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Her soft chuckles soothe my rage.“I can’t wait to hear this story. Tell me when I get home.”

She slips out of my head just as the two horny teens walk into the living room, hand in hand. Marley’s head is down while Torak keeps his eyes on me as if he needed to protect her.

“Before you start,” Torak says. “Marley and I are both adults. She’s seventeen and I’m eighteen. We’re grown.”

Folding my arms over my chest, I stand with my legs shoulder length apart.

“Oh, you’re grown?”

“Yes,” he says with his chin up.

“Okay, Mr. Grown. How about I call my mate back to the house, and you can tell her face to face, where your fingers were just buried on her little sister?”

Torak pales and grimaces.

“Just as I thought. If you’re not man enough to own up to Michaela what you were doing, you’re not old enough to do it.”

Torak runs his free hand through his dark hair. “She’s my chosen mate. I want to be with her.”

I watch the two in front of me. The way he’s trying to protect her, even from me. The way she’s hiding behind him as if he is her shield. Even the way he’s holding her hands.

I sigh, letting out a deep breath.

“Look, I get it. You two like each other. But being a mate is more than just sex. If you truly care about her and she’s really your chosen mate, then you wouldn’t be hiding your relationship from everybody. This wouldn’t be the first time I found out that you were interested in Marley. You would’ve come to me and Michaela as a man, and told us you wanted to date her. Your mom and uncle would know of your interest.”

Torak looks down at the ground. “I wanted to tell you all, but Marley didn’t think you would understand.”

I look at Marley over his shoulder. She wipes at her eyes. “Michaela will never let me date. She still thinks I’m a baby.”

“You are to her,” I admit. “But that didn’t give you two an excuse to hide it. By doing that, it proves neither of you are old enough for the step you two were trying to take. Please tell me you haven’t done this before?”

They look away from me.

“We’ve fooled around. But we haven’t taken it where we were going tonight.”

Oh, thank the goddess.

“Listen, if Marley is truly your chosen, then you need to wait. Spend your time getting to know each other. Connect on a level deeper than the carnal. A way to ensure that no one doubts her suitability for you. Because Torak, if you take this to that level,” I say, pointing toward the bedroom. “And you’re wrong. You will destroy her.”

He looks over his shoulder at Marley. Her red tears track down her face.

“Don’t cry,” he soothes, pulling her into his chest. “I know you’re it for me, Marley. Even my wolf knows it. But he’s right.We’ll wait. In the morning, we’ll tell your sister about us and then we will talk to my mom and uncle Chayton. Okay?”

She nods. “Okay. I love you, Tor.”

“I love you too.” He pulls her into a hug, and she buries her face in his chest.

I stand watching them with mixed emotions. Part of me is happy that they seem to love each other, but another part of me feels like Marley is growing up too fast. I had plans to help raise her a little longer and here she is basically maturing right before my eyes.

After hanging with Torak and Marley a little longer, I sent him home. Marley had been sleep for hours when Michaela’s light footfalls walk down the hall. Just like any other night, she’s on patrol, she stops at her sister’s bedroom door before coming to bed.

When she walks into our room, she smiles brightly at me. “Morning,” she sings, walking over to me sitting on the bed.

“I need you to sit,” I say to her.

Immediately, her mood changes. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to tell you something, but I want you to sit first.”