The call ended, the faint, disembodied voice on the other end a ghost of the life we’d been pulled from. In the quiet that followed, a new tension, thick and sweet, descended upon us.

I wasn’t sure what to feel.

Embarrassed, yes. My lips were raw, swollen from his kiss, my pulse still erratic. Disappointed, too—because he stopped. Because of a phone call. Because reality had barged in when I wanted nothing but him.

Alpha Gregor pulled back only an inch, just enough for cold air ...