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“I did not—” I stopped myself, cheeks burning. I wanted to argue, to tell her she was wrong.

That I wasn’t his mate.

My body betrayed me, though, the memory of his hands on me—holding me down, spanking me, fucking me—flashing through my mind so fast it made my breath catch.

Kendra’s smirk vanished.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, her eyes widening. “You do feel it.”

I clenched my jaw. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said, shaking her head. “It absolutely matters.”

Kendra looked like she knew way more than she was letting on, but before she could open her mouth and dig into my love life any further, something in her expression softened. She hesitated for a moment, glancing toward the door, then back at me.

“I should probably tell you something,” she said.

I frowned. “Tell me what?”

She ran a hand through her hair, exhaling like she was trying to find the right words. Then she gave me a wry smile. “You’re not the only one who found herself mated to an overbearing Alpha.”

My brows furrowed. “What?”

She stepped back and turned her head slightly, pulling down the collar of her shirt. At first, I didn’t see anything unusual, but then my stomach dropped.

A bite mark.

It had long since healed, the skin slightly raised and silvery, but I knew what it was.

My lips parted, but no words came out.

Kendra grinned at my expression. “Yeah. That’s what I thought too, when it happened.”

I blinked. “What the hell—who?—?”

“His name is Rowan. Rowan Blackwood.” The way she said it was… different. Soft. “And before you ask, yes, he’s a wolf. And no, he’s not like the ones in the city.”

I couldn’t stop staring at the mark.

Kendra. My Kendra. Mated to a wolf?

“I don’t—” I shook my head, trying to process it. “How? When?”

She shrugged. “It’s a long story, but the short version? He saved my ass. More than once. And I… kind of fell for him.”

I crossed my arms. “You fell for a wolf?”

“Yeah,” she said simply. “I did.”

I shook my head. “How? When? Why?”

She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Like I said, it’s a long story. Rowan found me in the breeding facility.” Her voice lowered, like the memory still lingered just beneath the surface. “I was barely holding it together, but then he showed up and…” She shrugged, like words weren’t enough. “He saved me.”

I frowned. “Why?”

Kendra hesitated, then blew out air. “Because he knew I was his mate.”

The words hit me like a punch to the ribs.