Claire's POV
"Mate!"
Wait. What did Stella just say?
Memories of Joey's werewolf explanation flooded back to me.
Fated mates. That rare, precious bond between wolves that transcended everything else. The pull that was supposedly so powerful it was irresistible, a destined connection that drew wolves together with undeniable force.
Holy crap. I was Lucius's fated mate.
The realization hit me like a truck.
This explained everything—why he'd been so protective despite our arrangement being purely contractual, why he'd married me so quickly after discovering my pregnancy.
And Lucius had known. He must have. Yet he'd never told me. Instead, he'd made me sign that cold prenuptial agreement, treating me like some gold digger, and when his first love returned, he grew col
