LOGIN~ DAMON ~I reach my office to find Seris already inside. She’s seated, dressed in black, her head snapping toward me as she stares."You sent for me, Damon…"I don’t know what’s wrong, but her voice is subdued, stripped of the usual Seris. Is that guilt?"Yeah, I did… and I need to fucking know why you sent Laia to the war ground," I say."I needed her help with medical supplies. You asked for my help on the war ground, and I had to do everything I could… so why the hell is that a problem?"I grit my jaw. Hell yeah—she’s starting to step on my toes."You helping isn’t the problem, but of all people… you fucking had to send Laia?"She shrugs, her eyes rolling dramatically. "And what’s wrong with sending Laia? She’s a fucking member of this pack."I drag a hand through my hair, trying to control my temper. Fuck. I never imagined having a conversation with her would be this damn exhausting. I’m battling with raging Maddox, who’s ready to put her in her place, but for the sake of family—
~ DAMON ~After dropping Laia off in her room and pressing a kiss to her forehead, I head toward the infirmary to check in with Dr. Bastien and see how the warriors are holding up. Maddox is finally calmer now, settled after hearing her side and knowing she didn’t act recklessly, she was following Seris’s instructions.I thought suspending Seris would be enough. That she’d learn her place and stay away from Laia. Clearly… I was wrong.I’m not a man who overthinks things. I see the pattern, and I connect the dots.Caden steps out, already heading my way. My gaze rakes over him, noting he’s mostly healed, aside from the bandage wrapped around his leg.“Alpha… did you both talk things out?” he asks, referring to Laia.I nod. “Aye. How’s your leg?”He huffs lightly. “Honestly? Noah’s being difficult. He wants me to feel the pain, won’t let it heal properly.”“You pissed him off, yeah?”“More like the other way around,” he mutters with a snort.I shake my head slightly. “Yeah… I get it. M
~ DAMON ~Fuck Maddox and his lack of control. If I hadn’t pulled back when I did, we would’ve been seconds away from sinking our fangs into her neck.“Can you stop being irrational?” I spat. “We’re supposed to be the last ones to hurt her, but you keep doing the opposite. And you had the nerve to criticize me for yelling at her when you’re the one with other motives.”“Don’t blame me for following instinct,” Maddox growls back. “I can smell her, Damon. There’s something about her that calls to what’s mine… and I’m just answering it.”I inhale slowly, trying to steady myself, because I can’t believe we’re even considering risking Laia over instinct.“You do realize what happens if we get this wrong, right?” I ask.The thought alone makes Maddox growl, the sound strained, almost pained, and I nod slightly.Yeah. That’s what I thought.“Then keep your instincts in check and act rational,” I mutter. “And we’ll be fine.”I turn back to face her. She’s still sitting exactly where I left he
~ CAEL ~“How the fuck did you let him overpower you? You had everything, everything!” My voice booms through the room. “I invested too much for this to fall apart like this.”I’m pissed. Fucking pissed. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. I expect resistance, maybe even Xaden retreating after pushing Damon’s pack to the edge, taking half the territory, leaving damage behind. I mean I fucking expected something worth the risk, but it just got worse. I hear Xaden let out a heavy sigh from the other end.“I swear I had everything under control. The attack was well planned. I had someone from the inside tip us about the northern passage. I sent a few men to the main entrance as a distraction while we moved through the northern route…”He pauses, frustration bleeding into his voice.“But then he found out. Everything flipped. I had to pull back, you know how Damon’s pack is when it comes to war. I did everything I could not to retreat, tried to take as many of them down as possible, bu
~ LAIA ~I never expect rummaging through my wardrobe to be this hectic, my gaze scanning over the dresses I’ve already laid out on the bed as I try to decide if they’re too casual, too much, or just too simple, and it doesn’t help that Damon didn’t even tell me where we’re going, maybe I should have asked.After what feels like the hundredth time of going through them, I finally settle on a soft, fitted dress that hugs just enough without trying too hard, the gown is light against my skin, simple but not plain, something that feels like me, even if my nerves are anything but calm.I'm so nervous, and never being on a date before... kinda makes everything wlrse... I never expected Damok to walk in apologizing or offering to take me.out...Minutes later, I’m fully dressed, and he’s there to pick me up. We head for the car, and I notice he isn’t overly dressed, which tells me wherever we’re going, I chose right.He opens the door for me, and I slide in while he moves to the driver’s sea
~ LAIA ~The last thing I expect is for Damon to take the bait. But he does, and watching him let Xaden walk away without laying a hand on him… it shows me exactly the kind of leader he is. He fights fair.Breaking out of his hold, all I want to do is cry.Don’t fucking call me a hypocrite for falling for someone I didn’t think twice about betraying.But I’m going to fix this. I’m going to try… to put everything back in place.Rushing to my room after Damon’s scolding, I can’t help but feel like a complete fool.I wanted to tell him everything, about Xaden, about Seris’s plan, but I never thought I’d get scolded for caring too much. And the worst part? I hate that I do care. I’m supposed to be plotting my escape. Instead, I’m changing plans… trying to fix things.Inside, I fight the urge to break down and cry. Rhea and Sage have already let the kids out, and my room is back to its usual state, well arranged and neat.“Are you alright, my lady?” Rhea asks softly.“I am… I just need to
~LAIA~“That was quite beautiful,” he groans. The realization of what I’ve just done washes over me. My cheeks redden, and I look away.“Don’t shy away. You’re too sexy… too fucking sexy not to look me in the eyes.”He stands from the bed, getting rid of his pants like he’s in a fucking haste…My e
~DAMON~Wounds don’t heal. Mostly the ones you grow up with, not the ones that follow you through every stage of your life, clinging to you like something permanent. The kind that reminds you every single day that you were a mistake… that you were never meant to exist.I grew up with that. Every se
~LAIA~You have no idea how excited I got when I read Cael’s note saying he had Liam with him. Somehow, I knew this was going to turn out tricky… but I needed to feed my curiosity.However, listening to him talk about pulling me out of Damon’s pack—it was meant to be exciting, right? Because I’d ge
~CAEL~How do you define confusion? Sometimes, I’m drifting, like I’m stuck in a haze. Then suddenly, I’m painfully aware of everything happening in my life.I miss Laia. Fuck… I really do. I want her, badly. My wolf, Azrael, howls every damn day over the loss of his mate.But every single time I t







