Valerie:The kitchen was filled with the soft clinking of cutlery and the warm scent of cinnamon and honey. I moved slowly, careful not to burn the toast, careful not to look too long at Caspian as he stood by the counter watching me, arms folded across his chest like he was still processing everyth
Eva:“You’ve lost control,” I snapped, pacing the edge of the study, my heels echoing with every angry step. “You said you had everything in place. You said everything would go as planned. And yet here we are, Valerie’s alive, Caspian is stronger than ever, and now Adrian sees him as a father.”Giov
Caspian:The air in the pack was… different now.And though I knew that everyone wanted to deny it or ignore it, they could. Not everything was just someone's complicated.It was not tense, not completely. But not calm either. It was something in between, like the pause before a storm, or the breath
Valerie:The wind around us started to shift. I could feel it and see it and the trees that were around us. I walked along the forest path with Adrian by my side, his little hand tucked securely in mine. I wanted him to try and explore his power. I wanted him to allow himself to give in to what it i
Caspian:The fire crackled low in the hearth. Outside, the moon rose high above the trees, casting a pale light through the windows, but inside the room, it was only her.Valerie.The woman who, despite myself, managed to slip inside my head. The woman who managed to settle inside my heart in a way
Valerie:The wind was sharp tonight.Leaves crunched beneath my boots as I walked the length of the old northern path near the pack’s edge, where the trees had started to wither into the burnished golds and ambers of fall. There was no one else around, Caspian was still speaking with Ryan and Mateo,
Caspian:I could tell something was off the moment Valerie walked through the door.It wasn’t in her steps, they were light, measured as always. It wasn’t in her expression, she kept it blank, unreadable, the way she did when she wanted no one to ask questions.But I knew her too well to miss it.Sh
Giovanni:There was something different about her.That I found myself being intrigued to. Something that attracted me.Something I hadn’t seen the first time I laid eyes on her.Power.Not the brute strength of wolves, or the cold strategy of an Alpha raised on war. No, Valerie carried something el
Caspian:One Year LaterThe breeze was warmer today.Softer.Gentler in a way I hadn’t felt in years.More peaceful and more contenting, More calm and even happier.I stood at the edge of the gardens, the same gardens where so much had been taken from us, and so much had been given back, watching Ad
Valerie:The sun was rising over the horizon, golden streaks splitting the sky wide open, like a promise finally fulfilled.I stood at the highest point of the estate grounds, the wind tugging at my hair, the scent of fresh earth and morning dew wrapping around me like a cloak.It was over.Giovanni
“Impressive,” Giovanni called, his voice carrying easily across the clearing. His smile was cold, razor sharp. “I knew there was more to you, Valerie. I knew it from the second I laid eyes on you. I did say that I had more respect to you than I had for others, but it seems to me that I did not expec
Valerie:The boy's cries ripped through me like claws.My heart raced with each passing moment and I did my best not to harm that child. I did my best not to dirty my hands with his blood, to save him out of this, to get him out of this before the man played the game that I was not willing to handle
Caspian:The air was too still.It was the kind of stillness that came after the fight, when the blood had dried and the bodies were cleared, but before the real danger revealed itself.I didn’t like it. Not one damn bit.Because I knew that stillness was one that only told me that more danger was
Valerie:The earth still smelled of blood.I smelled of blood. People's blood the blood of our enemies the people who had dared invade our territory.The ground beneath our feet was turned upside down. We were going to need to fix that later, but I knew that the vines that worked their way from the
Caspian:The moment my boots hit the dirt at the border, I knew it was going to be a bloodbath.The trees were alive with tension, the air so thick with rage and power it was almost suffocating. All around me, my men stood ready, rows of wolves shifted into their full forms, low growls vibrating th
Valerie:The sound of war drums echoed faintly in the distance.I stood on the balcony of Caspian’s estate, the crisp night air sharp against my skin. Below, the pack was preparing, shadows moving with purpose, weapons flashing under the moonlight, wolves shifting and howling into the night. It wa
Caspian:The great hall buzzed with low conversation, tension coiling in every corner like a living thing. They were all here, my warriors, my council, the elders, even some of the civilians who had asked to stay and fight if it came to it.Ryan was right when he said that the bastard had more enem