She's a young doctor. He's an Alpha born to lead a hidden community. "I need to explain the mate bond," he said. Her heart stopped. Literally skipped. "Oh," she said faintly. "That." He didn't look away, but he did lean back, giving her space-as if preparing for her to bolt. "You know we imprint," he said quietly. "You know our instincts take over when the bond gets strong. But you don't know what finalizes it." She swallowed. "Okay." "There's..." He hesitated, and that was a first. William didn't fumble words. "There's a bite involved." She stared. Blink. Blink. Wait- A bite? "As in-like-a literal bite?" she asked, voice tight. "Yes." "On my neck?" "Yes." "You bite me." "Yes." Her blood turned to ice. He continued carefully, like each word risked sending her sprinting for the door. "It's not violent. It's not meant to hurt. It's a mark-a bond-seal. It connects us on every level. Emotionally. Physically. Through our wolves." "I don't have a wolf," she snapped. His jaw flexed. "I know."

When Violet's mateless status designated her to serve as a breeder, she marked the very detainee she was assigned to seduce, giving him his life back in exchange for her freedom. Their arrangement, while simple in nature, would bring unforeseen consequences. Two minutes and a half. One hundred and fifty seconds. That was all it took for Landon's life to always come second. There was no such thing as second Beta in a pack - truth that Landon learned from no other than his own mate, who sentenced him to recluse by choosing his twin as a mate. When fate took away both pack and mate, a wolf had only one option - to become a rogue. Landon was never one to make other's life easier, so it shouldn't have been a surprise for neither his mate nor brother, that he did not conveniently die after his rejection.