CEDRIC"She hesitated."The words slid across the dim war table like venom.My gaze snapped up. The informant leaned against the stone pillar, casual. Too casual. I wanted to rip the smugness off his face."What do you mean, she hesitated?"He smirked, pushing a curl from his forehead. "You wanted intel. I got close to one of her friends. Lila. The red-haired one. Took a while, but she talks more than she should. Forgets to shut up."My pulse kicked. "Go on.""Eleanor’s with him, yes. But she hasn’t sealed the bond. She’s afraid. Still wounded from the past. That kiss you told me about? The one she saw? It’s still clawing at her."I clenched my jaw so tight it ached. The memory of Eleanor’s wide, shattered eyes when she caught me and Cindalyn burned behind my lids."She’s in love with him," I said slowly. It tasted like blood. "And yet... she can’t give herself fully."“Yeah. That. Lila says Eleanor can’t forget it. She wants Tristan, but she doesn’t trust him fully. That’s your in."
ELEANOR"She asked about you this morning," I said softly, folding a fresh cloth over a jar of salve. "Kate, I mean. She wanted to know if you still sleep with your boots on."Tristan chuckled, low and rough, leaning against the doorway of the healing chamber like he had every right to just exist in my space. "In my defense, I'm always ready for battle.""She said it was because you snored so loud you scared off the monsters."He laughed harder then, stepping into the room with two steaming cups in his hand. "And that would be true too. Chamomile and honey," he offered, handing one to me. "Thought you might need it. I bribed the cook to add extra honey.”I took the cup slowly, fingers brushing against his. “You bribed the cook?”He grinned. “Technically, I just promised to stop stealing all her roasted garlic bread.”“You’re impossible.”“But thoughtful,” he offered with a wink.I sipped, letting the warmth spread through me. Gods, it was good.“You checkin’ in on me, Alpha?” I teased
TRISTANIt’s fucking ridiculous how clearly I remember it—every moan, every gasp, every goddamn twitch of her hips against mine.The way Eleanor had looked up at me last night, lips swollen, hair a mess of curls splayed across my pillow. That soft little whimper she made when I pushed deeper into her, slow and deliberate, like I was trying to memorize the shape of her from the inside out.And maybe I was.I rub a hand down my face and groan, still half-hard just thinking about it.Because now, even in the bright morning light, with the hum of the pack stirring outside, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. My fingers ran along my jaw as I leaned against the doorframe, watching her move around the garden like nothing in her world had changed. But mine had. Fuck, mine had.She'd let her guard down. Really down. And I was selfish enough to want more.She bent over to adjust a flowerpot, her shirt riding up just a little, just enough for me to catch a glimpse of the curve of her lower back
ELEANOR"You keep doing that, and I’m not letting you out of this bed today."His voice was still thick with sleep, warm and rough in a way that sent tingles across my skin. Tristan nuzzled into the curve of my neck, his breath hot, his lips dragging lazily along my pulse point. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing."Doing what?" I asked, barely able to get the words out as he nipped gently at my skin."Squirming like that," he murmured, one arm tightening around my waist, pulling me flush against him.Oh Gods.Every inch of my body was tangled with his. Skin to skin. Breath to breath. The memory of last night still danced across my body like fire, and yet here I was, already aching for more.I should run. Say something snarky. Deflect. That's what I did best, wasn’t it?But I didn’t move. Tristan shifted, his leg sliding between mine, his fingers grazing the curve of my thigh. "You always try to run from this. From me. But you’re not going anywhere today, Eleanor."His voice w
EleanorThe moon’s silvery light creeped through the curtains, illuminating Tristan’s room in a quiet glow. I stood just outside the door, the weight of my thoughts pressing heavily on me, my heartbeat echoing in the silence. I could hear him moving inside, the soft shuffle of his steps, the almost imperceptible sound of him breathing."Eleanor?" His voice was soft but urgent, a low call that seemed to pull me closer.Taking a steadying breath, I pushed past my nerves. "Can I come in?""Always."I turned the knob, stepping into the room, my gaze immediately locking with his. Tristan stood there, framed by the dim light, his presence as strong and magnetic as ever. For a heartbeat, the world outside this room faded. I felt a pull toward him, a connection that was both familiar and terrifying.“Hey,” he said, his tone warm but laced with concern. I could see the tension coiled in his shoulders, the way his muscles tightened with every passing second. “You okay?”I nodded quickly, my voi
TRISTANThe halls felt colder than usual. Even with the mid-morning sun slipping through the windows, there was a chill I couldn't shake.I kept my steps even, casual, but my mind was anything but calm.Someone had gotten inside our walls. Someone who had gotten close enough to Kate to whisper poison in her ears.And Eleanor...Eleanor was pulling inward again.I could see it—the way her shoulders tensed even when it was just me, the way she glanced over her shoulder like a hunted thing.I gritted my teeth.I had promised myself—I wouldn’t lose her again.Not to fear. Not to Cedric. Not to anyone.I rounded the corner toward the Beta residence, my heart beating a little faster. Eleanor had Kate moved there after the incident, both of them tucked deeper into Nightshade's heart where it was harder for strangers to even breathe near them.I agreed with the decision, but it still felt like a cage.A necessary one.As I approached, the sound of Kate’s soft laughter floated through the h