Novels by Jeane

Twenty years after Vienna, Luca woke up to find Dante already awake, watching him."Creepy," Luca said. "How long have you been staring at me?""Long enough to count every gray hair.""I don't have gray hairs.""You have three. Right here." Dante touched Luca's temple. "They're distinguished.""I'm thirty-nine. I'm not supposed to have gray hair yet.""I'm fifty-seven and completely gray. You're doing fine."Luca rolled over to check his phone. An email from the foundation—they wanted him to keynote a conference in New York next month. Another from Sofia, now running the Athens house with Anya. A text from Elena about quarterly financials."Busy day?" Dante asked."When isn't it?" Luca sat up. "New York wants me to speak at a conference. You want to come?""Can't. I have meetings with potential donors in London that week.""We're like two ships passing in the night.""We're in the same bed right now.""You know what I mean." Luca got up and headed for the shower. "We've been so busy l

Three years later, Marco was released from prison. Luca found out from Elena, who'd been monitoring his status."He's out," Elena said over the phone. "Released this morning. He's staying at a halfway house in Florence.""Okay," Luca said. "Thanks for letting me know.""You want me to make sure he stays away from you?""No. If he reaches out, he reaches out. I'll deal with it then."Marco didn't reach out for two months. Then Luca got an email. Simple, direct.*Luca,**I'm out. I'm in Florence working at a legal aid clinic. Helping people who can't afford lawyers.**I'm not asking to see you. I just wanted you to know I'm trying to do something useful with whatever time I have left.**I understand if you never want to hear from me again. But if you ever do want to talk, I'm here.**— Marco*Luca showed the email to Dr. Patel during their session."Do you want to respond?" she asked."Part of me does. Part of me wants to tell him to fuck off and never contact me again.""Both are valid

Fifteen years after Vienna, Luca stood in front of a mirror adjusting his tie. They were having a celebration at the main safe house—fifteen years since the network began, over two thousand survivors helped, twelve houses across nine countries."You look nervous," Dante said, coming up behind him."I'm speaking in front of three hundred people. I'm allowed to be nervous.""You've spoken to crowds twice that size.""This is different. These are the people we've actually helped. The residents, the staff, the donors. They know the real story." Luca turned to face Dante. "What if I mess up?""Then you mess up and keep going. Like you always do." Dante straightened Luca's tie. "You ready?""No. But let's go anyway."The safe house courtyard was packed. Current and former residents, staff from all twelve houses, politicians who'd helped change trafficking laws, donors who'd funded everything. Sofia was there with her fiancé. Anya had flown in from Greece. Dr. Patel sat in the front row.Luc

Marco's trial lasted three weeks. Luca didn't attend. He couldn't sit in a courtroom and look at the person who'd sold him out, who'd pretended to love him while knowing exactly what he'd done.Dante went to the sentencing. Marco got twenty years for conspiracy, human trafficking facilitation, and accessory to kidnapping. He'd be sixty when he got out."He cried when they read the sentence," Dante told Luca that night. "Asked if you'd ever forgive him.""What did you say?""Nothing. It's not my forgiveness to give."Luca thought about forgiveness. He'd forgiven Dante for pushing him away. He'd made peace with what Viktor and Sergei had done. But Marco felt different. Marco had been family."I don't know if I can forgive him," Luca said. "Is that wrong?""No. You don't owe him anything. Not forgiveness, not closure, nothing."Two weeks after the sentencing, Luca got a letter from Marco in prison. He stared at it for an hour before opening it.*Luca,**I don't expect you to read this. I

Ten years after the wedding, Luca got a phone call that changed everything."Mr. Romano-Salvatore? This is Detective Caruso from Rome police. We need you to come to the station. It's about Alessandro Ricci."Luca's blood went cold. Ricci had died at the warehouse. He'd bled out before the ambulances arrived."What about him?" Luca asked."Just come to the station. Please."Dante drove him. At the station, Detective Caruso led them to an interrogation room where a woman sat—mid-thirties, nervous, holding a folder."This is Maria Ricci," the detective said. "Alessandro's sister. She has some information you need to hear."Maria looked at Luca with something like pity. "I'm sorry. I should have come forward years ago, but I was scared.""Come forward about what?" Luca asked.She opened the folder and pulled out photographs. Luca in his early twenties, leaving the university, walking through Rome, sitting at cafés. Hundreds of photos spanning months."My brother was obsessed with you," Ma

Five years after the wedding, Luca woke up to find Dante already gone. Not unusual, Dante still had early morning meetings sometimes, but there was a note on the pillow."Come to the garden when you wake up. —D"Luca showered and dressed, curious. When he walked outside, he found the entire garden transformed. Not with decorations or flowers, just people. Dozens of them.Sofia was there, now twenty-one and working as a counselor at the safe house. The other residents he'd helped over the years. Survivors from the foundation. Dr. Patel, Marco, Elena. Even Anya, who'd flown in from Greece where she now ran a women's shelter."What is this?" Luca asked.Dante stepped forward. "It's been ten years since Vienna. Ten years since I found you again. I wanted to do something to mark it.""We all did," Sofia said. "You've helped so many of us. We wanted to show you what that means."One by one, people stepped forward. They told their stories—how Luca's words had given them hope, how the safe ho

ELI'S POVFour years after the treaty signing, I received a letter from the governance board requesting my presence at a formal ceremony.The Supernatural Rights Act was being recognized as the foundational framework for five regional territories. The enforcement mechanism was being held up as a model for how other regions should structure their implementation. My name was going to be publicly credited as the architect of the system.Kieran read the letter and looked at me."How do you feel about it," he said."Overwhelmed," I said honestly. "The work was never supposed to be about recognition. It was supposed to be about making the system work.""The system does work," he said. "And part of why it works is because you built it." He paused. "You can accept recognition without that changing what the work means."The ceremony was held at the governance board's main office, which had been expanded three times since I'd taken the appeals coordinator position. The building was packed — ter

KIERAN'S POVThree years after the treaty signing, the territory was operating in a state of equilibrium I hadn't thought was possible.The enforcement mechanism was stable. Pack members understood their rights. The territorial administration moved smoothly because Reina understood the work in a way that didn't require constant correction. Cole was building the enforcement curriculum into something that other territories were requesting access to.And Eli was teaching it without burning himself out, which was perhaps the most remarkable thing.I was in a governance board meeting when the proposal came up.Director Cael Draven presented it calmly, the way he presented everything — a proposal to formalize the enforcement coordinator position into a regional oversight body that would bridge all northern territories. Eli's position would expand to include direct authority over enforcement implementation across eight territories.The board was receptive. It made sense — the work had grown

ELI'S POVTwo years after the treaty signing, the Supernatural Rights Act passed into formal territorial law.Not just the treaty framework anymore — actual legislation that had been drafted by a committee I'd chaired, that established protections across multiple pack territories, that created enforcement mechanisms that would survive beyond any individual person's involvement.The legislation signing happened at the governance board office in a ceremony I attended alongside Kieran, Drea, Cole, and the three territorial Alphas who'd been the strongest supporters.Judge Mott presided over the formal signing, which felt right — she'd set the precedent with her ruling, now she was witnessing the full implementation.When my signature went on the final document as the appeals coordinator, I felt the particular exhaustion of something that had consumed three years of my life finally being complete.Kieran held my hand in the ceremony and didn't say anything, just stood beside me while the

KIERAN'S POVEighteen months after the bonding, Cole came to me with a proposal that I hadn't anticipated.He wanted to step back from his Beta position.We were in my office reviewing territorial expansion plans when he said it, which meant he'd been preparing the conversation carefully and wanted to deliver it in a space where we could talk without interruption."I'm tired," Cole said plainly. "I've been beside you since we were teenagers and I've been managing pack infrastructure for fifteen years and I want to do something else."I set down the documents. "What do you want to do.""I want to help build the enforcement infrastructure from the pack side," he said. "Work with Eli on how individual territories implement the treaty's protections. It's interesting work and it doesn't require me to be in pack politics."I understood immediately what he was saying. Cole had spent a decade and a half managing the territory while I managed the Alpha position and he was ready for something t

ELI'S POVOne year after the bonding contract signing, the Supernatural Rights Treaty had been adopted by seven regional territories and was under consideration by three more.The enforcement mechanism had processed over two hundred cases. The appeals process I'd built was being replicated in other regions. The territorial cooperation framework had become the baseline for how enforcement was coordinated across pack boundaries.Drea threw a party at the firm to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the treaty signing.It was more celebration than I usually tolerated — there was wine and music and colleagues from other firms who'd been part of the enforcement work. But Drea had organized it and she'd invited Kieran and Cole and Sienna, which made it less of a professional obligation and more of something that actually mattered.I found Kieran on the firm's roof where he was standing with wine looking at the city."You escaped," I said."Drea told me I was allowed to take a break from sm

KIERAN'S POVSix months into Eli's regional coordinator position, the territory was running smoother than it had in years.Not because of me specifically. Because Eli had built the enforcement infrastructure so cleanly that the pack understood the system without needing constant explanation. New cases came through, the territorial liaison processed them, they moved to Eli's oversight, and the outcomes were consistent and fair.It was the kind of structure that worked because everyone involved understood their role and trusted the people beside them.I was in the administrative building reviewing a territorial dispute when Cole came in with news that the governance board wanted to expand the appeals coordinator position into a full-time role."They're offering him a salary equivalent to what we pay you," Cole said. "Which means he'd be working for the governance board, not the territory."I looked up from the dispute file. "How do you feel about that.""Professionally? It's what he sho

Emily giggled, her tiny toes digging into the soft grains, squealing every time the water splashed against them. River held her securely in one arm while Jace held River’s hand with the other, creating a perfect circle of warmth, love, and protection. The three of them had been through so much, fought so many battles, and yet here they were, alive, whole, and together.River looked down at Emily’s small, cherubic face, her eyes wide with wonder as she pointed at the waves. “Look, Daddy! Water!” she squealed. Her little voice made River’s chest tighten with love. He bent slightly to kiss her forehead.“You love the water, huh, baby girl?” River whispered. Emily responded with a squeal and clutched his neck tighter, making him laugh softly.Jace watched the scene unfold and felt a warmth fill his chest. He couldn’t help but smile at how natural this felt. “You’ve got her wrapped around your finger already,” he said teasingly, ruffling River’s hair.River chuckled, careful not to disturb

Mirinda paced around her small living room with slow, angry steps. Her hands trembled even though she kept telling herself she had done the right thing. Emily was asleep on the couch, wrapped in a soft blanket Mirinda had found in her closet. She hadn’t hurt the baby. She couldn’t. Emily was innocent. But every time Mirinda looked at the child’s small face, something twisted inside her chest.“That baby should have been mine,” she whispered to herself, voice shaking. “River should have been mine. We were supposed to start over.”But River had chosen Jace. And Mirinda could not accept that.She knelt beside the couch and stared at Emily again. The baby exhaled gently and moved one of her tiny hands. Mirinda softened a little.“I’m not a monster,” she whispered. “I took care of you. I fed you. I kept you warm. I didn’t hurt you.”Her words didn’t comfort her. Deep inside, she knew she had crossed a line she could never return from. But she was lonely, broken, and desperate. And desperat

The morning started so peacefully it almost felt unreal. Jace was in the living room feeding Emily her oatmeal, humming quietly while she kicked her tiny feet. The apartment was warm from the sunlight coming through the wide glass windows. River was upstairs taking a quick shower before heading to a meeting.Everything was calm.Everything felt safe.And Jace had no idea that danger was already standing outside his door.A soft knock echoed from the front entrance.Jace frowned. “Who could that be…?”He wasn’t expecting anyone. Sasha and Leo always texted before coming. The cleaners weren’t due until next week. He wasn’t ordering anything.Emily babbled, smearing oatmeal on her face.“Hold on, baby,” Jace said gently.He carried Emily in his arms and walked toward the door. He looked through the peephole.A woman stood there. Tall. Slim. Pretty. Long dark hair. Serious eyes. She held a small purse in front of her and looked calm, almost too calm.Jace unlocked the first latch but kept

As the weeks passed, River noticed something else too, he missed Jace.Not the man holding bottles, not the man panicking about diapers, not the man humming lullabies at 3 a.m.He missed his husband.The man he kissed slowly. The man who made him blush. The man who whispered things that made his heart race. The man he married with so much love he thought he might explode from it.And every night, when they finally collapsed into bed, Emily asleep in her crib beside them, they were both too tired to even talk. Sometimes River reached out to hold Jace’s hand, but even that tiny movement felt heavy.One evening, after Emily finally drifted off, River lay on his back staring at the ceiling. Jace lay beside him, eyes half-open, looking like a very tired angel.“We need time alone,” River said suddenly.Jace blinked. “What time?”“Some time. Any time.”Jace rubbed his face. “River, I haven’t slept properly in two weeks. If we get alone time, I might just pass out.”River let out a small lau

River thought he had faced hard things in his life. He had survived military missions, gunfire, pain, and even long nights alone in strange countries. But nothing prepared him for waking up at 3 a.m. to the high-pitched cries of a tiny baby with lungs stronger than a siren.He shot up from the bed, disoriented at first. The room was dark. The city lights glowed faintly through the curtains. Beside him, Jace groaned, rolling over and pulling the pillow over his head.“It’s your turn,” Jace mumbled, voice muffled.River snorted. “My turn was two hours ago.”“…Are you sure?” Jace asked weakly.“Yes,” River said, already standing.He was still half-asleep when he made it to the nursery. Emily’s face was red, scrunched like she was furious at the whole world. Her tiny hands waved in the air as she screamed.River lifted her gently, patting her back. “Hey, sweetheart. It’s okay. Daddy’s here.”Emily did not care. She kept crying as if she was telling the house a dramatic story.Jace entered

The morning sun streamed into the penthouse, warm and soft, and Jace woke up slowly with River’s arms wrapped tightly around him. Married life made River even more clingy in the mornings, and honestly, Jace loved it. He turned a little, facing River, and brushed his fingers gently against his cheek. River’s eyes blinked open instantly.“You’re staring again,” River murmured, voice rough with sleep.“I’m admiring,” Jace corrected with a shy smile.River kissed him softly. “Good. Admire your husband all you want.”They stayed like that for a moment, warm and quiet, before Jace finally took a deep breath. “River… can we talk about something important?”River sat up, suddenly alert. “Are you okay?”“Yes. I’m perfect,” Jace said quickly. His fingers played nervously with the bedsheet. “I was just thinking. About… our future.”River’s face softened. “Tell me.”Jace breathed out. “I want us to build something bigger. More… complete. Something that belongs to us both.”River reached out, hold