JASON The cold floorboards bite into my knees as I kneel, the weight of the world pressing down on me. My chest burns with humiliation, but I don’t move, don’t flinch—not when my son’s wide, tear-filled eyes are locked on mine. Liam. My boy. My pup. Nicole looms over him, the camera capturing eve
STACY My cell slips from my hand just as I hang up on Jason. Nicole has Liam. The thought rips through me, leaving me breathless. My chest feels hollow, my heartbeat so loud I almost don’t hear my father stride up beside me. “What happened?” His voice is firm and commanding. I force air into m
JASON. (Moments prior to Nicole's call) “Midnight pack needs stability.” Elder Garrick says it like a command not a suggestion and taps a thick finger on the polished oak table for emphasis. The sound echoes across the council chamber like a ticking clock. “You divorced your second Luna with
NICOLE The forest outside the capital is silent like it’s holding its breath along with the rest of the world, waiting to see what will happen now that Stacy White’s picture-perfect life has finally started to crack.. The wind in the pines is sharp enough to sting. But we’re already miles away f
STACY “Liam is gone,” Nate snarls. “And we don’t have time for dates.” For a full heartbeat, I honestly think he’s joking. The restaurant goes silent around us — forks paused halfway to mouths, crystal glasses trembling in mid-air — and Nate stands there in the middle of the room like a storm
NATE For one week I’ve been trying to talk to Clara. She avoids me like I’m a ghost she’s not ready to believe in. Every time I come within ten steps of her, she glares and finds a reason to walk in the opposite direction. Breakfast? Lessons? Her chamber maid needs her? Fine. I wait outside those