#Chapter 76: Fated Mate

DEREK Six and a Half Years Ago The safehouse was barely more than a converted hunting cabin tucked into the edge of the preserve—far enough from Silverclaw territory to avoid suspicion, but close enough that I could keep watch without losing sleep. I hadn’t planned on bringing her here. Hell, I hadn’t planned on finding her at all. One moment, I was on patrol, watching a group of rogue women pick their way through the trees—wary but not hostile—and the next, my entire world shifted. She turned toward me, and everything else disappeared. The second our eyes met, I felt it. So did she. The bond hit hard and fast, ancient and undeniable. I didn’t know her name. I didn’t know why she was with them. But I knew she was mine. And walking away wasn’t an option. Her name was Mia. At least, that’s what she’d told me. Her voice was quiet when she said it, like she wasn’t even sure it belonged to her. She hadn’t asked where we were going when I walked her to my truck. She hadn’t