Mag-log inDANIEL I floored the accelerator, the car fishtailing slightly as I tore out onto the main road. The city lights smeared into long, jagged streaks of color against the windshield.Every second felt like a decade.My wolf was pacing, claws scraping against the bars of my consciousness, howling in frustration at the lack of a target, at the inability to protect the one man who mattered more than anyone else in our pack.When the sterile, looming silhouette of the hospital finally rose out of the dark, I didn't slow down. I surged through the gates, skidding into a parking spot just as three familiar black SUVs flanked me. Our guards. They moved like shadows, spilling out of their vehicles with lethal efficiency, immediately fanning out to seal every exit and entrance. They were creating a fortress of the building, ensuring no one would get in, and more importantly, no one would leave until we had answers.I didn't wait for them. I sprinted toward the automatic glass doors, my sh
YELENA I set the glass down with a soft click, my hands suddenly clammy. Had I seen that, or was the fatigue finally playing tricks on my mind? Was I hallucinating, or was there something hidden behind those eyes that he hadn't yet dared to show me? The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. I didn’t dwell on the strange flicker of violet I’d seen in Tristan’s eyes anymore, though the unease it sparked in my gut refused to settle. It sat there, a cold, jagged stone in my stomach. I pushed the plate away, the aroma of the rich venison suddenly turning cloying and unappealing. He had finished eating like someone was chasing him.The man who usually teased me while stealing bites off my plate, the man who was always present, always engaged, was suddenly a statue, his gaze fixed at some point in the distance that I couldn't see.I leaned forward, my hands gripping the edge of the table."Tristan, what’s wrong? You’re acting like a stranger. Why are you not talking to
YELENAThe night air outside the restaurant was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, a familiar perfume of our territory, but tonight, it felt charged with something else. I was still blushing, the heat of it lingering on my cheeks despite the cool evening breeze. Tristan had insisted on this outing with the stubbornness of a man possessed, refusing to take "no" for an answer. Even with my belly swollen and heavy, housing the little life that was preparing to greet the world, he had guided me into the car with such care, as if I were made of glass.He had been acting strange ever since he pulled into the driveway. There was a frantic, jittery energy beneath his calm exterior, a nervousness he tried to cloak behind a stoic expression, but I knew him too well. I could read the slight tension in his jaw, the way his fingers drummed rhythmically against the steering wheel, and the way his hand, usually so steady when it held mine, trembled just a fraction.As we were seated,
LIVIA My mother stood in the doorway of the kitchen, her face twisted in genuine disgust as she watched me wipe my hand with a small cloth. She didn’t know it was cursed, of course. To her, it was just a piece of trash I’d fished out of the bin."How can you pick that up with your bare hands, Livia? Have you lost your mind? Think of the germs," she scolded, pulling her apron closer as if the sickness could jump from my hand to her.I offered her a tight, dismissive smile, the kind that was meant to end the conversation before it could begin. "Don't worry, Mother. It won't affect me. I’m just tidying up, and I’ll be back soon." I didn't wait for her to press further. I turned on my heel and marched out of the house, the cool night air biting at my skin and clearing the lingering scent of kitchen cleaners from my senses.She didn't stop me. She actually believed the lie, probably relieved that her daughter was finally acting "normal," finally chasing after a man who wasn't the Alp
LIVIAI skidded to a halt in the kitchen, my chest heaving, my hair a wild mess of half-styled tangles. My mother stood by the counter, a wet rag in her hand, staring at me with a mixture of confusion and mild irritation.The scent of bleach and stale pine cleaner hung thick in the air, cloying and heavy, stinging my nostrils."What is it? Why are you shouting, Livia?" She pulled her apron tighter around her waist, her eyes narrowing as they raked over my attire. "And why are you dressed up? I thought you were staying in tonight."I forced my racing heart to slow, clamping down on the frantic energy surging through my veins. I couldn't let her see the truth, not now, not when I was so close. I smoothed the fabric of my dress, pasting a thin, practiced smile onto my face."Yes, I know, I said that," I lied, my voice steady, practiced. "But a man I met... someone I've been talking to, he just invited me for dinner. You’ve been badgering me for weeks to let go of Tristan and move on,
LIVIA I looked at my reflection in the mirror, smoothing down my hair and forcing my face into a mask of calm, pleasant indifference. The wolf inside me was snarling, ready to hunt, but I pushed it down. I had to be perfect. I had to be invisible.The hunt was finally on, and this time, there would be no mistakes.'And what if he tries to protect her?' My wolf’s voice slithered into my consciousness, a low, nagging hiss of doubt that made my skin crawl.I rolled my eyes, shaking the thought away as I turned to the vial resting innocently on the wooden grain of my drawer. Oh, give me a break, I thought, my mind sharpening into a cruel, jagged edge. Before I answered her, 'Tristan is an Alpha, he’s built for strength, for brawls, not for detecting microscopic chemical interference. He can’t smell the scent of a curse hidden in a fine vintage. No one can.' She didn't say anything."Good. Perfect. This will be absolutely perfect," I whispered, the words tasting like victory before
MARIEAll eyes were on me.The whole room felt too quiet, too tight, like the walls had moved closer while no one was looking.Even Yelena had stopped crying.Just a moment ago her face had been wet with tears, but now she had wiped everything away, sitting there with her red eyes fixed on me like
TRISTANI wasn’t supposed to do that.The moment I told Yelena what I did, I knew it. I saw it in Yelena’s eyes, it wasn't anger or even hatred, but pure disappointment.That look has been sitting on my chest since yesterday like a heavy stone.Shit! I messed up.I ruined a small, quiet moment she
JACKSONDamn it.I knew it.From the moment she stepped out of the house that morning, something in my chest felt wrong. She didn’t look at me properly. She didn’t argue like she usually would. She just left and I let her.Because I was guilty.I wasn’t supposed to block Lena’s number from her phon
NYRAThe doctor didn’t waste time.After we finished talking, he went straight to work. I stood beside him, watching every move, every change in the patient’s body. His chest rose and fell in slow rhythm. The scent of medicine mixed with wolf blood still hung in the room.For a while, nothing happe







