ログインMy gaze sweeps across the courtyard, taking in the faces, the laughter, and the sense of peace that still feels surreal.And then my eyes find her.Xena.I can’t bring myself to call her Lola, just as she can’t bring herself to call me Sadie. To everyone else, we are Lola and Sadie but to each other
“Sadie?” Alec murmurs gently beside me, voice low and coaxing. “You ready?”I turn, and he’s there, exactly where he’s always been. Tall, steady, eyes soft in a way I once thought I’d never be on the receiving end of. He’s holding our son in his arms, swaddled in a light silver blanket that shimmers
He already knows. He always does.“Ready?” I say quietly, though everyone hears me.“Definitely… Been waiting to make you officially mine for months,” he says, earning a chuckle from everyone.Slowly, he puts Aspen down, who is smiling from ear to ear.We told her the truth, that Alec is her dad, an
The night is quiet. Not the tense quiet that comes before war, not the brittle silence of grief but a living stillness, deep and steady, like the world has finally exhaled.It has been a month since the battle. A month since blood stained this land. A month since Kaden fell. A month since I learned
Kaden sees it too late. He lunges, but we are faster.I raise my hand and time stops and light pours from me in radiant waves. Lola steps forward, shadows trailing her like smoke. Light and shadow coil around us, not fighting, but circling, choosing. The air thickens, charged, every particle vibrat
The guilt is suffocating. It crawls up my throat like it wants to rip me apart from the inside.This isn’t how it was meant to be. This isn’t how it was meant to end. Kaden wasn’t supposed to win.I wipe away the tears. No! I refuse to let her die.I feel something crack open in my chest at my deter
I exhaled deeply, like I’d been holding that breath for days. Then I turned back to my research, steeling myself to return to the books. I was just starting to get into the right headspace when the door creaked open behind me.My entire body tensed as Piper stepped inside, her expression distracted,
SadieRaven and I sat side by side in the large conference room. Last night, before Alec left my room after kissing Aspen goodnight, he had reminded me of today’s meeting. Something that I had completely forgottenThe room was quiet, thick with silence and tension that sat heavy on everyone’s should
“How long have I been out?” I asked after downing the whole glass.“Three hours, give or take.”“Is everything okay?” I muttered. “I hope I didn’t do too much damage and that no one got hurt.”“Don’t worry about that. Apart from the trees, no one got hurt,” he teased. I had to blink twice to make su
Again, he doesn’t reply, but I see a small shift in his eyes. He’s an Alpha. A leader. Of course, he wouldn’t be okay hiding while others sacrificed their lives.“It doesn’t sit well with me… I just want to protect you.”Something softens in my heart and I feel something warm uncurling within me. I







