I closed the door to my suite and leaned against it, my muscles pleasantly tired from the sparring session, my mind racing from the brief contact with Theo. My fingers tingled where they had brushed against his, but I felt a warmth in my chest, an uncomfortable heat that wasn't quite guilt – more like anticipation mixed with dread. Dinner. Tonight. Just the two of us. Just me and the Lycan King who was, against all probability and perhaps wisdom, my second-chance mate.
Artemis stretched contentedly within me, still riding the high of our proximity to Theo. ‘Our mate is strong,’ she purred, projecting images of how quickly he had moved to catch me, the careful control in his powerful hands. ‘Did you see how fast he reacted? How gentle he was?’
"I was there," I muttered, pushing away from
