Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Hayes is living her life by her own rules. Losing her parents at a young age has made her strong and fiercely independent. She knows exactly who she is and nothing is going to change that.
Everything starts to change for...
"She was so happy and excited," Uncle Nate said with a look of sadness.
It was late. I yawned and Cade looked at me.
"You're tired," he stated as he stood up and extended a hand to me. I allowed him to pull me to my feet.
"You can visit more tomorrow," he told me. I nodded in agreement. The truth was I was exhausted and in need of rest. There were so many times that I'd fought him constantly over everything but now there were times when I was okay with him bossing me around. But only sometimes.
I said good night and hugged everyone. Cade led me upstairs to our room.
In the bathroom, Cade helped me strip my clothes off and we got into the shower. He kissed me under the running water and I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him closer.
The intense flutter of excitement went into overdrive when his tongue swept against my lips and opened them, allowing him access. Our tongues tangled and I groaned.
I pulled him closer, needing more.
"I want you," he whispered.
"Then take me," I told him as I pressed my lips firmly against him.
In the shower, under the steady stream of water, he loved every inch of me, and I'd never felt so cherished before.
Breathless afterward, he soaped me down and rinsed me off. He switched off the water and got out of the shower to dry me off with towel.
I loved those moments when he took care of me.
Tired and satisfied, he tucked me into my side of the double bed. He got in the other side and I laid my head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around me. He switched off the lights and for a few moments in the darkness, I just enjoyed the happiness I felt.
"Thank you for my surprise," I said.
"You're welcome," he said as he squeezed me closer.
"It's still hard to believe how much my life has changed," I murmured, thinking about when I'd first moved here.
Never in a million years when I first set eyes on Cade did I ever imagine that he would turn out to be the best thing that had ever happened to me.
"I know," he said.
There were more changes to come. We'd decided to keep my house and use it as another location for the pack. Plans were already in place to start building a similar setup to the compound on my property.
My stuff would be moved to Cade's house, although he now referred to it as 'our house', which made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
"I love you," I whispered, needing him to know how much he meant to me.
"I love you too," he said, pressing a soft kiss against my temple. I loved it when he did that, it made me feel adored.
I'd been so against the idea of having a mate. I'd thought that it was taking away my right to choose my own partner for life but fate and destiny had matched me perfectly with Cade.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"How lucky you are to have me," I teased.
He laughed and I lifted my head to look at him, still grinning. Even though it was dark, the light from the moonlight illuminated his features.
I reached out and touched his face, loving the way the connection between the two of us made me feel.
His laughter faded.
"Are you sure you wouldn't be happier with someone more easygoing?" I asked. I knew sometimes I could be hard to handle.
"No. That would be boring. I know every moment with you is going to be unforgettable."
Feeling overwhelmed by his words, I kissed him.
I'd learned in my short life that happiness wasn't guaranteed.
I'd defeated Victor but that didn't mean we wouldn't face other problems in the future. We were werewolves and our way of life was dangerous, but I knew I could face anything with Cade by my side.
I trailed my fingers down his cheek and touched his lips with my finger.
It was hard to believe that I'd fought this so hard in the beginning. I had believed that you couldn't be with someone without losing your independence and some of who you were.
But I'd learned that I was wrong: I could still be the same person with my independence left intact. If someone truly loved you, they loved you just the way you were.
And this was true love.
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