MasukHaley The first thing Haley heard was screaming. Not hers. Not Veronica’s. A wolf. A pack. The stone beneath her feet trembled as something massive hit the outer tunnels. Dust shook loose from the ceiling, drifting down like gray snow. The torches along the walls flickered wildly. Her heart slammed against her ribs so hard it hurt. Adam. Veronica spun toward the sound, composure cracking at last. “Seal the inner chamber,” she snapped. “Now.” Guards rushed forward. Too late. The wall to Haley’s left exploded. Stone shattered inward, chunks the size of boulders ripping free as an Alpha in full shift tore through solid rock like it was paper. The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber, slamming Haley backward against her restraints. Adam landed in a spray of dust and blood. Massive. Terrifying. Gold eyes blazing with murderous focus. He didn’t roar. He looked at her. And something in his expression broke. “Haley,” he breathed. Relief crashed through her so violen
Haley The pain came immediately. Veronica didn’t bother hiding her fury this time. The moment the call ended, magic slammed Haley backward, snapping her head against the stone wall hard enough to make stars burst behind her eyes. The chains went taut, silver biting deep into torn skin. “You clever little bitch,” Veronica hissed. Haley gasped, struggling to breathe as the collar flared hot, crushing her airway. Her vision blurred, darkening at the edges. “You warned him,” Veronica continued, circling her. “You told him.” Haley forced a smile through blood and pain. “You let me talk,” she rasped. “That’s on you.” The slap came fast and brutal. Her head snapped sideways. Something cracked in her mouth. Blood flooded her tongue. Veronica grabbed her chin hard enough to bruise. “You think you won?” “No,” Haley whispered. “I think you did.” Veronica’s eyes flashed silver-bright. She stepped back sharply. “Bind her tighter. Increase the suppressant. I want her awake—b
Adam The phone rang once. Every wolf in the command room froze. Adam was already moving, hand snatching it off the table before Marcus could speak. His bloodshot eyes burned gold, his voice raw as broken glass. “Haley.” Silence. Then—her breath. Shallow. Uneven. Too slow. His heart stuttered painfully in his chest. “Haley,” he said again, softer now. “I’m here.” She swallowed hard. He could hear it. Could hear the pain she was trying to hide. “Adam,” she whispered. The sound of her voice—alive, hurting—nearly broke him. “Where are you?” he demanded. “I’m coming.” “No,” she said too fast. That alone told him everything. Haley The phone was slick in her trembling hands. Veronica stood just out of view, one finger lifted in warning. Magic hummed through Haley’s collar, ready to punish a single wrong word. Don’t say it, Haley begged silently. Don’t believe it. “Adam,” she said again, forcing her voice to steady. “You need to listen.” Her shoulder th
Haley Veronica didn’t come alone this time. Haley sensed it before she saw it—the shift in the air, the way the guards stood straighter, the way the magic in the room tightened like a drawn wire. Her wrists burned inside the cuffs, silver biting deeper as her wolf stirred weakly in warning. Veronica stepped into the torchlight, expression serene. “You’re going to make a choice today,” she said lightly, as if announcing the weather. Haley swallowed. Her throat was raw. “Go to hell.” Veronica smiled. “Already there. Now pay attention.” She gestured. A basin was dragged forward and dropped at Haley’s feet. Inside it—water clouded faintly red. Blood. Haley’s breath hitched despite herself. “Wolfsbane-tainted,” Veronica said. “Slow. Painful. Fatal in small bodies.” Haley’s heart began to pound violently. “If you touch my children—” “They’re fine,” Veronica interrupted sharply. “For now.” She tilted her head. “This isn’t about them directly. This is about him.” Ano
HALEY POV: Haley woke to pain. Not sharp at first—dull, crushing, everywhere. Her body felt wrong, heavy and distant, like it belonged to someone else. Each breath scraped her lungs raw, carrying the bitter, chemical sting of wolfsbane deep into her chest. Chains clinked softly when she tried to move. Her eyes snapped open. Stone ceiling. Rough-hewn, damp. The air was cold enough to bite. She was suspended upright, wrists bound above her head in silver cuffs etched with runes that burned faintly against her skin. More silver circled her ankles. A collar—a fucking collar—sat tight around her throat, humming with suppressant magic. She gasped, panic surging— —and screamed as pain tore through her shoulder. Blood soaked the fabric of her shirt, sticky and cold. Someone had bandaged her badly, carelessly, just enough to keep her alive. Her wolf stirred weakly, then whined and curled in on itself under the weight of the drugs. “Easy,” a voice said from the shadows. Amused
Morning light spilled through the tall windows of the pack house, pale gold cutting through the lingering shadows of the night before. Dust motes drifted lazily in the air, catching in the glow as if nothing had shattered here hours ago. Adam’s office still bore the scars—papers scattered across the floor, an overturned chair, the faint metallic tang of ozone where his wolf had surged too close to the surface. Haley woke slowly, the unfamiliar weight of silence pressing in before memory followed. She was in the guest suite. Not Adam’s room. Not the bedroom that still smelled faintly of pine and him and unfinished conversations. This had been her choice. And, to his credit, he hadn’t argued—only nodded once, jaw tight, eyes saying far more than his mouth ever could. The twins were curled against her, a warm tangle of limbs and soft breaths. Hazel’s curls were plastered against Ryder’s cheek, his arm thrown protectively over his sister even in sleep. Haley brushed her fingers through







