Hayes' POV

The first time I felt the mate pull towards Ruby was when I turned sixteen, but she was too young, thirteen, so I tried to ignore it. I felt it whenever she was close to me, which was often. She was my best friend's little sister, and we attended the same events. I started teasing her about her appearance—her braces, her glasses, her hair, her acne—whatever I could think of, so that she would dislike me or run away from me. I repeatedly told myself she couldn’t be my mate whenever I saw her.

She was weak and unable to defend herself. I needed a strong Luna by...