Page 63

“Mate,” I echoed. My mouth had gone dry.

She nodded, her dark eyes watching me closely. “He knew before I did. I fought him on it. Fought him hard. But Lia…” She glanced away for a moment, her fingers ghosting over the bite mark on her neck. “It’s not just some nonsense claim. It’s real. Powerful.”

My mind raced. I knew what it meant when a wolf bit their mate—I had heard the stories, the warnings. That it was irreversible, that it bound them together, tied them in a way that went beyond words. But I hadn’t expected this. Not from Kendra.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but before I could, Kendra took a step back, exhaling like she was about to drop something bigger on me.

“Lia,” she said carefully. “There’s something else.”

I braced myself. “What now?”

She hesitated, then shifted.

Not fully—just enough to show me she was not quite the same girl I’d known and loved for years, like a sister. Her teeth lengthened slightly, the bones in her hands shifting as sharp, curved claws emerged from the tips of her fingers. It was controlled, but it was undeniable.

My breath caught in my throat.

No.

No, that wasn’t possible.

“You’re—” I took a step back, my heart slamming against my ribs. “You’re a wolf?” I really was trying not to shriek.

Kendra let out a slow breath. “Yeah.”

My mind reeled. “How?”

“The bite,” she said simply, her voice steady. “Rowan’s bite.”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight.

“He turned you.”

She nodded. “Not on purpose. It was… it was instinct. The mating bond, the heat—it just happened.”

I shook my head, still trying to process it. “And you’re okay with that?”

Kendra actually laughed, shaking her head. “Lia, I freaked out at first! You think I just accepted this overnight? I fought it, him, so hard. I resisted, denied, but it’s… different now.” She ran a hand through her dark hair. “It doesn’t feel wrong. It feels like… me.”

I stared at her.

This was Kendra. The same girl who had run through the city streets with me, who had fought tooth and nail to survive in a world that wanted us dead. Now she was standing in front of me, changed, one of the kind we’d fought against our whole lives, and she wasn’t angry about it.

She was at peace.

I blew out a slow breath, dragging a hand down my face. “Holy shit.”

Kendra smirked. “Yeah. That was my reaction too.”

I shook my head. “So, what, you just accepted it?”

“It wasn’t just about acceptingwhatI was, Lia.” She looked at me, her expression serious. “It was about acceptingwhoseI was.” She paused, searching my face. “You know, kind of like your wolf.”

I tensed.

Her smirk widened into a grin. “Oh, come on. Just say it.”

I avoided her gaze. “Say what?”