LOGINNathan:I should have left the hospital wing.That was the lie I kept repeating to myself as I stood outside Mia’s hospital room long after the doctors had finished speaking to me.“Her surgery went well, Alpha. She lost a lot of blood, she is strong, but she will recover, Alpha.” The pack doctor said, looking at me. “She is going to need to rest to be able to fully recover, but she is okay.”Those words should have been enough to calm me, but they did nothing. And worst of all, I remembered the way she had looked at me right before it happened, as if she had wanted to say something, as if there had been words trapped inside her that I would never hear.I scrubbed a hand over my face. I hated seeing her lying in that bed, pale and still, because Mia had never been weak. She had always been the strongest person I knew, and seeing her like this felt wrong in a way I could not put into words.A soft knock pulled me from my thoughts.“Alpha…” the nurse said slowly. “I am so sorry to bothe
Brenda:It should have been me.The thought would not stop repeating itself, circling through my mind like a punishment I deserved, like a curse I had earned. I sat outside the operating room with Mia’s blood still staining my hands. And every time I closed my eyes, I found myself seeing her throwing herself in front of me, taking the bullet that should have hit me…My stomach twisted so violently I thought I might be sick. And what made it worse was the way that I spoke to her.“I am tired of all of it.” “Everything is wolves.” “You always get it all.”I didn’t mean those words… I was angry, and I threw that anger out on her… I am so sorry…The waiting room doors burst open, and I watched as Nathan stepped out. For a second the entire room went quiet, well, more quiet than it already was.His shirt was soaked in Mia’s blood, his hands were covered in it. He didn’t even look like the human that we’ve grown used to seeing; he was the Alpha, the mate, the man whose entire world was curr
Nathan:Something was wrong, and I felt it before I heard anything, before anyone spoke, and before a single alarm was raised. I was in my office reviewing patrol reports when my wolf surged forward with such violent force that the papers on my desk scattered across the floor. A growl tore from my chest, not out of anger but out of something far worse. It was fear, raw and immediate, the kind that hollowed out the lungs before the mind could catch up.Then I heard her.It was not Mia’s voice. It was Sylvia’s, her wolf, calling out through the bond in a way that was not physical or audible. It was deeper, older, and unmistakable. It was a mate’s cry, a sound that carried pain and desperation and a plea for help that struck straight through my spine.My chair crashed backward as I shot to my feet, frowning as my wolf grew more alert than I knew he already was.“Nathan?”Elijah barely had time to react before I was already moving. My heart hammered against my ribs with a force that felt
Mia:I knew that something was wrong the second I saw Brenda walking out of the pack. But when she refused to look at me despite me calling her, now that was when I knew that something bad happened.“Brenda,” I called out, but she did not stop walking. I hurried after her, trying again. “Brenda, wait. For God’s sake, running away from whatever it is that is bothering you is not going to change it. At least let me be there for you!”That was all it took for her to spin around so quickly that I almost collided with her. Her eyes were red, not from crying but from frustration and anger, and somehow that worried me far more than tears ever could.“Did you know?” she demanded.“Excuse me?”“Did you fucking know that Elijah and I were mates?”“I had my doubts.” I answered honestly. “When you told me about a spark that you felt, I had speculated, yes.”Brenda laughed, a sharp and bitter sound that made my stomach twist. “My God.”“Brenda…”“And you did not tell me?” Her voice rose, the hurt
Nathan:“Is everything okay with Brenda?” I asked, noticing how she was walking toward the pack door.“I don’t know,” Mia said, frowning in confusion.I was standing near the entrance with Mia and Rosalyn when we spotted her. And when she walked right past us the way she did, I knew that something was wrong. To say the least, she would have stopped to at least say hi to Mia or tease Rosalyn…Today? Nothing.She just kept walking like she was on a mission to run.Mia immediately frowned. “Something happened.”“I can tell,” I said, and she looked at Rosalyn who was playing. She nodded at her nanny, and the woman took a step forward to watch her before Mia spoke again.“I am going to after her.”I caught her wrist gently. “Mia.”She stopped and looked back at me. I already knew what I was about to say. I didn’t want her leaving the territory right now, not with Vladimir moving.My wolf immediately disliked the idea, and I could tell that she understood. But I could also tell that she was
Elijah:The second the words left my mouth, I knew there was no taking them back.You are my mate.I stared at Brenda, waiting for something, a reaction maybe? For her to tell me that I was going to need to stop? That this wasn’t the way that she wanted this to go…For a moment she didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t even seem to breathe.The shock on her face was almost painful to look at. Because I could actually see the moment everything connected in her head — the date, the protectiveness, the staring, the touching, the kiss, me. All of it.My heart pounded so hard it felt ridiculous. I had faced rogue attacks, pack wars, assassins, Alpha confrontations. And somehow this was worse. Much worse.“Brenda…” My voice came out rough, uncertain. For the first time in years, I genuinely had no idea what to do next. “I…”She turned and walked away without even saying a word, taking me off guard as I looked her way, trying to process the moment.“Brenda, no…” I said, taking a step toward her.
Mia:Rosalyn seemed completely determined to destroy Nathan’s room, and at that moment, it honestly felt like the only reasonable explanation for the chaos unfolding around us.She had somehow collected pillows from the couch area, blankets from the bed, and two stuffed toys from her own room, and
Vladimir:The bond broke, and I felt it instantly.It hit me with the brutal certainty of a blade to the ribs.It felt as if someone had reached into my chest and torn something vital out with their bare hands.Pain slammed through me so violently that I dropped to one knee beside my desk, my breat
Nathan:“Hey,” I said gently. Mia looked up from the bed immediately, already frowning when she saw the tray in my hands.“Seriously? I could get up and join you at the table like a normal person.” She said, shaking her head at me.“No. Not today, to say the least.” I walked toward her calmly befor
Mia:The first thing I felt when I woke up was the ache in my neck.It wasn’t painful, only a quiet ache that lingered. It was simply there, warm and impossible to ignore, and each passing second was a reminder of what had happened last night.A soft throb pulsed beneath my fingertips when I reached







