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Kane stepped closer, unable to shake the feeling of foreboding that settled in his gut. "Who are they?" he asked, keeping his voice low enough that only River could hear.

River's eyes met his. "Wolves who, like all of you, deserve better than what they were given. The Alphas who harmed them have all been replaced. With those replacements, it allowed several wolves to get away from their controlling former Alphas, finally."

Kane's wolf stirred restlessly beneath his skin, but he couldn't focus long enough to figure out why. His wolf sniffed the air and whined.

River placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Please, everyone," she addressed the gathered pack, "welcome these newcomers and give them a chance.

They're looking to start over, just as all of you were.

We looked into every one of them just as we did with all of you, and we believe they belong here, at least for the time being.

Besides, this is what we set up the White Tail pack for. To give rogues a new chance."

Murmurs spread through the crowd, a jumble of excitement and wariness. Kane wasn't sure he liked where this was going, but he nodded. As Alpha, he had to set an example.

River moved to the SUV door and opened it wide. "Come out," she encouraged. "You're safe here."

A tall female with long brown hair slid hesitantly from the vehicle, her eyes scanning the crowd. Before Kane could speak, a gasp came from somewhere behind him, followed by a cry of disbelief.

"Marissa?" One of the women, Lara, who'd been with them since the beginning, pushed through the crowd, her face a mask of shock and joy. "Marissa, is that you?"

The newcomer's eyes widened. "Lara? Oh, my goddess!"

The women collided in a tearful embrace, clinging to each other as if afraid the other might disappear. Sobs wracked both of them as they whispered to each other.

"My sister," Lara managed. "My little sister. I thought I'd never see you again."

Without another word, the reunited sisters walked away, arms wrapped around each other.

Kane's wolf howled in approval.

A second female emerged from the SUV, her red hair catching the sunlight as she scanned the crowd with hopeful eyes. Again, shouts of recognition rang out as three pack members rushed forward, surrounding her with hugs and exclamations of joy.

The scene repeated with a third newcomer and then a fourth, each finding familiar faces among the White Tail Pack. Kane looked on in amazement as family members, friends, and loved ones, once thought lost forever, found each other again.

A fifth female exited, her movements anxious, her eyes downcast. Unlike the others, she didn't immediately find a welcoming face. She stood awkwardly by the vehicle, her hands twisting in front of her.

Then Kane saw him. Darius, one of the quietest members of the pack, a male who rarely spoke and mainly kept to himself, stepped from the crowd. He stared at the newcomer with an intensity that made others back away, creating a path between them.

The female looked up, her eyes finding Darius. A strangled cry escaped her as she began to weep. Darius remained frozen, his body rigid with shock or emotion, Kane couldn't tell which.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Darius crossed the space between them. Without a word, he wrapped his arm around the female's shoulders and led her from the gathering, his protective stance saying everything words could not.

Another female hopped out, her eyes immediately finding a male in the crowd.

For a heartbeat, they simply stared at each other, the connection between them almost tangible.

Then, with a cry of joy, she ran to him, launching herself into his arms. He caught her, spinning her around once before claiming her mouth in a passionate kiss that left little doubt about their relationship.

Kane turned to River, about to comment on the unexpected reunions, when movement from the SUV caught his eye. One last passenger emerged, her form silhouetted against the vehicle's interior.

She didn't move for a moment, and Kane's wolf paced and whined.

River looked back at the woman and smiled, urging her to come forward.

As she walked fully into the light, time slowed, the world narrowing to a single point of focus.

Long blonde hair cascaded over slender shoulders.

Delicate features arranged in a face he'd memorized years ago.

Eyes, the color of a summer sky, now looked directly at him with an expression he couldn't read.

Kane's knees nearly buckled as recognition slammed into him with physical force. His wolf howled, clawing desperately toward the surface as instincts long suppressed roared back to life.

Alyssa. His fated mate. The woman who had rejected him for her pack's approval.

She stood before him now, more beautiful than he remembered, her scent washing over him in waves that threatened to drown him. For an endless moment, neither moved, the years between them stretching like an uncrossable chasm.

"Hello, Kanan," she finally said, her voice exactly as he remembered. Soft, with a slight musical quality that had once been his favorite sound.

Kane opened his mouth, but no words emerged. His mind raced, emotions warring within him- joy, pain, anger, longing, all tangled together in a knot he couldn't unravel.

He turned to River, finding his voice at last. "Alyssa can't stay." The words emerged harsher than he intended.

River's brows drew together. "Why not?"

"She doesn't belong here. This place is for rogues who have nowhere else to go."

"She left her pack," River countered. "She is now a rogue. She will be welcomed like the others."

Kane wanted to argue, wanted to explain that having Alyssa here would tear open wounds he'd spent years trying to forget he had. But the words wouldn't come. River was right, Alyssa deserved sanctuary as much as any of them, but...

Without another word, he turned and strode to his cabin, every step requiring immense willpower.

The door closed behind him with a soft click, and Kane's composure crumbled.

His legs gave way as he sank to his knees, emotions overwhelming him in a tide he could not hold back.

His wolf howled in anguish and confusion.

Alyssa. His fated mate had returned.

Kane pressed his fists against his eyes, trying to stem the flood of memories.

Their first meeting after she came of age, and the instant recognition of the mate bond.

The weeks of secret meetings before her father discovered them.

The ultimatum she'd been given: her pack or Kane.

The devastation when she'd chosen her pack.

The fight with her father and the resulting scar on his face.

The utter abandonment by his family and pack after exile.

A knock at the door jolted him from his thoughts. Kane quickly wiped his face, drawing in a deep breath.

"Kane?" River called. "May I come in?"

He considered refusing, but it would only delay the inevitable. "Of course, your Highness."

He rose and moved quickly to the window, his back to the door.

River entered, closing the door behind her. "I'm sorry. I should have told you about Alyssa specifically, but she asked me not to."

Kane's shoulders tensed. Yes. She should have. "It wouldn't have changed anything."

"Perhaps not," River agreed, moving beside him. "But you deserved a warning."

Silence stretched between them, comfortable despite the circumstances.

"She asked about you," River finally said. "When she came to us seeking sanctuary. She wanted to know if you were okay. If you had found happiness."

Kane's jaw tightened. "And what did you tell her?"

"The truth. That you were alive, that you were leading this pack, that you were working to build something meaningful here." River paused. "I didn't tell her how you still carry her with you."

Kane turned sharply. "What makes you think I do?"

"Your wolf recognized her instantly. Even before she stepped into the light, I saw it in your eyes."

"It doesn't matter," he said flatly. "Whatever was between us ended years ago."

"Did it?" River challenged. "Fate doesn't make mistakes, Kane. There's a reason she's been brought back into your life."

Kane moved away, pacing the small confines of the cabin. "She made her choice. She chose her pack, her family's approval, over our bond."

River appeared to contemplate for a moment. As if choosing her words carefully. "What we see and what we think we see are often two different realities."

Kane looked at her, unsure of her meaning.

"Circumstances change. Alyssa left her pack as soon as they got a new Alpha. Not because she didn't like the new Alpha, but because she was finally free of her father's control. She deserves a second chance."

"Like the one you gave me?" Kane asked, his voice edged with bitterness.

"Yes. Exactly like that." She moved toward the door, pausing with her hand on the knob. "Just talk to her, Kane. That's all I'm asking. After that, whatever happens between you is your choice."

After River left, Kane remained in the center of his cabin, torn. Part of him wanted to run, to disappear. Another part wanted to find Alyssa and demand answers. To understand why she had come.

A knock interrupted his thoughts. Before he could respond, the door opened, and Alyssa's scent washed over him. Honeysuckle and sunshine, as he remembered. She stared at him through thick, dark lashes, hands clasped in front of her, blonde hair cascading around her like an angel's wings.

And in that moment, it didn't matter that she'd rejected him.

Didn't matter that he'd been beaten and kicked out.

Didn't matter that he'd spent years trying to forget the sound of her voice.

The taste of her lips. The smell of hair.

His wolf said the two words Kane had spent a decade praying for him to say about another female.

My Mate.