The next morning, Caleb awoke just as the sun was rising, put on his running shorts and shoes, and hit the trails. No matter how tired he was, and no matter how much he wanted to take those extra two hours that he devoted to his workouts to catch up on some sleep instead, he rarely ever let it happen. If he did not follow through with his daily routine, he ended up feeling sluggish and half-asleep all day.

Although his routine was a fairly simple one, he knew many athletes who would have trouble finishing it. Caleb always started with a five-mile run, and then he came home to the gym he had set up in a spare bedroom. Afterwards, he would put work on lifting weights for about another hour. Finally, he would take a hot shower and fix his morning breakfast: a bowl of oatmeal with two servings of peanut butter, a protein-packed smoothie, and a cup of strong, black coffee.

Oliva made her way out of the bedroom just as he was finishing his breakfast. Since she’d been there, he purchased some clothes for her that actually fit. That morning, she wore a t-shirt and sweatpants—and she looked adorable in them. Caleb tried not to leer at her as she grabbed a mug and poured some coffee into it.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked her.

Olivia yawned. “Not well. I kept having all these weird dreams. I must have woken up about twenty times.”

Caleb grimaced in sympathy. “Oh, that’s rough. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No,” Olivia said. “I guess I was passed out when you came in. Did you have a good time last night?”

“Yeah,” Caleb replied, “I did. It was good to see Cliff again. He’s a good friend of mine.”

Olivia smiled. “That’s good!” She took a sip from her mug of coffee. “Man, I can’t wait until I can go out and enjoy a good meal. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve been out of this cabin. But then again, everything before that is a total blank.”

“Well, you are welcome to venture out anytime you feel up to it,” Caleb told her.

“I know,” she said. “I do feel a bit stronger today, so I might take up that offer!”

Caleb smiled. “Are you hungry? I could whip up some breakfast for you.”

“No, thanks, I’m not hungry.”

“All right, then,” Caleb said, standing up from his seat. “You ready to get to work?”

Olivia looked at him incredulously. “You never stop, do you?”

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. “It’s the only way to get things done.”

Ten minutes later, Olivia was doing pushups as Caleb knelt down beside her, giving her a few tips. He was impressed with how much more energy she seemed to have today.

Watching her resolve was quite inspiring, and he admired her spirit. As he watched her, he thought about what he’d realized during last night’s drive home: he was falling in love with Olivia. He didn’t know who she really was or who else might be in her real life, but he’d made peace with the fact that he didn’t really care. He was drawn to her. He’d never been drawn to any woman like this before.

Was it possible that she was his mate? It had always been considered strange and socially unacceptable for an alpha werewolf to be without a mate for long. An alpha was supposed to have a mate—it was just the way things had always been. But Caleb had never been much for rules and traditions, something that had always irked his father.

His attraction to Olivia had nothing to do with the pressure of having to choose a mate, though. He knew that Olivia was the one for him. The more time he spent with her, the stronger this conviction became.

Caleb was fairly certain she felt the same way. He’d caught the occasional glance in his direction when she didn’t know he was looking. She was attracted to him, he was sure of it. He could almost sense it. But that didn’t mean she wanted to pursue this right now. Then again, when true love presented itself, who were they to ignore its call?

“Well done,” Caleb said as Olivia finished her set of pushups.

She sat down and caught her breath. “Wow,” Olivia said, “that felt really good!”

Caleb sat down beside her. Her scent was intoxicating. He inhaled deeply, feeling his own desire beginning to stir.

Olivia looked directly at him. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on his, almost like he was her prey. A sly smile spread across her lips, and Caleb could no longer hold himself back. He leaned in and kissed her sweet mouth.

At first, Olivia returned the kiss with a soft pressure of her lips, but then she quickly pushed harder against his mouth, the kiss gaining vigor.

Caleb reached around her and pulled Olivia’s body closer to him. This was what he’d been thinking about since the night he’d found her.

Before anything else could happen, Olivia pulled away from him. “Wait,” she said.

“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked, his heart sinking slightly.

“I… I don’t think this is right.” Olivia shook her head. “I’m not sure this is the best time for us to… I mean, I think you’re amazing, but I need to get a handle on me first and remember who I am before I can add… anything onto my plate. I’ve still got a lot of recovery to go through.”

Caleb looked at her for a moment. He could see the conflict in Olivia’s eyes. She wanted this, but she was afraid that maybe it wasn’t the right time. Then again, there might never be a “right” time for anything.

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Caleb said. “We can just take our time.”

Olivia smiled. “Thanks for understanding. I’m really attracted to you, and it’s more than just physical attraction, but…” She sighed to herself. “It’s just so strange to have these feelings when I don’t even know who I am. It does wonders to mess up my mind.”

Caleb nodded. “I understand.”

He did. He would give her all the time she needed.