I asked Rikka about Eden before making my decision to leave. Her answer was both relief and guilt wrapped together."Jace hasn't left her side, but she's okay. Mild concussion. She'll heal faster than a human would." Rikka's gray eyes studied my face. "She was asking for you."The thought of facing Jace after what I'd done to the woman he loved made my stomach twist. I couldn't handle his anger right now. Not when I was barely holding myself together."I need some air," I said. "Just for a little while.""Don't go alone.""I won't go far. Just into town."Rikka looked like she wanted to argue, but something in my expression must have convinced her I needed space. "Be back before dark."I slipped out while the pack was busy with evening preparations. The compound felt suffocating, full of worried whispers and sideways glances. Everyone trying to be supportive while clearly wondering if I was safe to have around.The walk into town helped clear my head. Normal people doing normal things
I don't know how long I sat on the floor of our bedroom, staring at my hands. The same hands that had hurt Eden. The same hands that might hurt someone else if I couldn't control whatever was happening to me.Axel had tried the door handle for maybe twenty minutes before giving up. I could hear him pacing outside, the floorboards creaking under his weight. Part of me wanted to open the door and let him comfort me. But a bigger part was terrified of how good he would make me feel and I low-key wanted to really feel miserable.A soft knock made me look up."Calla?" Rikka's voice was quiet through the wood. "I brought tea."I almost didn't answer. But something in her tone was different from Axel's worried pleading. It felt calmer and more understanding."The door's unlocked," I said finally after standing up to unlock it and sitting back down.Rikka entered carrying two steaming mugs, her gray eyes taking in my position on the floor without judgment. She set the mugs on the nightstand a
The news coverage still played in the background when I made my decision. Watching Blake twist the truth while pack members whispered about threats and fear made me feel completely useless.I couldn't sit around anymore while everyone else protected me."I need to train," I suddenly announced to the room.Conversations stopped. Everyone looked at me like I'd suggested jumping off a cliff."Calla," Axel started from where he sat propped against the couch. He was still pale from yesterday's attack, dark circles under his eyes showing how much the silver poisoning had cost him. "You're not ready for—""I'm tired of being helpless," I interrupted. "Yesterday you almost died while I sat here doing nothing. Today Blake's on TV destroying werewolves while I watch like some useless human who still can't control her wolf on command.""You're not useless," Eden said gently from her spot on the floor. "Your dreamwalks saved Axel's life.""My dreamwalks happen when I'm asleep. What good am I when
I woke up to the sound of shouting from the main room. Not angry shouting but the panicked kind that made my stomach drop before I was even fully awake.Axel stirred beside me, his face still pale from yesterday's attack. The silver poisoning had left him weak, but his protective instincts kicked in immediately."What's wrong?" he asked, trying to sit up too fast and wincing."Stay here," I said, pressing a gentle hand to his chest. "Let me check."But he was already pushing himself up, stubborn as always. "Not a chance."We made our way to the main room where the entire pack was crowded around the big TV. The morning news was on, and what I saw made my blood turn to ice."...third attack this week in Chicago," the reporter was saying. "Witnesses describe the same pattern - victims found with massive injuries, throat torn out. Police are calling it the work of a dangerous cult."The footage showed a crime scene. Blood on concrete. Body bags being loaded into ambulances. But I could se
I was dreaming about that steak dinner I'd promised Calla. We were sitting across from each other at a small table by the window, candlelight making her skin glow golden. She was wearing that blue dress she'd bought during our trip to town, the one that hugged her curves perfectly."You're staring," she said with that shy smile that made my chest tight."Can't help it. You're beautiful."She reached across the table to take my hand. "I'm glad we're here. Just us, no pack drama, no supernatural politics.""Just you and me," I agreed, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles.She leaned forward, eyes sparkling with mischief. "What do you say we skip dessert and go home? I have something else in mind for tonight."The way she looked at me made me gulp in anticipation. "What did you have in mind?""Well," she said, voice dropping to that tone that made me crazy, "I've been thinking about what you said earlier. About trying new things."My dick twitched at the promise in her voice. "Yeah?""M
The compound's medical room had never felt so tense. Eden worked over Axel's unconscious form while the rest of us crowded around, watching her every move like our lives depended on it.Maybe they did."The silver is spreading through his bloodstream," Eden said, her hands glowing with that soft light that meant she was using her healing abilities. "It's like poison. His body can't process it fast enough."I sat beside the bed, holding Axel's hand and trying not to look at the blood-soaked bandages covering his chest and arms. His skin was pale and clammy, his breathing shallow."Will he be okay?" I whispered."I don't know," Eden admitted. "This much silver exposure... it could kill him."The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. After everything we'd been through, after finally finding each other, I couldn't lose him now."Someone set him up," Jordan said from where he stood against the wall. His clothes were still bloody from the fight, his face twisted with rage. "Those vampir