Alpha Black was my mate. That was real. The bond between us had snapped into place like a wire under tension.
But I barely knew what that meant. Not really.
Should I have questioned it more? Was I being naïve? Was he being honest?
Or… was I just desperate to belong?
“You’re spiraling,” Luna said in my head, her tone dry. “Again.”
I groaned into my hands.
“He’s your mate,” Nora added, softer. “And it’s not a curse to want him. Maybe you should actually talk to him, instead of trying to solve it all in your own head?”
I pulled my hands away and blinked at the ceiling. “Maybe,” I muttered. “Maybe I should.”
I stood, stretching my neck and shoulders. My body still felt tight from training, from tension, from everything.
I headed toward the bathroom, rubbing at my temples.
But the mom
