VANESSA
"I'm going on a date with the hot daycare volunteer!" I practically shrieked into the phone, unable to contain myself another second.
Olivia laughed on the other end. "Well, hello to you too. And congratulations! Though I'm a little shocked—this doesn't sound like the cautious Vanessa West I know."
I flopped onto my bed, heart racing like a teenager's. "I know! But Liv, there's something about him. It's like Lyra is going absolutely wild whenever he's near me."
"Your wolf recognizes something in him," Olivia said knowingly.
"Exactly." I pressed my hand to my chest where I could feel Lyra pacing with anticipation. "It feels like... like gravity. Like he's this massive force pulling me in, and fighting it is just making me miserable."
"Honey, that sounds an awful lot like—"
"A mate bond," I finished. "But that's impossible, right? I would remember my mate."
The silence on the other end lasted a beat too long.
"Liv?"
