ANMELDENSERA'S POVFive years.Five years passed like a nightmare that never ended.Lucas, Ethan, and Noah are now five years old. They're not tiny anymore. They can run, jump, fight, and defend each other. Lucas, the oldest, has grown into a protective child—always wanting to protect his younger siblings, always wanting to be the best. Ethan, the middle child, has grown into a mischievous and funny kid who often makes me laugh during the hardest times. Noah, the youngest, has grown into a quiet, mysterious child, the one most like Gabriel. His deep black eyes often stare at me as if he knows I'm hiding something. As if he knows I'm not okay.Every morning, I take them to school."Come on, sweethearts. Don't forget your lunch."Lucas takes his own backpack, not wanting any help."I can do it, Mom."Ethan grabs his dinosaur-themed water bottle. "Mom, today I want to tell you about my dream job.""What do you want to be?""I want to be a pilot."Noah stays quiet, fixes his own shoes, then stand
SERA'S POVLilith came the next day.I had already prepared coffee and sat on the front porch, waiting for her. The babies were still asleep—Lucas in his Superman pose in the crib, Ethan curled up like a cat, Noah quiet with his eyes half-open as if always on guard. I kissed their foreheads one by one before going outside.Lilith's car was black, not a luxury car like I had imagined, but a regular sedan, a little dull. She got out wearing a black leather jacket, short hair, no makeup. She looked tired. Maybe from the long drive. Maybe because she wasn't sure about her decision to come here."Come in," I said.She shook her head. "Better outside. I don't want to—it wouldn't be good if the babies wake up and see a stranger."I didn't argue. We sat on the creaky porch chairs, facing the yard where the grass was starting to turn yellow. I handed her the coffee. She took it, sipped slowly, then placed the cup on her lap."Let me get straight to the point. I need your help to prove Marcus i
SERA'S POVI would sit in the rocking chair in the nursery, holding Lucas, Ethan, and Noah in turns, and stare at my phone, waiting for news, waiting for a message.No call from Gabriel.Marcus sent money on time every month. It went into my account automatically, like a bill payment. I never touched it. I preferred working part-time from home, arranging flowers for online orders, selling them through social media. It wasn't much, but it was enough for milk and diapers.I didn't need Marcus's money. I didn't need pity from a traitor.But one night, when Lucas was fussy with a fever, and Ethan cried along with him, and Noah just stared at me silently with his deep black eyes, I gave in. I withdrew that money, took Lucas to the doctor, bought medicine, bought more expensive formula because Ethan's stomach couldn't handle the cheap stuff.I cried in the car on the way back from the pharmacy."I'm sorry, babies."Lucas didn't answer. He just moved his little hands in his sleep.A few mont
SERA'S POVWeek after week passed.At first, controlling my werewolf instincts felt like hell.The first time the full moon came, ten days after I woke up from the coma, my body felt like it was burning from the inside. My bones felt like they were being stretched, my muscles contracted uncontrollably, and I screamed in the bathroom while gripping the cold marble sink. Gabriel ran in, hugged me from behind, calming me with a low, trembling voice."You're strong, Sera. Your body is just adapting. It's normal.""NOT NORMAL!" I nearly snapped."It's only temporary. You'll get used to it."Two weeks later, I started to be able to control it. I learned to feel when the instinct came—when I was angry, when I was scared, when I felt threatened. I learned to take deep breaths, count to ten, and let the anger subside on its own. I learned that my fangs only came out if I wanted them to. I learned that I could be an ordinary human during the day, and something else at night.And I learned that
SERA'S POVI stood in the middle of the living room, still messy with half-packed suitcases. Lucas, Ethan, and Noah were already on the sofa, asleep again after crying for a bit. This house felt foreign now. The walls we'd plastered with memories now felt like a cage."We need to leave tonight," I said."Where to?""I don't know. Somewhere they won't find us."He walked closer, his face tired. Not just physically tired, but soul-tired. I could see it in his eyes."We've tried running—to the cabin, to this town, to this house. They always find us.""Then we need to run farther—overseas, to Europe, somewhere the pack has no influence.""We don't have the money for that.""We can find work there. I can open another flower shop. You can...""Sera." He cut me off, his voice soft but firm. "You just got out of the hospital. Your body is still weak. Your surgery scar hasn't healed, and you want to run overseas with three babies?"I was quiet. He was right. I was just panicking. I just wanted
SERA'S POVThree weeks later, we went home.The small house on the edge of Sandpoint was still standing. The grass in the front yard had grown a little taller, dry leaves scattered across the porch.Gabriel helped me out of the old car. My body was still weak, the C-section scar still stung if I moved too much, but I didn't want to wait any longer.Lucas, Ethan, and Noah were asleep in three car seats that barely fit in the back. Gabriel had to order them specially online—three car seats that could line up in that small car. It took two weeks for them to arrive, but finally we could pick the babies up from the hospital.I looked at the house. The windows were dark. The front door was shut tight, but something felt wrong."Gabriel," I whispered."Yeah?""Do you feel something strange?"He didn't answer. I turned to look at his tense face. His eyes narrowed toward the house, his nose twitching slightly."We're not alone," he said quietly."Marcus?""Or his men. I smell at least four dif
GABRIEL's PovThe meeting room.Twelve elders sat in a circle around the long mahogany table, old faces full of greed and ambition. I sat at the end, in the Alpha chair I never truly wanted. The seat beside me was empty—no Sera, no one.Elder Aldric began."Alpha Gabriel, we've discussed this many
I don't remember exactly when everything started to blur.What I remember are the empty bottles on the floor. The white pills I took, I don't know how many. The phone that kept vibrating with the name MARCUS on the screen. And an incredible pain in my chest, not from the pills, but from my shattere
Arriving at campus.“Will you be all right?” Gabriel asked as he walked me all the way to the front of the faculty building.He had to immediately attend a meeting with the dean regarding something he had deliberately arranged so he could “coincidentally” be on campus today.“I will be fine. Do not
It was already late at night. Gabriel’s luxurious apartment felt overwhelmingly silent and vast, echoing every step of my bare feet against the marble floor. The clock on the living room wall showed a little past eleven. Gabriel still had not come home. His last message said the meeting was running







