Chapter 25 Sable's POV Three hours crawled by like molasses, I sat cross-legged on the hotel carpet, trying to piece together Mom's broken necklace. Maybe if I heat the silver chain, it'll be flexible enough to reconnect. I found the clothes steamer in the closet and plugged it in. The device hissed to life, producing steady streams of hot vapor. This might actually work. I held the twisted chain near the steam outlet. The silver began to warm and soften slightly. Come on, just bend back into shape… My phone buzzed and I reached for the phone without thinking. The steamer tipped backward. Hot metal met silk petals instantly. The decorative flower arrangement on the nightstand burst into orange flames. "Shit!" I lunged forward, trying to smother the fire with a pillow. Too late. The flames spread to the nearby curtain edge. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The smoke alarm shrieked like a banshee. The piercing sound stabbed through my eardrums and echoed down the hallway. Then came the deluge. WHOOSH! Ice-cold water exploded from every sprinkler head in the ceiling. Pressurized streams hammered down from six different directions, instantly soaking everything in sight. "No, no, no!" I scrambled toward the control panel by the door. Water blasted me in the face, making it impossible to see. The silk curtains darkened and clung to the windows. The rug turned into a sodden mess. Expensive furniture dripped like waterfalls. I jabbed frantically at the red emergency button. Nothing happened. The sprinklers kept going. Within three minutes, the luxurious suite had transformed into a disaster zone. Water pooled ankle-deep on the marble floor. My hair hung in soaked strings. My clothes stuck to my skin like plastic wrap. The broken necklace pieces floated past my feet. 'Oh god, Mom's sapphire!" I dove after the fragments, scooping them into my hands before they disappeared down a floor drain. Five minutes later, I stood in the opulent hotel lobby looking like a drowned rat. 1/3 "I'm terribly sorry about the damages," I told the desk clerk. "I'm sorry for the chaos. Here's my card for the repairs. The woman's professional smile never wavered as she accepted my card. "No worries. Will you be needing a replacement room, Miss Crawford?* 'Please.* Her fingers flew over the keyboard. After a moment, her expression turned apologetic. 'I'm afraid we're completely booked tonight. Convention season, you understand." Perfect. I trudged to the lobby's leather seating area, leaving wet footprints on the pristine marble. My phone showed seventeen available hotels in Moonridge. Sixteen were fully booked. The last option made my stomach sink: Blackstone Motor Lodge. The reviews painted a horrifying picture. "Sheets had mysterious stains that glowed under the bathroom's blacklight. Pretty sure something died in the walls." "Thin walls meant I got an all-night audio tour of my neighbors' bedroom Olympics. Could've charged admission." "Bathroom looked like a crime scene. Roaches scattered when I turned on the lights. Actually saw one smoking a cigarette." I stared at my phone in despair. Twenty-four hours ago, I'd been sleeping in Egyptian cotton sheets. Now I was contemplating a bed that might harbor unidentified organisms. A familiar scent drifted through the lobby's recycled air. Cedar. Black tea. Something spicy and warm I couldn't identify. The combination hit my senses like a drug, making my pulse quicken without explanation. What's that? I looked up from my phone. Caelan stood ten feet away, pulling a sleek black suitcase behind him. He had to be at least six-foot-four tall enough that most people had to tilt their heads back to meet his eyes. His dark hair was shorter than I remembered, brushed back, with a few loose strands hanging over his forehead. - He'd gotten bigger since I last saw him. Broader shoulders, thicker arms. The black jacket fit him well, but I could see the muscle underneath. His face looked older too - sharper angles, a stronger jaw. There was a small scar above his right eyebrow. But I couldn't see his eyes yet. Three women had surrounded him, blocking his path to the front desk. They stood too close, faces flushed red, hands fidgeting with their hair and jewelry. One of them giggled nervously while another kept touching his arm. They're hitting on him. That scent grew stronger. My wolf Esme stirred restlessly in my consciousness, pacing like a caged animal. "Something's happening," she whispered. "Something important." Caelan said something I couldn't hear from across the lobby. His voice was low, polite but cold. The women's faces fell instantly. They stepped back like he'd physically pushed them away, then scattered toward the elevators without another word. That's when he turned. 2/3 Chapter 25 His deep blue eyes swept the lobby until they found mine. My world exploded. A shock of recognition slammed through me with the force of a freight train. It started at the base of my skull and exploded outward, setting every nerve ending ablaze. What the hell- Esme erupted in my consciousness like a volcano. 'MATE! MATE! That's our mate!" My eyes went wide with shock. What? That's impossible. "Finally! You're awake! You can finally feel our TRUE mate! Not that pathetic pretender Darrell!" Esme's joy blazed so bright it made me dizzy. "This is who we were meant for all along!" True mate? But Darrell was our mate- "Darrell was your YOUNG mate!" Esme's voice blazed with long-suppressed knowledge. "When you were eighteen, you could only sense what your immature heart was ready for. But I always knew there was something greater waiting!" That's why you never liked Darrell. You knew. But why didn't you tell me? 'I couldn't." Esme's voice carried a hint of sadness. "Wolf law forbids interfering with a werewolf's natural growth. I could only resist, only make you feel restless, hoping you'd understand. And I wasn't certain until this moment." Caelan had gone completely still. His pupils dilated until only thin rings of blue remained visible. Then they shifted, blazing pure gold. His wolf was surfacing. The mate bond snapped into place like a steel cable pulled taut.