Novels by Alison Hart

LENAI couldn't sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes I saw that picture. My mother standing next to him, young and unafraid.Around two in the morning my phone finally stopped buzzing. A call. Unknown number again.I nearly didn't answer. Then I did."Lena," the voice on the other end was nothing like Cole's. Older. More careful. "This is Elias Thorne. I believe Cole told you about our little meeting in the woods?"My whole body went numb. "How'd you get this number?""I have my ways. I wouldn't waste your time by telling you." A pause. "I'm calling because I think you deserve better information than either pack is giving you. Or rather, you deserved better information before this call." A pause. "That was not me, was it?""No. And that concerns me more than it should." His voice was calm, but I could practically hear the gears shifting beneath the surface. "I've had twenty years to be patient. Whoever called you tonight, they do not have twenty years. You should be concerned

COLEWe left the house close to midnight. Lena didn’t say much on the drive back. I didn’t push her.Noah was still up when we got to the apartment, laptop open, surrounded by printouts. He looked up the second we walked in.“I found something,” he said. “About the number that texted Lena.”“You traced it?” I asked.“Not exactly. But I ran the pattern past my cousin. He says it’s not a Ridgeview burner. Not Silverclaw either. It pings off a tower near the old warehouse district downtown. Nobody from either pack has business down there. Hasn’t for years.”“Thorne,” Lena said.“Maybe. Or someone working with him.” Noah turned the laptop around. On the screen was a grainy photo, clearly pulled from an old newspaper archive. A group of people standing outside a building, dated twenty-two years back. “This is the last known photo of the Corwin alliance leadership before the massacre. I found it buried in an old digitized newspaper archive nobody’s looked at in years.”Lena leaned in close.

LENAWe walked back into the study without knocking.Cole’s father looked up from his desk, surprised. Then he saw our faces and set his pen down slowly.“What happened?" he said.“Someone called me,” I said. “They said Silverclaw had something to do with my parents’ accident. Is that true?”His face didn’t move. That scared me more than if he’d flinched.“Sit down,” he said.“No.” My voice came out steady, which surprised me. “Just tell me. Yes or no.”He looked at Cole, then back at me. Something in him seemed to give up a little.“It’s not a simple yes or no,” he said. “But there’s truth in it. Sit down, Lena. Please. You deserve the real story, not a phone call from a stranger.”I sat. Cole stood behind my chair, one hand on my shoulder.“Your mother came to me eleven years ago,” his father said. “Not for help. For a warning. She’d heard Ridgeview was closing in on her location. She wanted me to know, in case it ever mattered to Silverclaw’s territory claims down the line. That wa

COLEI snatched the phone from her hand before her fingers had completely registered what they were seeing, my entire body tensing at the sight of those three innocuous words blinking on the screen."Who is this?" I said out loud, already dialing the number back before either of us had agreed that it was a good idea.It rang twice before the phone was picked up, the voice on the other end unfamiliar, younger than Elias Thorne, and sharper, with an almost amused edge to it as it greeted me."Cole Arden. I was hoping I'd get you instead of her. Saves us both time.""Who are you? What do you know?""I know your father has been lying to you about the shield clause." The voice said. "It's real, technically, buried deep enough in Silverclaw's old code that most modern pack members have never even heard of it. But it doesn't work like he tells her it does. The shield only holds if both parties enter the bond willingly and with full and complete knowledge of every possible consequence. If you

LENAI watched Cole process what I'd just told him, his face unreadable, shifting through some mix of relief, because his father's motives weren't as purely mercenary as he'd feared, but beneath that, something darker, that I couldn't yet name."That's not what he told me," Cole said slowly. "He told me it was leverage, a strategy. He told me not to waste it being sentimental.""Maybe both things are true," I murmured, hugging myself against the night air, processing everything his father had told me over the course of the last hour, the history, the warning, and the strange, complicated grief in the old man's face as he spoke of a woman he'd apparently cared greatly about once upon a time and who he'd never told anyone he'd lost. "Maybe it's a matter of leverage and protection, and he just doesn't know how to talk about either without making it sound weak to someone he spends your entire life training to think in terms of strategy rather than sentiment.""That doesn't make it right."

COLEI expected my father to oppose me at every turn. I expected him to rail against the delay, against the deadline, against the ceremony, against my unwillingness to coerce Lena into agreeing to this charade willingly. I did not expect him to ask to speak with her in private, and the fact that he'd done so unsettled something deep in my gut as I drove to his house that night.He greeted us at the door himself, which was not surprising in and of itself but was made so by the fact that my father did not greet us at all. Guests at his home were expected to stand in his study until he summoned them, and the sight of him in the front foyer, standing beneath the soft glow of the porch light, his hands clasped loosely at his back, was enough to make my stomach knot itself into a tight, unhappy ball. "Lena," he said, and there was something in his carefully measured tone that had me wincing even before he'd finished speaking. "Thank you for coming. I know you have little reason to believe a

/Alora/The peaceful night stretched before us, revealing numerous stars that unfurled like small light forecasts for our future. Randall and I sat on a hill that offered breathtaking views of our growing piece of land, which had become our true home. We gazed at the beautiful full moon as the woods extended over the valley, presenting complete routes to our village across ancient rifts. It was now calm. It was our peace of mind.Randall's body heat comforted me as I relaxed against him, allowing the tranquil evening to soak deep into my center. I placed my palm over the intricate tattoo on my wrist to connect with the sacred bond between the ground, our packs, and him. As I viewed our land illuminated by moonlight, I was confident that every step we took had resulted in this beautiful moment. And it was gorgeous.My softly whispered words, "We've been through hell," showed the real truth. We withstood the difficult times together because we refused to give up, and as a result, we e

/Alora/A heavy atmosphere of joy filled the festival space, along with numerous life energies coursing through its grounds as I strolled among the crowded visitors. Since ancient times, this festival has commemorated peace and memory under the official name of the "Festival of Unity." Every pack territory within our boundaries, as well as pack territories from nearby territories, came together for a unique celebration in honor of Lila's lingering spirit. Throughout the event, we honored the alliance between the SilverClaw and Night Terrors packs, which has grown stronger since their original bond via conflict.My ears were overwhelmed with the sweet noises the children produced as they raced by. Because the long-standing hatred between us was no longer there, the once bitter enemies from both packs reunited as a unit in an unhindered celebration. The scene was quite amazing to see. They were unaware of how their ancestors had previously overcome adversity and endured bodily suffe

/Alora/The night was filled with silence. The only sound was the rustling of the leaves beneath the weight of the moonlight as the wind swept through the trees like the moan of an old, tired soul. It was a welcome sound, and the forest—so familiar to me—always gave me a sense of calm. However, tonight felt different.The ambush had left a mark on me. The loss and uncertainty were nearly too much to endure. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the expressions of people I couldn't protect. I could still hear the echo of Lila's laughter in my head, a sound that felt distant and unreachable now.I needed to find some comfort, even if just for a moment.The grave was just ahead. I didn't need to search; I already knew where it was. I had been there several times since the night Lila was taken from me.I kneeled by it, resting my palm on the cool stone and allowing the weight of my sadness to subside for a while. I hadn't been able to truly grieve previously. The battle, the pack, and the b

/Alora/The air smelled of smoke, blood, and betrayal. I stood in the center of what was left of the ritual grounds; the ashes of the sacred bonfire spread across the earth like a terrible metaphor for the vows made just hours before. Wolves hurried to help the injured, their frightened shouts breaking over the crackling of remaining flames. My hands were coated with filth and blood—some of it mine, not all. My breaths were short and weak, but I refused to falter."Ethan, secure the perimeter," I said, my voice as keen as the dagger strapped to my thigh. "Kayla, please prioritize wounds. "Nobody dies on my watch today.""On it," they said in unison, their expressions a combination of resolve and fatigue.Randall's presence behind me was like a shadow, his protective instincts tightening in the aftermath of the attack. His voice was low, but it carried the weight of a storm barely contained. "This wasn't a random attack, Alora.""I know," I said, turning my attention to the wolves ar

/Alora/My breathing became louder than the vision breaking my focus with its rough and irregular rhythm that made me feel like I tore through endless forest paths. My heart thundered in my chest, an unrelenting beat that echoed the warning still ringing in my ears: Maintain the bond, or else this connection will destroy you.The abrupt movement as I stood up revealed my death grip upon the blanket which served as my link to reality. The gloomy light of the moon through curtains provided the only illumination in the room. Beside me, Randall stirred. His usual calm attitude tonight seemed to create a heavy powerlessness. When his eyes met mine he slowly awakened. His voice came from the darkness low and thick while still sleepy. “Another vision?”My voice reduced to a soft minimum as I replied "Yes." “And it’s getting worse, Randall. The voices... They’re louder. Different voices are giving us warnings about the approaching dangers.“What did you see?” His face remained calm but a m

/Alora/Hello, Randall.I needed to stand in front of you and acknowledge my faults.Her face tightens, and his hands form tight fists at his sides. Despite the tense situation, his eyes remain filled with anguish.Maris takes another stride toward him, unfazed by his threatening tone. Her words rush as she says, "I made a mistake." Walking away from you was the worst mistake of my life. I told myself that I could find happiness with him, but I realized my mistake.Randall, he's gone now. He's died. And I..." Her low words are muffled by grief, and a single tear falls down her cheek. "I never stopped loving you."Maris' remarks begin to weigh heavily on Alora and Randall's bond. Alora's breath pauses for a moment.Randall's natural weakness pierces her heart more deeply than any weapon.Randall talks gently and firmly, eventually concluding, "You don't get to say that today." "You disappeared. You choose him. When you left to start your new family, I painfully grasped every shattered p