Page 2

Chapter One

Two years later …

“Take a deep breath, honey. Goodness and mercy,” Molly’s mother muttered.

“You’d think we were sending you off to be slaughtered,” her father added.

As far as Molly was concerned, that might as well be her fate. Slaughter. It might be preferable to facing her mate. Today. Now.

She was shaking like a leaf in fall as she knelt on the ceremonial pillow in the government center. It was customary for the female to arrive first and be situated on her knees in the middle of the round room, where she was expected to remain with her head bowed until the ceremony was over.

This had all been explained to her thoroughly by her parents in the last few days, but no words could keep her from being nervous.

Soon, her mate and his parents would enter the official room, and she would be surrounded by the five people. Her mate’s father would speak the ceremonial words, and then it would be done. Molly would officially be mated to a stranger. A man she won’t have set eyes on yet.

Molly flinched as the door opened. She held her breath, heart racing so fast that sounds were muffled. She felt like she was underwater. Noises were muted, and she was heavy. She hoped she wouldn’t faint and further embarrass herself.

Thank goodness it wasn’t important for her to listen closely to the words spoken because she wasn’t capable. She was using all her energy to focus on her mate’s shiny black shoes and the cuff of his dress pants.

The only words she was expected to speak were “I do.” And she managed to utter those two tiny words when the time was right.

The ceremony was short, as she’d known it would be. Near the end, her mate had placed his hand on top of her head, which had surprisingly steadied her.

Her breath hitched as the door to the room closed a second time, indicating she was now alone with her mate.

It was hard to control the panic. She kept taking deep breaths, but nothing would stop the trembling and anxiety.

Her mate—whose name she now knew was Gavin—squatted in front of her and slid his hand from the top of her head around to tip her chin back. He smiled as he met her gaze. “It’s over, Little one. They’ve all left.”

She swallowed. Over? To her it was just beginning. It would never be over. Granted, she knew he was referring to the ceremony, but that part was the least of her concerns.

Gavin slid his palm down her arm until he reached her hand.

She looked down at their connection, somewhat stunned to realize how much larger he was than her.

She’d been told the Alpha Protectors were larger than any man she’d ever encountered in the valley, but that had obviously been an understatement.

This shifter could crush her like a bug without flinching.

He didn’t look inclined to harm her, though. He was smiling warmly and caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. “Can you stand, Little one?”

She nodded. She wasn’t entirely sure her legs would hold her up, but she needed to seem agreeable. It wouldn’t do for her to disobey an order from her mate within seconds of their ceremony.

Molly rose on wobbly legs, shivering.

“Are you cold, Baby girl?”

It didn’t seem reasonable for her to be cold, but her teeth were certainly chattering.

Gavin released her hand, shrugged out of his suit jacket, and wrapped it around her.

“Thank you, Sir,” she whispered.

“You’re most welcome, Molly. I really like your name.

Molly. So pretty. I’ve spent twenty years wondering what your name might be.

” He cupped her face again. “I wondered what your skin would look like and your hair. Your eyes… You’re stunning in every way.

You look like a porcelain doll with your alabaster skin, nearly black, sleek hair, and bright blue eyes. ”

She couldn’t think of a thing to say, so she simply repeated herself, “Thank you, Sir.”

“Gavin, Little one. You may call me Gavin for now.”

For now ? What would she call him later?

She was struggling to breathe. He was incredibly handsome, but so very large. His thick hair was brown. So were his eyes. His skin was tanned in stark contrast to her white skin.

Gavin slid a hand around her and pulled her closer, his fingers spread wide to encompass her entire back. His proximity was grounding. She would have expected to panic at his touch. Instead, it calmed her.

Suddenly he moved both hands to her hips, lifted her off the floor, and brought her up so they were eye-to-eye. He set his forehead against hers. He used one forearm under her butt to hold her up. His other hand splayed across her back again.

Holding her gaze, he said, “I know you’re scared, Molly, but I will do everything in my power to make sure you don’t stay that way for long. I promise to be everything you need from me.”

“Okay,” she whispered. She’d never been this close to anyone, but he was her mate. He would see her naked before this day was over. He would expect her to take him into her body. There was no way for her to control how much that one fact freaked her out.

He smoothed his hand up under her hair, cupped the back of her head and neck, and kissed her gently on the lips.

His kiss stunned her, but it felt nice. It felt…right. Maybe she truly did have nothing to fear. Except she knew that was a lie. What was he going to think when he found out she was a horrible cook?

No matter how often her mother tried to teach her how to manage a kitchen, she’d failed to put together even the simplest of meals.

In the last few weeks, her mother had left her alone in the kitchen to prepare dinner for the family.

Molly inevitably burned part of the meal.

No two parts were ever ready at the same time, either.

She had no idea how women all over the valley and even the globe managed to put meat, vegetables, bread, and salad on the table at the same time. It baffled and concerned her.

“Mmm. You taste as good as you look,” he murmured against her lips. “And your scent… I’d heard from other Alphas that the scent of my mate would drive me bonkers. They were not wrong.” He moved his lips around to her neck and inhaled deeply.

Molly trembled. She liked his scent, too. Masculine. Woodsy. Strong. Was strong a scent? She thought so.

“Let’s go home,” he declared before easing her down his body until she was standing on her gold sandals. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial. “I’m going to put a drop of this under your tongue. It will put you to sleep so you won’t suffer anxiety as I carry you up the mountain.”

Asleep…

Molly wasn’t sure how she felt about this new detail. She’d rather be awake. But apparently this was part of the custom, and he had his reasons for sedating her for the journey.

“You’ll be safe the entire time, Little one. I promise. When you wake up, we’ll be home.”

“Okay,” she whispered. She wanted to be agreeable. No matter how panicked she felt on the inside.

Sure enough, a few seconds after the drop hit her mouth, she felt herself going limp, and she was marginally aware of him lifting her into his arms to cradle her against his chest.

Did he also kiss her forehead and call her good girl ?