LOGINIlaria’s povLuna's first birthday party was everything I'd hoped it would be.The pack house's main hall was decorated with soft pinks and golds, balloons clustered in corners, a small cake shaped like a crescent moon sitting on the center table. Nothing too extravagant, Reed and I had agreed we wanted this to be warm and intimate, not a political statement.But it was still beautiful.Luna wore a tiny dress my mother had made, white with golden embroidery. She was walking now, wobbly, uncertain steps that made everyone coo with delight. Reed followed her everywhere, ready to catch her when she stumbled, his expression so full of love it made my chest ache.I wore a deep blue gown that Reed had picked out, something elegant but comfortable. After a year of motherhood, of sleepless nights and constant worry, it felt good to dress up, to feel beautiful again.The guests were a mix of pack members, allied leaders, and dignitaries from across the territory. My mother, beaming as she watc
George’s povGeorge sat in his hotel room in Cabo San Lucas, laptop open, watching his team work through encrypted video calls."The phone footage is ready," Viktor reported, his face pixelated for security. "We removed all frames showing the note on the screen. Now it just looks like she picked up an expensive phone and walked away with it.""Show me."Kozlov shared his screen. The edited footage played, Ilaria walking through the park, noticing the phone on the bench, picking it up, checking it briefly, then slipping it into her bag and leaving. Without the context of the note, without the screen visible, it looked exactly like theft."The café footage?""Edited to show her attempting to sell the phone. We hired an actor to play a buyer. Looks like a standard black market transaction."George smiled. "Financial records?""Created and backdated. Shows a cash deposit to an account we've linked to her through shell companies. Five hundred dollars—reasonable for a stolen high-end phone.
Ilaria’s povThree days after returning the phone, I was at the train station picking up a package Reed had ordered for Luna, some fancy imported baby clothes his mother insisted we needed.The station was busy, people rushing in every direction, the metallic voice over the intercom announcing arrivals and departures. I'd just collected the package from the shipping office when I saw an elderly woman, maybe seventy, struggling with a massive suitcase near the taxi stand. She'd get it a few feet, stop to catch her breath, then try again. No one was helping her, everyone too absorbed in their own travels to notice.I hesitated. Luna was with my mother, and I had time before I needed to be home. And the woman looked genuinely distressed, her face flushed with effort.I approached her, adjusting Reed's package under my arm. "Excuse me, do you need help?"She looked up, relief flooding her weathered features. "Oh, bless you, dear. Yes, I—I'm visiting my daughter, but this suitcase is so h
Ilaria’s povTwo weeks after Luna's celebration, I finally felt like I had a routine.Mornings were for Luna, feeding, changing, those precious hours when she was most alert and I could watch her discover the world. Afternoons, my mother would come over to watch her while I spent a few hours at the pack house helping them manage administrative work. It wasn't glamorous, but I liked feeling useful, liked being part of the pack's daily operations instead of just Reed's mate.Evenings were for our small family. Reed would come home, take Luna so I could have a break, and we'd have dinner together like normal people instead of an Alpha and Luna constantly under scrutiny.It felt good. Maybe that's why I didn't see it coming.It was Thursday evening, and I'd stayed a bit late at the pack house finishing up some filing. Reed was in meetings all afternoon, and my mother had texted that Luna was fed and happy, so I'd decided to walk home through the small park that bordered our residential a
George stared at the bottom of his empty glass, the amber residue catching the dim light of his home office. Three in the morning, and he was still awake, still drinking, still trying to silence the voice in his head that kept screaming the same truth over and over:He'd lost.The bottle of scotch sat within reach, his third tonight, or was it his fourth? He'd stopped counting days ago. Reed was still the Alpha. Stronger than before, if the intelligence reports were accurate. The pack had rallied around him after the assassination attempts, seeing him as a leader who'd survived multiple threats and emerged unshaken.And Ilaria, that wolfless Omega who should have been easy to eliminate. She'd not only survived but thrived. Given birth to Reed's heir and had been accepted by the pack despite her status, despite everything George had done to expose her.The medical documentation he'd paid so much for? Worthless. Dr. Thornton had been exposed as corrupt, her testimony inadmissible. The
Ilaria’s povOne month laterI experienced another type of pain, way worse than anything I'd imagined.But when the midwife placed my daughter in my arms with tiny, perfect, screaming with healthy lungs, none of it mattered anymore."She's beautiful," Reed breathed beside me, his finger gently stroking our daughter's cheek. His eyes were wet, which was something I'd never seen before.She was beautiful, had hair like mine, plastered to her small head. And when she finally opened her eyes to look at us, they were golden just like her father's."Hello, little one," I whispered, exhausted and overwhelmed and more in love than I'd known was possible. "We've been waiting for you."Reed leaned down, pressing his lips to my forehead. "You did so well. She's perfect. You're both perfect."My mother stood in the corner of the room, tears streaming down her face. "What should we name her?" Reed asked softly.We'd been debating names for weeks, unable to agree. But looking at her now, at those
Reed's povI stood in the observation room, watching through the one-way glass as Calista sat handcuffed to a metal table. "Alpha Reed." The police captain approached, a folder tucked under his arm. "We've completed the initial processing. Given the evidence, she won't be seeing daylight for a ver
Ilaria's povI was marveled at the sight in front of me. There were candles lining the hallways, their lights glowing softly. The surfaces were scattered with flowers. Lilacs and roses with their fragrance filling the air.Reed had done all of this for me.I stood in our bedroom, staring at my ref
Ilaria's povThe world swam in and out of focus.I was lying on the ground, I realized dimly. It’s all coming back to me. I had collapsed here after fleeing the pack house.Through the haze of pain, I could hear the voices and the flash of cameras penetrating my vision."Is that her? Is that the L
Ilaria's povCalista didn't flinch at my threat. If anything, her smile grew wider."Such fire," she said, rising slowly to her feet. "I almost believe you mean it. But we both know you don't have the power to back up those words."I stepped closer, positioning myself between her and Reed's unconsc







