LOGINMy 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 pick Aspen up and grab Martha, pulling her somewhere more quiet.“I’m sure you’ve already heard what has happened. Take Aspen,” I tell her without preamble. “Take her back to our pack.”Martha’s eyes widen. “Sadie—”“Please,” I say, my voice cracking just enough to let her hear how serious I am. “
So, I stand there on the podium, swallowing every instinct I have, pretending I’m composed. Pretending this isn’t breaking me.I finish my speech and step down from the podium. The moment I do, I’m flooded.Alphas from neighboring packs. A vampire duke with too many rings and too little patience. A
“I can’t believe you’re mine,” he murmurs.I open my mouth to answer but then the sound of a horn blaring freezes us. Our bodies go completely still.We both know that sound. It’s a warning every werewolf knows… An attack.Alec bolts upright. “Shit—”I’m already on my feet, grabbing my clothes, hear
The force of it punches the air from my lungs. This isn’t gentle or hesitant. This is a man unraveling. A man drowning. A man who has been starving for years and suddenly tastes air again. His hands grip my hips, dragging me closer, as if he can’t get enough, can’t breathe without touching me.My fi







