“Mate.”
The word tears free of me before I can think, before I can even breathe. It rumbles in my chest, echoes through the bond snapping tight between us, sings through every fiber of my being. She’s mine. My mate.
And in that instant, the world shifts. My wolf howls with triumph, the sound reverberating in my bones, but another part of me trembles with fear. I’ve dreamed of this moment for years—hoped, prayed—but now that it’s here, I’m terrified. What if I mess this up? What if she rejects me?
Eden’s eyes widen, her emotions crashing through me so strongly I nearly stagger. Confusion. Fear. Curiosity. And underneath it all, that same pull I feel—a magnetic force neither of us can deny.
“How… you…” she stammers, panic sharp in her scent.
“It’s okay, Eden. Just breathe.” My voice is
