Mate (Bride, #2)

by Ali Hazelwood

Koen. Koen’s here. It will be all right.

But if you insist on a nickname, I’d prefer something with a bit more…” “More?” “More teeth.” His eyebrow rises. “Root canal?” “No. Come on, you know what I mean. Something that inspires fear.” “Real estate market crash.” “Okay, maybe less fear and more…awe. Warrior-like.”

She expects little and is not easily offended. It makes pushing her away frustratingly hard.

let this be known: fuck with my mate, and I’m going to kill you so slowly, draw it out so long, tectonic plates will move and create whole new mountain ranges. And when the rest of your family comes to avenge you, I’ll do the same to them. And if your friends come, I’m not going to fucking stop. Not even if all that’s left of the pack is me and her. I will paint this entire territory green before I let anyone in the pack spill a single drop of red.

“Serena, the Alpha of Northwest pack is traditionally asked to honor a celibacy covenant. He’s forbidden by law to engage in any kind of intimate relationships—emotional or physical.”

He told her that he would never touch her because he didn’t want her enough; in truth, he will never touch her because he wants her too much. The make-believe, he thinks, was kinder to both of them.

Then she arrived, assumed total control of him, and left no room for anything but her.

He easily resigned himself to a lifetime without her, but… Simply put, he is unwilling to contemplate a universe in which she no longer exists.

There has never been anyone like him. I could live a thousand more years, and there will never be.

If Human scientists focused on their work as much as I did on my bed, herpes simplex would be a thing of the past.

I could spend the next hundred years cataloging new things about him, and never be done. He could be the project of my lifetime. Just like I’m his.

he doesn’t really trust the world to treat her right if he’s not around. She’s simply too beautiful.