Mag-log inYELENA Tristan's left hand slipped down, resting gently on the curve of my belly. The touch was so tender it made me chuckle softly, but I knew I had to use this moment of softness."Tristan," I said, placing my hand over his. "Let her see him. She asked for it. She needs that peace to heal."The softness vanished instantly. He pulled his hand back, his face hardening into a mask of Alpha authority. "I knew you’d take his side." He looked back at Marie, who was watching us with hollow, pleading eyes. "Can she eat?"I shook my head, frustrated by the subject change. "No. Only liquids for the next twelve hours. I’m going to get her some water and a nutrient flush now.""Fine. Then I’ll go get you something to eat," he said, already turning on his heel and walking toward the door."Tristan! I know what you’re doing! Come back here!" I called out, but he didn't even slow down. He was a man on a mission to avoid the truth. He didn't want to hear Daniel’s name, and he certainly didn't want
YELENA The air in the room was thick with the scent of sterile alcohol and the lingering warmth of a miracle. We were still caught in that fragile, happy moment.Marie had opened her eyes, and though she couldn't speak yet, her gaze held a lifetime of unspoken relief. Then, the gravel outside crunched under heavy tires.Several cars were pulling into the hospital compound with an aggressive speed that could only belong to one person...Tristan.Daniel heard it too. He stood alert, his body tensing like a predator sensing a rival. His clothes were still rumpled and stained from the way he had been punishing himself, his knuckles raw and his spirit exhausted. He looked at me, a flash of genuine fear crossing his face, it was not fear for his life, but fear of being torn away from her again."He can't see me here," Daniel whispered, his voice jagged. "He warned me. He told me if I came near her again, he’d end me."I nodded quickly, glancing at the door. "Go now."He didn’t want to le
YELENAI stepped back, my chest heaving, looking down at his trembling form. "What? Did I... did I hear that right?"Daniel didn't look up. He just sat there in the middle of the floor, sobbing, his tears mixing with the blood on his chest."I told you," he choked out. "It’s my fault. Your wolf... she knows. She just confirmed it."I closed my eyes for a second, trying to process the impossibility of it. Daniel loved Marie. Everyone knew it. It was the kind of soul-deep devotion that people whispered about.He would have walked through fire for her. So, how could he possibly be the one who put her in this bed?"How is this possible, Daniel?" I asked, my voice softer now, though it was still shaking. "How could you hurt her like this?""I infected her," he whispered, looking up at me with eyes that were utterly broken. "I infected her with my sickness. I knew I wasn't supposed to get close to her. I knew I wasn't supposed to love her or tell her she was my fated mate... not until I was
YELENA The mystery of the accident still gnawed at the edges of my mind, a jagged piece of a puzzle that refused to fit. If it wasn't Livia... if she wasn't the master planner behind that near-fatal crash, then who was it? Who else had I offended to the point of them wanting me dead?I paced the small, sterile office space near the pack clinic’s private wing, my thoughts spinning in circles. Who else had become my enemy without me even knowing her name? The threat had relaxed for a moment, a temporary lull in the storm, but that only made the silence feel more dangerous.Someone was out there. Someone was watching, waiting, planning another way to get to me.I looked up at the ceiling, a silent prayer forming in my heart. I just hoped whatever they were planning would fail. I needed the Moon to continue to protect me, my children, and everyone I loved. Because right now, the shadows felt far too long.I stepped back into the high-security ward, my gaze landing on Marie. She look
LIVIA "No, no, no..." My mother stepped toward me, shaking her head frantically. "Don't do something like that. Don't try to harm her. You know the Alpha already loves her. He’s blinded by her, Livia! If you touch her, it will only backfire. He’ll exile you, or worse."I scoffed, a harsh, dry sound. "You can't stop me, Mother. I’m taking what’s mine. Tristan would never be hers in a fair world. He’s my mate’s... he belongs to our circle, and he will be mine at the end of all this. She’s just a temporary distraction that needs to be removed."I turned on my heel and walked toward the house before she could start sobbing again."Livia! Livia, come back here!" she called out, but I didn't stop.I went straight to my room and locked the door.The next two days were a blur of restless pacing and dark thoughts. I didn't have a plan yet, but I knew I needed one. I was being watched... I could feel the eyes of the pack on me whenever I stepped onto my balcony. I was an outcast in my own ho
LIVIAI couldn't believe this was my life now. For two weeks, Tristan had kept me locked up in a cold, damp cell for two whole weeks before he finally realized I knew absolutely nothing about the crime they had pinned on me.Two weeks of staring at stone walls, smelling the scent of silver and rot, all because he chose to believe that lying witch over his own mate's bloodline.How could he believe her? How could he look into my eyes, see the truth written in my soul, and still choose to trust her words over mine?I had no motive to hurt her. I was living my life, trying to find my place in a pack that seemed to be forgetting me. But now? Now that she had brought it upon herself to drag my name through the mud and throw me into a cage like a rogue? Now, I would give her exactly what she wanted.If she wanted me to be the villain in her little drama, I would play the part until the credits rolled.Clearing her from this earth was the only way I could breathe again. It was the only
NYRAI woke before the sun.The room was still dark, the air was heavy with that quiet that comes before morning truly begins. For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to Jackson’s slow breathing beside me. His arm was thrown over my waist, heavy, warm, and possessive even
YELENAI never thought Nyra would be the one to break me like this.Not her.Out of everyone in this city, filled with enemies wearing smiles and wolves hiding behind human skin, I never thought it would be my best friend, like my own sister.The house felt too quiet that morning, too still. Even t
NYRAI don’t think there was a word strong enough to explain what was happening.I was supposed to be back at the pack yesterday. The moment I heard that Alpha Tristan had picked up his pup, my heart nearly burst. I should have been there. I should have stood beside Lena. But I had one last patie
YELENAI forced my wolf to calm down. I couldn’t let him see me lose it. Not here. Not now. We needed to be steady. Right.Right?He had to be kidding. There was no way he thought he could just waltz in here, claiming her like she was some prize.“You don’t get to decide that,” I said finally, tryi







