. “I love you the same way,” she murmured right before their lips met in another long, soft kiss.

It was just heating up when her stomach let out a long growl. She flushed with embarrassment as she pulled back from the kiss. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You’ve got to be starving. Let me go grab you something to eat. Maybe some soup, since you haven’t eaten in a couple days.”

Hannah wrinkled her nose. “No thanks. What about what you were eating?” she asked, pointing at the plate on the bedside table.

“You think you’re up for chicken pot pie?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Yep!”

“Okay, we’ll give it a go. I’ll get you a plate and something to drink.”

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom while you’re gone.”

He hesitated for a moment. “Do you need help?”

“To go to the bathroom?” she replied with a laugh. “I think I’d like to have some privacy for that. I’m feeling strong enough,” she said hastily when she saw the look on his face. “I feel great, actually.”

“Let me help you out of bed, at least,” he said, holding a hand out to her.

She pushed the covers out of her way, noticing all she had on was one of his t-shirts, and swung her legs over. She frowned at the bandage around her ankle, and tested it out with some weight on the floor. It was sore, which surprised her, given that she didn’t have any other aches and pains.

“What’s with my ankle? Why is it bandaged, and why is it sore when nothing else is?”

“Oh. Well, the wolf healed your body. All of you, not just the parts that were hurt in the accident. It fixed your ankle, and it was the last to heal, probably because it was the least life threatening. And, uh, I guess you didn’t need the screws, or maybe it saw them as foreign objects. Whatever the reason, it pushed them out of your body,” he said with a grimace. “It just finished early this morning, and I put a bandage on it because, well… it wasn’t pretty.”

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Gross,” she said with a shudder, imaging it. Then the implications of what he said began to sink in. “Wait, you mean it healed my ankle? As in good as new? I can… I can dance again?” she asked hesitantly, trying not to get her hopes up.

A breathtaking smile lit his face as he gently pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “Yes, baby. You’ll be able to dance again. Your ankle will be good as new, once it heals up from pushing the screws out. It shouldn’t take long, though. Shifter healing is fast.”

Hannah was unable to resist a giddy bounce as she threw her arms around his neck. This was amazing. She could pursue her passion once again. And it was all due to the man currently hugging her tight to his chest like he never wanted to let her go.

He eventually did, however reluctantly, pulling back to kiss her gently. “Come on, you. We need to get you fed,” he said as he let her go, giving her a smack on the butt before grabbing her hand.

He walked her to the bathroom and left her to go get her dinner. Luckily, it hadn’t been a long walk. His shirt was big on her, falling halfway down her thighs, but she was acutely aware of having nothing on underneath it. She quickly did her business, and as she washed her hands, she studied her reflection in the mirror.

She’d been expecting to look like hell, but she didn’t look bad at all. Chase looked far worse than she did. Her hair was clean and gleaming in the light, so someone must have washed the blood from it. Her skin was glowing, and there was a flush to her cheeks. She looked into her eyes, absently rubbing her chest as she felt her wolf stir. As she watched, her green eyes took on a silvery sheen. She paused, leaning closer into the mirror, remembering when Chase’s eyes had lightened from whiskey brown to topaz yellow.

“Hey there, little wolf,” she murmured.

She felt a little silly until she heard a rumbling greeting echo through the bathroom. She looked down at her chest, eyes wide, to where she felt it vibrate under her hand, and she broke into a grin. Man, that was cool. She had another being inside her, a wolf of all things. She felt so intrinsic to Hannah already, so much a part of her she couldn’t imagine her not being there, or how she’d lived without her for so long.

She made her way back to Chase’s room, her soul light and awash with happiness. She felt it down to her bones, and she was positive it must be shining out of her pores, surely blinding anyone who looked upon her.

She was living her fairytale, and it was even complete with the supernatural elements she’d thought were missing to make it a classic, true to form.

What a strange turn her life had taken in the last few days, but she wouldn’t change a moment of her journey to get where she was. Every bit of it had led her here, even the accident. She frowned as she sank back down on the bed. She’d change nothing except involving the driver of the other car. If she could have gotten to where she was now without an innocent man being involved, and possibly hurt, because of her journey to now, it would be perfect.

The door opened and Chase walked in, balancing a tray with her dinner and a drink. He gestured for her to sit back, and she did so with a smile as he arranged the tray over her legs.

“There. Eat and drink up. You need it.”

He took a seat in the chair, and Hannah studied him as she took a sip of tea. “I have questions.”

“I’m sure you do,” he said with a quirk to his lips. “Eat and I’ll answer.”

“Parker told me about mates, and claiming marks. The bite you gave me, it claimed me too, right?” she asked before she forked a bite of food into her mouth. She closed her eyes as flavor exploded on her tongue. So good.

She opened her eyes to see him looking at her with his eyebrow cocked. “When did you talk to Parker about this?”

She took another bite and chewed before she answered him, unable to wait. Swallowing, she said, “She came to see me the morning of the accident. She wanted to check on me, make sure I wasn’t mad at her and that we were still friends. She didn’t say much about what y’all are, and only told me that when I asked.”

“Yes, the bite is generally considered a claiming mark, too. Really, it’s the only acceptable reason to bite a human. We don’t go around turning humans for the hell of it.” He hesitated, a dark expression passing briefly across his face before he spoke again. “But I didn’t ask you first. I didn’t have your permission. If you’d rather not consider it one, then we don’t have to.”

“Wait, what?” she asked, her fork freezing halfway to her mouth. “That’s not what I want! I want to be claimed by you. Besides, I didn’t think it worked like that. Parker made it sound permanent and forever.”

Chase closed his eyes, muttering what sounded like “Thank fuck,” under his breath before he looked at her again. “It is permanent. There’s no reversing it. But if you had wanted to, we could have tried to ignore it, and not thought of it in that way.”

“No way,” she said vehemently. “You’re stuck with me forever now, Chase MacKeltar.”

“Forever mates,” he said softly with a smile. “I like the sound of that.”

“What exactly is a mate? I know it’s big. My wolf said you were my mate earlier, and it felt so important.”

His smile widened into a pleased grin. “She did, did she? That’s what I like to hear. Shifters can love as many people as we want. But there’s one person out there who is made just for us, and they’re our mate. Our animals tell us when we find them. Your mate is someone you’d do anything for just to make them happy. You’ll never look at another person after you find them. No one else exists for you. That person, and their happiness, matter more than anything, and you’ll give anything and everything to make them happy.”

Hannah nodded thoughtfully as she chewed. That was pretty much how she felt about him. “How long have you known I was your mate?”

“Since the night we went to Alejandro’s. I suspected before then, but that was the night my wolf confirmed it to me.”

“That was the best night,” she said with a dreamy smile as she sat her fork down.

“You’re not done already, are you?” he asked with a frown toward her plate.

“I’m stuffed,” she replied as she took a sip of her tea. “I ate over half of it. More than you did,” she said with a pointed glance at his plate.

“True,” he said as he stood and gave her a quick kiss before he lifted the tray and sat it on the dresser. He came over and scooped her up in his arms before settling down in the chair, snuggling her close.

“I couldn’t bear to not hold you any longer. God, I was terrified, Hannah. At first, I didn’t think I’d gotten to you fast enough. And then you lived, but you slept for two days. I was so worried you wouldn’t wake up. You’re my everything, and I can’t imagine a world without you in it. Losing you would shred my soul.”

She could understand that, because she felt the same way about him. “I’m sorry I worried you so much. I’m guessing it doesn’t normally take two days to turn into a shifter?”

He kissed her hair and held her tighter. “No, it’s almost instant. My family told me it was because you’d sustained so many life-threatening injuries, and came so close to death. That’s probably true, and I knew they were right, logically. Emotionally, it was another story. I never want to come that close to losing you again.”

She leaned up and placed a lingering kiss on his lips before snuggling back into his strong arms. They were silent for a moment before she spoke up again.

“So, mates are for life and sound amazing. We can hear lies, and we heal fast. Have better hearing, vision, speed and strength. Am I missing anything?”

“That’s basically it, except for actually changing into your wolf.”

“How often do I need to do that? And I don’t have to actually, like, eat in wolf form, do I? Because that sounds disgusting.”

Chase laughed. “No, you don’t. And it’s different for every shifter. For me, I need to shift at least once a week, or my wolf starts getting antsy. You may need to more often, or even as little as once a month. You’ll learn soon what the right balance is for you and your wolf.”

“Does it hurt?” she asked, rubbing her fingers over his abs.

He hesitated, confirming the truth before he ever spoke. “It does, as the shift occurs. It’s blinding, but over in the blink of an eye, I promise. And soon you get so used to it, you don’t even notice it anymore.”

She highly doubted that, even with hearing the truth in his voice. Maybe it didn’t for someone who was born a wolf shifter, but she didn’t think it would be so easy for her.

Everything was falling into place beautifully, but she felt like she had one more unfinished piece of business before she could truly move on.

“Can I use your phone?” she asked.

Brow furrowing at her sudden request, he looked around before snagging it off the table and handing it to her without a word.

“Thanks,” she told him with a smile as she called her mother.

“This is Gloria Vanderguard,” her mother answered in her usual frosty tone.

“Mother, it’s Hannah—”

“Where have you been?” she interrupted imperiously. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you, so we can discuss how to fix this mess with Hunter.”

Rolling her eyes, Hannah replied, “I called to tell you I’m doing as you requested. I’m moving out of my house.”

“It’s about time you left that place. It was such a blight on our family’s reputation. We’ll hire movers to bring your things home—”

“I’m not moving back home,” she said, interrupting her mother for the first time in her life. She smiled, feeling satisfaction from it, and she didn’t care at all if it was petty. “I’m moving in with Chase MacKeltar.”

She glanced at him in time to see his eyebrows raise, but it wasn’t long before his lips were curving into a grin.

“Hell yes, you are,” he said, stealing a kiss.

“What are you talking about?” Gloria squawked, pulling Hannah’s attention back to the conversation. “You can’t live there! I told you to stop seeing him, Hannah. Not to move in with him. I don’t know what goes through that empty head of yours. You will end this immediately. You need to think of your father’s dreams—”

“What about my dreams, Mother? What about what I want out of life, what makes me happy? You and Father have done nothing but tell me how dumb I am all my life. How all I’m good for is to be a trophy wife for some rich jackass who can make you two look better. You’ve tried to dictate my whole life to me, and I went along with it, though God knows why, because I can’t figure out why I put up with it for so long.”

“Well, I never,” Gloria huffed. “You don’t talk that way to me, young lady.”

“No, you don’t get to talk to me the way you have. And it stops now. I’m living a life I love, Mother. I have a job I love, friends I love.” She looked at Chase, locking gazes with him. “I have the man I love. I’m not changing any of that, and if you can’t accept it, then I don’t want you in my life. If you decide you can accept me for who I am, give me a call. Otherwise, don’t contact me again.”

Ending the call, Hannah nodded her head in satisfaction. She should have said all that sooner, but better late than never.

“You’re so amazing, baby,” Chase said, leaning in to give her a lingering kiss. When he pulled back, she saw the pride she felt reflected in his gaze. “Everything you said was dead on. If they can’t see you for the amazing woman you are now, you don’t need them in your life.”

“I know,” she replied, snuggling back into his chest. “I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to stand up to them, but it’s done now. And I feel so much lighter. Their presence was a heavy weight on my shoulders, weighing me down, and I didn’t even realize it.”

“Any time you feel something weighing you down, you give it to me. I’m strong enough to carry the burden for you until you figure out how to rid yourself of it.”

“Nah. I’m strong enough to carry my own burdens now. But I’m sure I’ll share them with you. Honesty on everything from here on out, okay?”

“I have no other choice. You can hear a lie now,” he replied with a smile. She laughed and smacked him on his stomach. His smile faded, and he regarded her tenderly. “Always honesty. I hated that I was lying to you, even by omission. We tell each other everything now. I love you, Hannah.”

“I love you, too,” she said, turning her head to kiss his chest.

She felt light as air, like she would float away without Chase’s strong arms wrapped around her. Everything was perfect now. Well, almost perfect, she amended with a frown, thinking about her beloved Jeep. Such a silly thing to be upset about, but that car was her baby.

“My Jeep was totaled, wasn’t it?” she asked sadly.

Chase blinked in surprise at her change in subject before grinning. “Want to come outside for a minute?”

She looked at him in confusion for a moment before gesturing at her bare legs. “I have no pants on, Chase,” she replied, stating the obvious.

He got up and sat her gently on her feet. “Nudity is a way of shifter life you get used to. But I have a pair of pants with a drawstring you can wear. I’m not ready yet to let any of the men around here get a good look at you, not that I think I ever will be. I’d hate to have to kill one of them.”

Hannah laughed, but it was evident from his utter seriousness he was simply stating his truth. He rifled through a drawer and handed her a pair of sweatpants. Once she’d pulled them on and tightened the string as far as she could, he grabbed her hand and pulled her excitedly from the room. She giggled as they went down the stairs.

“What’s the rush, Chase?”

He didn’t answer her until they came to the front door. He pulled her to a stop and gestured for her to get in front of him. “I’m gonna cover your eyes when we go outside,” he said with a grin that showed his dimples. “No peeking.”

“What has gotten into you?” she said, laughing.

He placed one big hand over her eyes and guided her to the side so he could open the door. Once it was opened, he put his other hand over her eyes as well, and together they walked outside and onto the porch. Just when she was starting to worry he was going to take her down the stairs like this, he brought them to a halt.

“You ready?” he asked huskily by her ear.

Shivering as his deep baritone washed over her, she nodded. “Ready,” she said breathlessly.

He removed his hands, and she blinked as her eyes focused in the light of day. She looked around, wondering what he’d blindfolded her for, and then she saw it.

Her breath caught, and she turned to him in awe. “Oh, my God, Chase. You didn’t!”

He grinned, pleased as punch. As well he should be. Whirling away, she raced down the steps, not slowing down until she skidded to a stop in the grass in front of her Jeep. Her pristine, gleaming, bubblegum pink Jeep.

She walked around it in a circle, ignoring the rocks under her feet when she walked on the driveway. It was perfect, not a scratch on it, looking brand new. She touched a hand to the pink door, marveling at the color as her eyes misted with tears.

That man. That perfect, unbelievable man. And he was all hers.

“I was so wrong before, Chase. You beat Dean Winchester hands down, in every way imaginable. There was never any competition.”

She turned around and threw herself into his arms, laughing tearfully as he caught her and swung her around.

“You like it?” he asked with a chuckle as he gently sat her back on her feet.

“It couldn’t be more perfect. Thank you, Chase. Thank you so much.”

He lifted a hand to her face, thumbing a tear from her cheek. “Anything for you, beautiful. I’m just so fucking glad you woke up to see it. I love you so much, Hannah.”

“I love you too, Chase. More than I thought it was possible to ever love anyone. I don’t know how I’d ever live without you.”

“Luckily, you’ll never have to find out. Neither one of us will,” he vowed fiercely as he crushed his lips to hers.

Fire raced through Hannah’s veins as she wound her arms around his neck, clinging to him as her knees weakened from the desire heating her blood. He growled into her mouth as he deepened the kiss, and she arched her back, pressing her pelvis to his as the noise turned her on even more.

Pulling back, she said breathlessly, “I have one more shifter question for you.”

He was panting slightly as he leaned his forehead against hers. “Ask away.”

“Is it my turn to claim you yet?” she asked with a naughty grin.

He pulled back to look at her, a slow grin spreading across his face as he searched her eyes.

“Hell yes, it is!” Chase said with a laugh as he scooped her into his arms and walked purposefully to the house.

Hannah laughed with him as she tightened her arms around his neck. When they started their journey a few months ago, she never imagined it would lead to here. From him hating her to loving her so fiercely. From loneliness and trudging through life, not really living, to having everything she’d always dreamed of but never imagined would happen. From being a normal human to having a wolf living inside her. From being mildly content with her life to bursting with happiness.

She’d say she finally got her happy ending, but this wasn’t the ending. It was the beginning of forever.