"I'll see you tonight," Kael muttered.

"This might just be a coincidence."

He pulled his dark shirt over his head, hiding the glowing silver mark I had just seen forming on his chest.

"Wait," I said, grabbing the edge of the sheet.

He paused at the door, glancing back over his shoulder. "Don't start acting needy, Liora. You know I have pack business."

"I'm not being needy," I snapped. "I just want to know what the hell is going on."

"You just want another round?" He smirked, his amber eyes flashing with arrogance. "Save your energy. I'll break the bed tonight."

"That's not what I meant," I argued.

"Rest up," he interrupted.

He didn't wait for a response. The heavy oak door clicked shut behind him, leaving the room in absolute silence.

"Who the hell is Liora?" I asked the empty room.

I tore through the unfamiliar bedroom. I yanked open the mahogany dresser drawers. Silk garments spilled onto the Persian rug.

"There has to be something here," I muttered.

I ripped the pillow from the nightstand chair. A small leather-bound book clattered to the hardwood floor.

I scooped it up and flipped the cover open. The name *Liora Mercer* stared back at me in elegant, looping cursive.

"This is her body," I whispered. "I'm trapped in Liora's body."

I marched to the bedroom door and yanked it wide. The hallway sat empty. I stomped down the corridor until I spotted a woman in a gray uniform polishing a side table.

I lunged forward and grabbed her wrist.

She flinched, dropping her cloth. "Miss Liora!"

"Who is Rhette?" I demanded. It was a name I'd caught on the diary's first page.

The maid's eyes widened. She tugged her arm, but I dug my fingers in.

"Miss Liora, you're hurting me."

"Answer the question."

"He's out of town," she stammered, staring at my grip.

"I didn't ask where he was. Who is he?"

"He won't be back for three days, Miss."

"Stop dodging the question!" I squeezed harder. "Who is Rhette to me?"

"He is your stepbrother, Miss Liora. Please."

I dropped her hand. "My stepbrother."

"Yes. Should I try to call him?"

"No. Leave me alone."

I spun around, retreated to the bedroom, and slammed the heavy oak door. I collapsed onto the edge of the mattress, opening the diary to the middle pages. I needed answers, and this book was the only thing offering them.

"Let's see what you were hiding, Liora," I said, tracing the messy handwriting.

*I have five mates.*

I read the words aloud, my voice cracking. "Five mates? You've got to be kidding me."

I kept reading, speaking the words into the quiet room to make them feel real.

"Each one has a specific scent. The mate bond makes it impossible to resist. The moment I smell them, I lose control. I crave them."

I dragged a hand down my face. That explained the intense, irrational pull I felt toward Kael last night. It wasn't just the alcohol. It was this supposed mate bond.

I turned the page. The ink here looked rushed, almost frantic.

"Today, when sleeping with Kael, I foresaw his disaster."

My stomach plummeted.

"No," I whispered. "No, that was just a nightmare."

But I remembered the flashes from last night. The blood staining Kael's chest. The roaring fire consuming a grand hall. The agonizing screams.

"It was real," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "The vision was real."

Intimacy triggered the premonitions. The physical connection with Kael—my first Alpha mate—unlocked a window into his impending doom. I wasn't just having bad dreams. I was seeing the future.

I flipped past dozens of blank pages to the very end of the book. A single sentence sat in the center of the final page.

"Want to go back to your world?" I read aloud, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Below it, underlined twice: *Save all the Alphas If you want to go back to your world.*

I desperately wanted to go back but...

I stared at the paper. "Save them? From what? How am I supposed to save five different men?"

I suddenly realized I had to foresee their dangers if I wanted to save them.

But to do that, I had to sleep with them?

Just like...

Me and Kael.

This idea was too crazy. I must be mad.

A sharp knock startled me suddenly. I slammed the diary shut.

The door cracked open. The same maid peeked inside, her face pale.

"What now?" I snapped.

"Mr. Rhette just arrived," she said, her voice shaking.

"You just told me he was gone for three days."

"His trip was cut short. He is waiting in the parlor. He wants you downstairs immediately."

"Tell him I'm busy."

"Miss Liora, please," the maid begged, stepping fully into the room. "You know how he gets when you make him wait. He will punish the staff."

I gritted my teeth. "Fine. Give me two minutes."

"Thank you, Miss." She vanished, pulling the door shut behind her.

I tossed the diary under the mattress. I stripped off the rumpled silk nightgown and threw on a simple pair of jeans and a fitted black sweater. I needed to face this stepbrother. I needed to figure out exactly what kind of mess Liora had left me in.

I stepped out of the bedroom and headed for the grand staircase.

"Just a stepbrother," I muttered to myself. "Nothing to worry about."

But with every step down the wooden treads, a strange sensation crawled up my spine. My skin flushed. A heavy, undeniable warmth pooled in my lower belly.

Then, the scent hit me.

Pine needles and dark rum. Sharp. Intoxicating. Overwhelming.

My knees buckled. I grabbed the wooden banister to keep from tumbling down the stairs. My pulse roared in my ears.

"Liora."

"You're awake," he stated, not looking up.

My body ignored his words completely. The werewolf instinct inside this stolen flesh hijacked my brain. Another mate. My stepbrother was my fucking mate.

My pulse pounded a frantic rhythm. The scent of pine and dark rum battered my senses, urging me to run down the steps and throw myself at him. I dug my fingernails into my palms to anchor myself.

The scent grew stronger, wrapping around my mind like a vice. I fought the urge to step down. The diary's words echoed in my ears.

*The moment I smell them, I lose control.*

I stared down at the man watching me with intense, burning focus.

My own stepbrother.

He was my second mate.

And I was supposed to be the hero who saved him.

I crossed the room in three rapid strides. I grabbed his shirt collar, pulled him down, and smashed my mouth directly against his lips.

He froze. For a fraction of a second, his lips parted under mine. He tasted like black coffee and raw tension.

Then, his massive hands gripped my shoulders. He shoved me back with brutal force.

"What the fuck?" Rhette wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his amber eyes wide with shock. "Liora, I'm your brother."

"Stepbrother," I corrected. I licked my bottom lip, savoring his taste.

"Just a stepbrother?" His voice dropped an octave, laced with tight restraint. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Maybe," I said, stepping toward him again.

I stared at him. The mate bond roared in my veins, demanding I close the distance. Two mates? Was that even possible? I thought back to the worn leather diary hidden under my mattress. I remembered the glowing silver mark on Kael’s chest and the vivid vision of the bloody dagger.

If I fucked Rhette, would I see his future too? Would I foresee his disaster?

I had to test the theory.

"I need to go to your room," I blurted out.

Rhette crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "Absolutely not."

"I lost my earring," I lied smoothly. "It's in your room."

"You haven't been in my room for months."

"I went in yesterday," I countered. "Let me go look."

He scowled. His gaze raked over the thin silk of my dress, lingering on the hard peaks of my nipples pressing against the fabric. "Liora, what nerve is crossed today? You're acting insane."

"Let me go," I insisted, pointing toward the stairs.

"Which earring?" he demanded.

"The silver hoop. From last night."

"You didn't wear silver hoops last night."

"My memory is foggy," I said, tilting my head. "Maybe it was a diamond stud. Let me go check."

I didn't wait for his permission. I pushed past him and marched up the stairs. Heavy footsteps followed close behind me. I could feel the heat radiating off his massive frame with every step.

I pushed open his bedroom door. The space was dim, smelling intensely of that cedar and woodsmoke.

"Find it and get out," Rhette ordered, standing squarely in the doorway.

I didn't look for an earring. I walked to the center of the dark rug and turned around to face him.

In my past life in the human world, I was an absolute succubus. I knew exactly how to unravel a man's control. I knew how to make them beg. And right now, the werewolf mate bond was doing half the work for me. His pupils were blown wide, swallowing the amber of his irises. He wanted this.

I stepped directly into his space.

"Where did you drop it?" Rhette asked, his jaw tight.

"Right here," I said.

I placed my palm flat against the center of his chest. His heart hammered rapidly against my skin, betraying his calm exterior.

"Stop," he warned. His voice sounded rough, like sandpaper.

"Make me," I challenged.

I slid my hand up his chest, tangling my fingers in the dark hair at the nape of his neck. I leaned in and dragged my teeth lightly over his sharp jawline. A violent shudder ripped through his massive frame.

"You smell amazing," I whispered against his ear.

Rhette snapped.

He grabbed both my wrists in one massive hand. He spun us around and slammed me back against the wall. The impact rattled my teeth. He pressed his entire body flush against mine, trapping me completely.

"Liora, don't act crazy," he growled. His broad chest heaved heavily against my breasts.

"You want this," I whispered, tilting my chin up to meet his furious gaze. "Don't you want to kiss me? Brother."

His eyes dropped to my mouth. A muscle ticked furiously in his cheek. He leaned in, his lips hovering barely a millimeter from mine. The heat between us was suffocating. I arched my back, pressing my hips directly into his hard erection.

"Fuck," he swore loudly.

He forced himself to pull away. He released my wrists and took a massive step back. He rubbed his face aggressively with both hands, pacing away from me.

"Get out," he ordered, pointing a shaking finger at the open door.

"Rhette—"

"Out!" he roared, his voice echoing off the walls. "I'll call a doctor to check on you. You're completely unhinged."

I stumbled out into the hallway. The heavy oak door slammed shut right in my face.

I leaned against the cool wood, my heart pounding violently against my ribs. I hadn't slept with him. I didn't trigger a vision.

But as I stared down at my hands, a sharp, burning pain erupted on my left wrist.

A faint, glowing silver line began to slice itself across my skin, forming the exact shape of a blade.