LOGINYELENA "What did you do to her? Didn’t I tell you to stay away from her? Didn't I tell you to leave her alone?"Tristan’s knuckles turned white as his grip tightened. I could see the veins bulging in his neck."Tristan, stop! Listen to him first!" I cried out, rushing over and grabbing his forearm. It felt like grabbing a piece of solid granite. He didn't budge. "Don't hurt him until we know what's happening!"Daniel shook his head frantically, tears welling in his eyes. "It’s not me, Alpha. I swear. I don't know what's wrong. We were just... and then she suddenly started coughing. She's coughing up blood. A lot of it."The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Blood?I froze. Marie was young, vibrant... a werewolf with alpha blood in her veins. We didn't just cough up blood for no reason.Tristan’s hand released Daniel so abruptly that the other man stumbled. But before Daniel could even steady himself, Tristan’s fist whistled through the air. A sickening thud echoed as his punch co
YELENAI stared at the wall, my mind spinning in circles. I truly couldn’t believe it wasn’t her.If it wasn’t Livia, then who?Who else hated me enough to go to those lengths? Who else would stalk me, threaten me, and try to tear my life apart? I racked my brain, searching for a face, a name, a memory of a grudge I might have forgotten.But there was nothing. Aside from Livia’s blatant, venomous jealousy, I didn’t have enemies... at least, not ones who played this dirty.The sound of footsteps on the floorboards snapped me out of my thoughts. Tristan was coming back, his expression tight as he carried a small bowl of ice he’d gone to fetch.Looking at him, a small, involuntary smile touched my lips. I couldn't help but remember the way he had stood up for me back there.The way he had commanded my parents to release me, his voice booming with the authority of an Alpha, just so I could deliver the slap I deserved to give back. I’d honestly worried for a second that he might just
MARIE As quickly as the pain had arrived, it vanished. I stood up straight, blinking in confusion. I felt... fine. Perfectly fine. I removed my hand from my stomach and forced a nod for my mother. "I'm fine, Mom. It was just a cramp."She studied my face, her eyes narrowed with motherly suspicion. "Are you sure? You didn't look well earlier.""I'm fine, Mom, really. Don't worry about me," I insisted. But inside, I was unsettled. This was the second time I’d felt that strange, hollow ache tonight. What was going on with me?"Please be fine," she sighed, reaching up to kiss my cheeks. "Don't scare me, beauty. I have to go now and take your father home. He’s exhausted from the party."I nodded. "You should go. I’ll be home soon."She walked away, pausing a few times to look back at me, clearly unsure about leaving me behind. But she knew me well enough to know I wouldn't follow her if I didn't want to."Take care! Come home quickly, the hour is late!" she called out one last time.
MARIEMy brother stood frozen.It was like the entire world had stopped at the sound of that slap. Tristan’s face didn't move, but the air around him grew cold... deadly cold. Yelena, on the other hand, was like a mad wolf. She lunged forward, her fingers clawed, wanting to rip the skin right off Livia’s face.Her parents scrambled to hold her back. "You can't fight! Not in this condition, Lena!" they pleaded, dragging her by her arms. She thrashed against them, her eyes wild and fixated on Livia, but they held her down with everything they had."How dare you?" Livia spat, her chest heaving up and down. She looked like she had finally snapped. "How dare you, witch, think of me like that? To fake something... to plant a letter just to pin it on me?"Livia’s mother didn't say anything. She reached down with shaking hands and picked up the paper Yelena had thrown. Her fingers trembled so violently that the paper rattled as she opened it. She read it quickly, her face turning a sickly s
MARIETristan didn't look convinced. He didn't even blink. I watched them, my brow furrowed. Had he caught her in something? Did he have proof?"Are you sure you did nothing?" Tristan moved a step closer, his Alpha aura flaring. It was suffocating, a heavy pressure that made the air vibrate with his annoyance. "Nothing like... planning an accident for Yelena? Even while she was carrying a child?"The hall went so silent you could hear the flickering of the wall torches. Livia went rigid, a visible shock washing over her features.People started to murmur, the sound like dry leaves skittering across pavement."How could you think I would do such a thing?" Livia’s voice was shaking now, but it wasn't the shaky confession of the others. It was hot with anger.Her eyes brimmed with tears, shimmering under the lights, but she held them back with sheer force of will. "I-I thought you truly wanted me back. You bought me this dress... You made me believe you had changed your mind. Only to
MARIE The murmuring in the hall started up again, but it wasn't the light, social hum from earlier. The air felt thick, heavy with a damp sort of dread that sat on your chest and made it hard to draw a full breath. I looked around, watching the faces of the powerful wolves around me.I watched Tristan first. He took his vial with a steady hand, his face a mask of Alpha stoicism.Daniel took his next, then Yelena. When the waiter finally reached me, my fingers brushed the cold glass and a sudden tremor ran through my hand. My wolf surged under my skin, pacing, whining, completely restless.I frowned, staring down at the dark, swirling liquid. What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling so sick all of a sudden? I forced my breathing to level out and gripped the vial tighter.I couldn’t look weak here. I squeezed my eyes shut, tilted my head back, and downed the drink in one go. It tasted like iron and bitter herbs, coating my throat with a film that made me want to gag.I waited
MARIEThere was no flight?I scoffed and looked away, then slowly turned back to him, “How did you even know?”Daniel shrugged like it was nothing like he hadn’t just shaken my whole plan apart.“Because I canceled it.”I stared at him, heat rushing to my chest. “You did what?”“I didn’t want you t
JACKSONWe had two tests to run on Tyler, it was not because we wanted to but because we had to.Nothing about his business made sense, there were no clear records or steady flow that showed where his money came from. It was all smoke and mirrors, numbers that danced but never landed. The kind of t
YELENA“Lena."The word snapped like fingers in my face.I blinked and the walls of my office rushed back in... white walls, glass window, the faint smell of disinfectant and wolfbane tea. My fingers were curled tight around my pen like I had been holding onto it for dear life.I hadn’t even notice
MARIE“MARIE!”The voice cut through everything.Tyler froze.Not fully just enough, his body was still close, his grip was still there, his breath was still burning my skin. But the second his head snapped up, I knew that voice that called meMy heart leapt straight into my throat.I looked past T







