Novels by WildCard

[Elara]Kaelen doesn’t answer me right away. He reads the page again, his eyes moving slowly like he is trying to make the words change. Then he turns the ledger toward me.I take it. The restricted report is not the neat story everyone has been telling for years. It is messy, the ink is smudged in places to the extent that whole lines are blacked out. But enough of it is still readable.Kaelen’s parents were not just killed in a random fire started by rogue wolves. The report talks about strange symbols found near the scene. Marks that did not match any known pack ritual. Unusual injuries that the fire could not explain. Someone heard chanting before the flames started. And someone had been inside the private rooms of the Alpha’s residence before the fire ever began.The fire was used to cover it up, and from the looks of things Kaelen was as lost as I am.My hands go cold holding the paper. They buried this.Kaelen’s voice is low and hard. They let me believe it was a rogue attack t

[Elara]Kaelen is still standing by the window when I walk back into the room. His shoulders are locked tight and his eyes keep drifting to the same empty spot on the wall like the vision is still playing there."It did not feel like a normal vision," he says without looking at me. "There was fire. A dark room. Someone standing near the flames. A voice chanting words I couldn’t understand but I couldn’t make out the face."I stop a few feet away from him. "I saw it too."His head snaps toward me. For a second he just stares, like he is trying to decide if he heard me right."You saw the same thing?""Fire. Dark room. Someone in front of the flames. That same voice speaking words that did not make sense. But the face stayed hidden." I cross my arms because I need something to do with my hands. "I felt it through the bond the second you did."Kaelen’s jaw works once. The air between us gets heavier. He does not look relieved. He looks more disturbed than before."That changes everything

[Elara]The words hang between us like something that can still cut if one of us moves the wrong way.I stare at Kaelen and the anger feels heavy in my chest making it hard to breathe around. He is not lying. I can see it in the way he holds still, waiting for me to decide.The council will take Leo if we don’t give them what they want. And what is it that they want?Oh, just a public marking as a recognized mated pair, every single thing that was snatched from me five years ago, only this time I am supposed to take it on purpose.I dig my nails into my palms until it hurts. "This is not for you. You understand that, right?"Kaelen nods once. "I know.""I am doing this for Leo, nothing else. We’ll mark each other in front of the pack so they cannot touch him. That’s all""Agreed."His voice stays even. "The mark is for the law. It does not erase what happened. It does not mean you forgive me. It does not mean we are an actual couple."I look at him hard. "Leo stays with me. You protec

The man in the dark coat does not waste any time. He leads us straight into the council hall and Leo stays pressed hard against my side. His little fingers dig into mine like he already knows something is wrong. The room is full. Older wolves sit in a half circle on the raised platform and every single one of them turns to look at my son.Some of them look curious. Like they just found a shiny new toy. Others look at me like I am the dirt that came with him.I stop in the middle of the floor and keep Leo close. “You said you are deciding custody. What does that mean exactly?”Lady Voss leans forward. Her voice is calm but it still makes my skin crawl. “Leo is the first dragon-wolf heir this pack has seen in generations. He has spent most of his life outside our territory, raised by a human mother with no formal recognition from Shadowclaw. That situation cannot continue.”My stomach twists so hard I almost bend over. “You did not come looking for him when he was just a child. You only

[Elara]I don't really sleep. Every time I close my eyes I hear Leo talking in his sleep again. The dark man. Don't wake him. And Kaelen's call about Leo being the main target of the attack.I keep telling myself it's just a bad dream but I'm tired and I'm scared, but I don't show it in front of Leo.By the time its morning, everything is quiet. Leo is still sleeping when I go to the kitchen to get water. That is when I see it.The side window near the alley has three long scratches on the wood. They are fresh. Too high for a dog. Deep too, like something with claws pushed hard against it to check the lock.My stomach drops.I walk fast and check the other windows. Nothing else is broken. The front door is still locked. But those marks are right outside Leo's bedroom.I run back straight to him. He is curled on his side, breathing slowly with one hand under his face. He’s safe, for now at least. I just stand there and watch his chest go up and down. Someone knows where we are. Or some

[Elara]Marcus doesn’t ask questions when he comes to pick us up. He just keeps both hands on thewheel and his eyes on the road. That’s why I trust him.The roads are still wet from the storm. Every car that passes us makes me tense up. I can’t helpit.Leo is out cold in the back seat. His head is tipped against his car seat, mouth open a little. Hedoesn’t wake up when I carry him out of the private wing. He also doesn’t wake up whenMarcus opens the door either. Thank god for that.I need space. That’s what I keep telling myself. Space from Kaelen and how he looked at me lastnight. Space from that bond still sitting heavy under my ribs, like it is waiting for me to turnaround.I leave before I can start believing all that he said. Well before I start believing all of it,especially the part where my body still remembers his weight, his voice going low when he saidhe’d keep earning my trust… that part makes me want to punch a wall.I hate that he still gets to me. I hate that so