Mag-log inAnna's povChris stood in the narrow doorway of my tiny room, with his dark eyes glued to my face.The arrogance that had been on his face just a second ago was completely gone. His breath was warm on my skin, and the intense heat of his chest pressed right against my palms. He suddenly tilted his head slightly, with his eyes dropping down to my lips.Then slowly, Chris leaned in closer. He took a deep, shuddering breath, inhaling my scent deeply, just like he used to do when we were mates, back when he still loved me.But at that memory, a sudden jolt of pure panic shot through my veins."Get off me!" I gasped.I put my hands against his chest and shoved him away with every single ounce of strength I had.Chris stumbled back a step into the hallway, his boots catching on the floorboards. I quickly backed away until the small wooden desk hit the back of my legs. My chest was heaving, my heart hammering like a trapped bird against my ribs."What is wrong with you?" I demanded, my voic
Anna's povLily led me down a long, dark hallway toward the far back corner of the guest wing. The floors here were unpolished wood, and the air smelled like dust and damp air.She stopped in front of a heavy wooden door and pushed it open.I stepped inside and looked around. The room was tiny. There was a narrow single bed, a small wooden desk, and a tiny window that looked out onto the trash bins behind the kitchen. It wasn't even four feet away from the back servant stairs. This wasn't a room for a former Luna. It wasn't even a room for a guest. It was a room for low-level staff.Lily hovered in the doorway, watching my face like a hawk, waiting for me to break. She was waiting for me to scream, to complain, to give her something to run and report to Chris.But I kept my face completely blank. I set my tactical duffel bag onto the small bed without saying a single word.Lily’s eyes narrowed slightly when I didn't react. She cleared her throat and stepped into the room, folding her
Anna's povThe engine hummed softly as the car cut through the dark night, the trees on either side of the dirt road blurring into shadowy lines.Mike kept his hands tight on the steering wheel, glancing sideways at me every few seconds. The quiet between us was heavy, filled with things left unsaid for a whole year."I'm going to support you all the way, Anna," Mike said softly, breaking the silence. His voice was full of deep concern. "No matter what happens in there, you won't be doing it alone this time."I looked out the window, watching the boundary stones of my former Pack territory draw closer. "Thank you, Mike."Mike swallowed hard, his dark eyes shining with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Anna. For what Chris did to you... for everything that happened that night. I blame myself every single day. I should have protected you more. I should have stood between him and you."My chest tightened, but I turned to him with a gentle expression. "It's okay, Mike. You don't need to carry that bu
Anna's povI held up one finger. "First — I get close to Sarah. I reestablish our bond. I remind her who her mother actually is."Second finger. "I help him find his informant and neutralize whoever is attacking the pack, because the faster that's done, the faster I have fulfilled my end of whatever agreement he thinks we're making."Third. "While I'm doing that, I find everything I need to expose Lily. Every lie. Every manipulation. Every single thing she has done since the beginning." I lowered my hand. "And then I burn it all down from the inside. And I walk out of there with my daughter and I never look back."The kitchen was very quiet.Mike looked at me for a long time. His dark eyes moved over my face like he was looking for something — the crack, maybe. The wobble. The place where the brave speech ended and the frightened woman underneath began.He didn't find it. Because I had spent a year making sure he wouldn't.Slowly, he nodded."Alright," he said."Alright?" I repeated.
Anna's POVI made tea because I needed something to do with my hands.Mike sat at my kitchen table and watched me move around the small space without saying anything yet, which told me everything I needed to know about how serious this was.Mike was not a quiet man by nature. He filled rooms easily, with warm jokes, easy smiles, the kind of presence that made people relax without knowing why. Silence from Mike meant he was weighing something heavy.I set the mug in front of him and sat down across the table."Talk," I said.He wrapped both hands around the mug and stared into it for a moment. Then he looked up at me."The attacks started about four months ago," he began. "First one hit the eastern border — a patrol team. Three warriors down, two critically injured. We assumed at first it was a territorial dispute with one of the smaller border packs." He shook his head slightly. "But the second hit came from the north. Different angle entirely. Different style of attack."I frowned. "
Anna's POVI heard him before I saw him.That was always how it was with Dorian, his presence announced itself. Not loudly. Not aggressively. Just a kind of shift in the air, like the room quietly rearranged itself around him without being asked.His footsteps came down the corridor and I had exactly four seconds to look at the state of my office, overturned chair, glass I hadn't bothered to sweep up, rose petals still scattered across the floor like something that had died in here, and decide I wasn't going to explain any of it right now.I stepped out into the corridor before he reached the door.Dorian stopped when he saw me. His icy blue eyes moved over my face with that careful, unhurried attention he always gave me, the kind that made me feel simultaneously seen and deeply uncomfortable."Anna," he said."I know," I said before he could continue. "Don't."His jaw tightened slightly. "He was here.""I know he was here.""In your office. Alone with you.""Dorian." I kept my voice







