Ella Sinclair was watching me struggle with the idea that he'd somehow shared my dream, that he knew everything I'd said—secrets I'd never admit if I'd known he wasn't just a fantasy my sleeping brain had conjured. I'd just admitted how deeply attracted I was to him, how much he aroused me. I couldn't believe how shamelessly I'd thrown myself at him—I might as well have been a dog in heat, practically begging him to make love to me.

I had begged, I realized belatedly. And he'd left. He'd walked away even though I was practically his for the taking. He must have thought my behavior pathetic. He'd wanted to kiss me in the past; he'd even said he wanted me in the dream, but that was before I'd debased myself. I supposed that sort of behavior wasn't befitting a Luna at all.

Suddenly, Mike's voice echoed in my head, and I remembered how he'd belittled me for liking sex. "You're a stunner, Ella," he'd sneered, "but you're too eager. Men don't want a girl whose legs fall open at the first opportunity—show a little class." He'd never understood that it was the physical intimacy I craved, never connected the dots that sex with him was more about conception and closeness than pleasure. It would be different with Sinclair, I could already tell. I found more pleasure in foreplay with him than I'd found with Mike in ten years. He'd awakened parts of my body I didn't even know existed—and now he knew it, too.

Sinclair was still stroking and petting me, and I couldn't bear it. I had to put some distance between us or I'd lose control. I wrenched myself from his arms, and he let me go—again, the little voice in my head moaned. I climbed out of bed, and though my cheeks were already flushed, I felt myself blushing even deeper. "I you that was real?" I stammered, struggling to comprehend the impossible.

"No, it was a dream," Sinclair explained. "But we shared it. Bonded mates often visit each other in their dreams."

"But we aren't mates," I protested. "I'm not even a shifter. How did this happen?"

"As you said, it must be another gift from the baby," Sinclair replied easily.

"So you knew, all along, that it was real?" I gasped, my embarrassment and shame quickly replaced by outrage. "And that I had no idea?"

"Yes," he confirmed gravely. "I knew."

"Why didn't you tell me!?" I burst out, tears threatening. "You had to know I wouldn't have said or done those things if I'd known! I was vulnerable, and you took advantage!"

Sinclair rose from the bed, his large frame unfolding as he moved toward me. I could see now that he wasn't as unaffected by the situation as I'd initially thought. His eyes blazed, his muscles tense, his hands clenched into fists. His voice was low and husky. "Ella, I might be a shifter, but there are limits to even my abilities," he rumbled. "I would have to be dead not to respond to such a tempting invitation, and you called me to your dream, not the other way around. I got caught up in the moment, just like you did. I couldn't resist not until you reminded me that you don't understand our ways."

"How could I have called you to my dream when I didn't even know I was doing it?" I asked, confusion swirling around me like a dense fog. "And why did you come?"

"Because I wanted to," Sinclair replied, his jaw clenched so tightly his muscles twitched. "I was telling the truth about the power you have over me, Ella. I might keep some things from you, but I don't tell falsehoods. I don't say things I don't mean, even in dreams."

I wrapped my arms around myself, unsure what to make of this new information. I wanted to believe him, as terrifying as that was, but doubts still plagued me. "Then why did you leave?"

Sinclair exhaled, his patience clearly strained. "Because you thought it was just a fantasy, and I'm trying to respect your wishes."

"Oh," I whispered, furrowing my brow. That wasn't what I expected, and though it should have made me feel better to know he'd taken me seriously, part of me was deeply disappointed. I knew I was being contrary and hormonal, but I couldn't help it. I needed more time to process this, and until I had it, I wouldn't be making sense—even to myself.

Sinclair's gaze sharpened, pinning me in place. "Why did you think I left?"

I shrugged. "I thought maybe I was being too eager. I know men don't like that."

The imposing alpha crossed the floor until he towered over me. My first instinct was to back away, but my feet felt rooted to the floor. I peeked up at him hesitantly, finding a fierce expression on his handsome face. "Any man who wants a lover without passion is an idiot. Yours is electrifying, and knowing I can ignite you makes me feel more powerful than anything else. Your 'eagerness,' as you call it, is a gift, and I'd like to hunt down every man who's ever made you feel otherwise and beat them to a pulp."

I dropped my gaze, staring at my feet. His words warmed me from head to toe. Still, I couldn't help thinking this was very dangerous territory. It was getting harder and harder to resist my attraction to him, especially when he spoke to me like this.

"So why are you resisting?" the little voice in my head demanded. "You like him, he likes you, why are you fighting it?"

She had a point. I'd just been given proof that Sinclair not only returned my attraction but also took it seriously. Still, I couldn't help remembering the second half of his statement—he didn't waste his time on relationships that weren't going anywhere, and that's exactly what we would be. We had no future together, and we both knew it; we were just in denial because we wanted to give in to our desires.

"Because there's one thing more important than either of us," I reminded her. "Our baby. We're about to bring a child into the world, and it deserves two loving co-parents who can give it their full attention, not a pair of exes too caught up in their own drama to prioritize their child's best interests."

"But why are you so sure you'd end up as exes?" she inquired. "You're predicting the end before you've even had a chance to begin."

"I'm being realistic," I retorted. "The best Sinclair and I can hope for is a temporary fling. Maybe we could have some fun together, but at the end of the day, he's going to end up with a she-wolf who can rule by his side. I'm playing a dangerous game pretending to be something I'm not, and it's safer for everyone involved if I fade into the background after the campaign while he finds love elsewhere."

Sinclair was watching me again, tapping his finger lightly against my temple. "You wanna tell me what's going on in there, trouble?"

"We can't keep doing this, Dominic," I said, drawing a shaky breath. "If we stay on this path, we're headed for trouble."

He nodded, cupping my cheek and smiling when I reflexively leaned my head into his hand. "Listen, Ella," he began carefully. "I don't need to know why you don't want to get involved, but I don't have unlimited self-control. If you invite me into your dreams in the future, if you offer yourself up to me that way again, I don't think I'm going to be able to say no."

"But I didn't know I was doing any of that," I said. "Not for real. I don't even know how I called you to me."

"I know that," he remarked. "I'm just trying to be upfront with you about where I am with all this."

"Well, we only have to worry about this until after the pup is born, right?" I asked, more upset by this thought than I'd predicted. "I'll lose the connection to you when I'm no longer carrying him."

"We'll always be connected through our pup," Sinclair corrected me, "but yes, I suspect many of these bonds will fade in time."

My face fell, and I wished I had Sinclair's talent for masking my feelings. I was about to pull away when he stopped me. "There's something else, Ella. This may sound terrible to you, but there's something else you have to understand about shifter relationships."

"Yes?"

"It's in a she-wolf's nature to make her mate prove himself to her. She won't accept him until she's convinced he's the one. It's a sort of mating dance—like the wild hunt; she plays hard to get, and he gives chase."

"Okay," I gulped. "So what does that mean?"

"It means that if you give me reason to think you do want to be with me but you're holding yourself back for some reason, my wolf is going to react the same way he would to a she-wolf drawing him into the hunt," Sinclair announced ominously.

"You're saying you might stop respecting my wishes if you think I don't mean them?" I repeated, indignation rising.

"That's what being an alpha is all about," Sinclair confirmed. "Doing what's best for your mate even when she doesn't agree."

"But I'm not your mate," I said, amazed I was having to remind him of this for a second time that night.

"We'll see, Ella," Sinclair purred, his eyes glowing with barely restrained fire. "We'll see."