Mag-log inTRISTAN"No, no, wait," I said. She froze, and I turned, pulling my mother into a tight embrace. The scent of pine and rain clung to her, the familiar comfort of home. "Oh, moon, I’m so happy you and Yelena are fine," she whispered against my shoulder before stepping back, her eyes shining with relief.Marie was still right there, wrapping her arms around my waist. "My brother is back." She squeezed me once before letting go, stepping aside to give us space."I knew he would be back soon. He’s so strong," Yelena said. She let out a soft, airy giggle, and for a split second, the light hitting her face made her look just like Claire. My heart skipped. I knew our new baby would be that beautiful, and the thought made my pulse thrum with a primal, protective heat.I couldn't wait to reach her. I couldn't wait to kiss the hell out of her, to prove to myself that she was still breathing, still here, and still mine.I moved past the others, my shoes hitting the floor with a heavy, steady
TRISTAN"What?" The word felt stuck in my throat, jagged and sharp. I finally found my voice, but it sounded like someone else’s. I took a shaky step toward her. The room felt like it was spinning, but I fixed my eyes on Livia. "Livia, is it true?"She didn't answer. She couldn't.For a heartbeat, she just stared at me, her face a mask of panic. Then, she lunged. She threw her arms around me, burying her face into my chest. Her tears soaked through my shirt, cold and sticky against my skin. "No, no, Tristan, it wasn't like that," she sobbed, her voice muffled against my chest. "It’s not what you think, it’s..."The guards didn't let her finish. They were on her in a heartbeat, their hands like iron shackles as they hauled her away from me. She screamed and fought, her heels digging into the floor, but they didn't even flinch. I just stood there, watching, my jaw tight enough to snap. I gave a sharp, single nod to the head guard. She would pay for this. Every second of my pain woul
TRISTANMy breathing hitched, coming back in slow waves. My muscles felt like lead, heavy and sluggish, but beneath the exhaustion, my wolf was already stirring, claws digging into the fog of unconsciousness. My body was healing faster than any wolf’s, the steady burn of my Alpha blood knitting bone and sinew back together. I kept my eyes shut, letting the darkness fade. Then, it hit me. Yelena. The image of her face burned behind my eyelids. I remembered the weight in my pocket... the ring, the promise I had been seconds away from making. I had been ready to ask her to be my mate, my life, my Luna.But then, the world had tilted.The floor had rushed up to meet me, and everything went black. Where was she? Was she hurt? The panic was a cold claw in my chest, sharper than any wound.I forced my eyelids to flutter open, desperate to see her face. Before I could even adjust to the light, a hand slipped into mine. It was soft, familiar, but it wasn't the warmth I was searching for
DANIEL The woman among them, a server I vaguely recognized from the restaurant shivered so violently the chair beneath her rattled. "Beta, please! I-I know nothing about it. I wasn't the one who served them. Please, you have to believe me!"I cut her off with a sharp wave of my hand, my patience hanging by a thread. "You were on duty last night, weren't you? Your name is on the shift schedule."She clamped her mouth shut, her eyes darting toward the men beside her."Answer me!" I roared, the force of my command causing the very air in the small room to vibrate with a low, menacing growl.She jumped, her resolve snapping like a dry twig. "Yes! Yes, I was on duty! But I didn't see anything. I swear on the Moon, I don't know anything about poisoning!""Quiet," I snapped, silencing her with a glare that froze the tears on her cheeks. "Do not speak again unless I ask you a question. You’re dismissed from this conversation."I shifted my focus to the two men. They were pale, their chests
DANIELI didn't answer her. The question hung in the stagnant air of the corridor like a physical weight, thick and suffocating. How could I explain to the Luna that while I was trying to rest, the world had found a way to strike at him through his own weakness? I watched her face, the way her composure crumbled into a jagged mosaic of maternal terror and simmering, lethal rage.I didn't speak. Instead, I simply pressed the medical report into her trembling hands.Marie stepped in closer, her shoulder brushing mine as she leaned over to read the technical jargon. Her eyes darted across the page, seeking answers, but finding only more dread."I don't understand this," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the hospital lights. "What does this mean? Poison? What kind of poison?"I took a steadying breath, the air tasting of antiseptic and stale coffee. I had to be the anchor. "He was poisoned, Luna. Someone slipped something into his system that’s designed to sup
DANIEL The high-pitched wail intensified, filling the room with a raw, demanding urgency that made my skin prickle. I spun around, my eyes landing on the tiny, swaddled bundle that had, moments ago, been the image of peaceful perfection. Now, her little face was scrunched into a mask of indignation, her limbs flailing against the confines of her blanket."What does she want?" I asked, my voice betraying my complete lack of experience. I felt like I was facing a threat I couldn't neutralize, and that helpless feeling was worse than any battlefield tension.Miss Moonrack let out a soft, breathless laugh, though it was tinged with exhaustion. "I don't know for certain, but she definitely wants to eat. Help me, Daniel. Bring her here so I can feed her."I hesitated, standing like a statue. Then, I took a step toward the crib and stopped. My shoes felt heavy on the linoleum, and the baby’s cries seemed to bounce off the walls, vibrating in my teeth. I reached out a hand, hovered over
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
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
NYRAAll through the day, my hands moved but my mind did not.I stitched wounds. I checked the charts. I signed papers. I answered the nurses but my head was somewhere else.It was towards Lena.Five days.Five long days without her voice.I tried calling her again during my last break. The call di







