LOGINGABRIELāSo,ā Luna Eris said suddenly, her tone deceptively casual, āyouāve officially severed ties with Ashwood Pack?āāYes,ā I answered evenly. āIāve left.āHer brows lifted, skepticism flickering across her face. āJust like that? You were the third-in-command. One of Alpha Frederickās closest confidants. How could he let you go so easily?ā She tilted her head. āI might understand if youād left with a clear purpose, but you didnāt. That night you were found near our borders, and you were barely clinging to life. How does someone fall so far from the Alphaās right hand toā¦ā She trailed off, finishing the thought with a dismissive shrug.Alpha Darius glanced at me, apology written plainly in his eyes. I inclined my head in acknowledgment. I had expected this situation, and luckily I had answers prepared.āIt wasnāt a rash decision,ā I said calmly. āIāve thought it through many times. And rest assured Luna Eris, though Iām Packless now and stripped of title, I have no intention of le
GABRIELSheās gone.Bridget is gone, and with her, every chance I had to explain myself. My fists crashed into the punching bag again and again. I lost count of how many blows I landed. The rough fabric burned my skin; pain flared up my arms as my knuckles split open, warm blood slicking my hands. Somewhere beneath the rage, I felt something snapābonds strained too far, maybe crackedābut I didnāt stop.I deserved it.I was furious at myself. At my weakness. In life, I seemed incapable of fixing.āAt least donāt punish that stuff as it owes you money.āThe voice broke through my haze.āItās new,ā the man continued mildly. āArrived barely a month ago. My warriors havenāt even had the chance to break it yet.āI turned sharply.Alpha Darius stood at the edge of the training grounds. Kevin lingered beside him, hands clasped behind his back, wearing the familiar sheepish grin I was beginning to loathe.āAlpha Darius,ā I said, forcing myself to straighten. I dipped my head in a short nod.M
The next day, Atlas showed up at Bridgetās office early in the morning, carrying a paper bag that smelled unmistakably like warm bread and roasted meat. He set it down on the corner of her desk, eyes already scanning her face overprotectively, the way he always did lately.āIāll eat it,ā Bridget said without looking up. āJust leave it there.āāI know you will.ā Atlas leaned against the desk. āBut since youāve decided to bury yourself in work again, I wanted to make sure youāre actually eating. Regularly.āHer hands paused mid-air, a stack of Pack's archived reports hovering between shelf and desk. Slowly, she turned to face him. Gratitude welled in Bridget's chest. So many things in her life felt as though they were slipping out of her grasp lately, but Atlas was still here. Still watching over her. Still caring far more than she ever deserved.She exhaled softly.āDid you bring me breakfast too just so it wouldnāt be so obvious that you bought one for Velmara?ā she asked lightly. āA
For as long as she could remember, Odette had harbored jealousy toward Bridget. One she couldn't voice because everyone knew they were friends. Even within their inner circle, she had always acted as though nothing dark festered beneath the surface.Bridget was the only woman in the Ashwood Pack whose status and beauty could rival her own. So when Odette overheard everyone mocking Bridget's appearance earlier, she had felt so damn happy.āDo you remember how Bridget always bragged about her looks?" Odette said lightly. āAs if beauty alone could fix everything. I never liked that. And I know you didnāt either, Gabe.āShe could speak freely now. They were both exiles. Neither of them belonged to Frederickās Pack anymore.Gabeās expression didnāt soften. āEnough,ā he said coldly.Odette tilted her head. āWhy wonāt you just let it go? You know her, and she and her arenāt friends anymore."āWith you, maybe,ā he replied. āBut Bridget will always be the same to me.āThe words struck deeper
Gabe could hear the faint grind of Kevinās teeth, the sound sharp with barely restrained anger.For a heartbeat, Gabe went blank.Then the shame hit him. Hot and suffocating. Crawling beneath his skin until he couldnāt breathe.Unforgivable was the only word everyone would use for what he had done. And they would be right.āRosa,ā Gabe said suddenly. āShe can help. She can remove the scar from Bridgetās face.āHe took a breath, straightened, then turned to face Kevin fully. His expression was so desperate in a way he could no longer hide.āRosa-"āOne of this packās witches,ā Gabe cut in. āAlpha Darius said sheās gifted. He trusts her. She even helped my wolf recover perfectly. If anyone can do it, itās her.āāOf course I know who Rosa is, but thatās not what Iām asking.ā He glanced at the bed before turning back to Gabe, eyes sharp with curiosity now. āWhy do you want to help her? You know her name. Is she your friend? And what exactly happened to her? Who gave a woman like that such
āBrieā¦ā Gabeās voice dropped to a whisper as her knees buckled.He caught Bridget just in time, her weight collapsing into his arms before she could hit the floor. For a terrifying second, he thought she might already be goneābut her breathing was steady, soft against his chest. Relief loosened the tight knot in his lungs.Gabe shifted his grip, adjusting her carefully until she rested more comfortably against him. Her head lolled against his shoulder, strands of pale hair brushing his jaw. He swallowed.'What the hell am I doing?'If she woke up like this, in his arms, she would be furious. She had every right to be. Yet his feet kept moving, carrying her away from Alpha Darius' mansion and toward the small house heād been staying in since he remained in Moonveil Pack.He needed her to listen. Just once.'Iāll tell her everything,' he promised himself grimly. 'About the potion Odette gave me. About how it stripped away my control, turned me feral, turned me into the bastard who hurt







