로그인Why are you looking at me like that? You usually stay so quiet, yet your eyes always follow me with that strange, soft heat."I felt the blood rush to my face, my skin prickling under his intense gaze."I shouldn't have snarled at your sire like that, Logan. I'm sorry. I just... my heart aches for the weight you've had to carry alone since your mother passed. To have the blood of an Alpha but the life of a stray because of his cowardice.""Get over here, Brooke." Logan’s lips quirked into a faint, knowing grin as he beckoned me closer.I sank onto the edge of the high medical cot, dropping my chin like a pup expecting a nip to the scruff for misbehaving. The frame was tall enough that my feet dangled, swinging back and forth in a rhythm of pure nerves while I waited for him to speak.Logan reached out, his fingers threading through my hair with a tenderness that made my breath hitch."It doesn't matter what he says. I stopped scenting them as kin a lifetime ago. You're the only pack I
The second Lucas Grant delivered his report, the pieces of the hunt finally clicked into place. We both had the same suspicion about who had hired that driver. The man had a history of hauling high-end cargo for the most fortified compounds in the Shifter Citadel, and the Pierce family was at the top of his client list. Yet, in the eyes of the High Council, it wasn't enough to condemn them.The Pierces could easily claim he was just a rogue contractor and they barely knew his scent."Without blood on the blade or a witnessed oath, we can’t link this fire to Evelyn Pierce," Lucas muttered, tossing the documents onto my lap. The situation was a jagged mess. The trail led straight to the Pierce den, but the scent was too cold for a formal challenge.I went silent, setting the papers aside to stare out at the mist-shrouded wilderness beyond the window. I didn't need to see my reflection to know my eyes were like flint."Evelyn has always favored these coward's tricks," I said, my voice li
"Even with those burns, he's still finding ways to torment the mateless with all this affection. What a menace," Calvu teased, his voice echoing in the sterile room as he tried to pull me back from the edge of my panic.I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, offering him a fragile, watery smile as the weight in my chest shifted just a fraction."I almost forgot my manners, Calvu. Thank you. Thank you for pulling him back from the Brink.""Don't mention it," Calvu said, though I didn't see the flicker of amusement in his eyes. He knew Pierce Holdings practically owned the foundations of Bayview Medical. There was no need for gratitude when he was just protecting the man who signed the pack's scrolls. If anything, he was the one indebted to the Alpha lying in that bed.I had burned through every favor I owed at work to stay by Logan's side. Since it was the deep winter off-season for the trade routes, my superior at the guild house granted my leave without digging into the details. C
The overseer of the Harbor View Apartment was drowning in a sea of dread. He knew the pair living in that top-floor sanctuary were high-caste wolves, and a failure on his watch meant his head."Why is the rescue blocked?" he roared, scrubbing cold sweat from his brow while staring at the obsidian clouds choking the summit of the tower.Up on the rooftop, the world was a furnace. Logan and I were pinned into a jagged corner, the stone beneath our boots radiating heat like the core of a dying star. I was drenched in sweat, my hair curling into frantic spirals from the sheer temperature.Logan didn't panic. He moved with a predatory stillness, his eyes scanning the horizon. He had already sent the signal to his hidden Enforcers, and the sirens were screaming below. So why was no one coming? The wet furs we had draped over our shoulders were already bone-dry, parched by the relentless tongues of fire.I pressed the towel to my face, my chest hitching as I inhaled the toxic, bitter fumes.
I dropped into the center of the sofa, my gaze fixed on Logan's face as he stepped through the door. The tension in the Harbor View Apartment was thick enough to choke on."Is something wrong?" Logan asked, his voice low and cautious.He didn't wait for an answer. He walked straight to the kitchen, his movements fluid and far too coordinated for a wolf who claimed to be a low-tier failure. He pulled a jar of glacier-chilled water from the cooling stone, a habit he’d kept since we were paired. He unscrewed the cap, looking back at me with a mask of confusion."If you have something on your mind, Brooke, just say it. Don’t circle the scent.""I ran into Logan Pierce today," I said, my voice trembling as I gripped the edge of the couch.I wanted to snarl at him, to demand the truth, but the sheer presence he radiated—even while pretending to be a nobody—made my throat go dry."And? What of it?"Logan leaned against the stone counter, crossing his arms. The dark sweater he wore clung to t
Finally, she took a slow, deep breath."Logan Pierce!"The heavy silence between us was like a physical weight. I took a step back, my heart hammering against my ribs, and tried to slip past him toward the exit."Forget what I said. It was just a stupid joke."Jason looked visibly shaken by the way I’d shut him down. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing at the sheer absurdity of his expression. Since when did the pack's most notorious heartbreaker look so out of his depth?We ended up in the Harbor View cafe anyway. Sitting across from him, I found I couldn't tear my eyes away from my screen. The digital scrolls were far more interesting than his attempts at small talk."I'm sitting right here, Brooke," Jason finally snapped, his pride clearly wounded. "You've been glued to that device since we sat down. It’s a bit insulting, don’t you think?"I looked up, a sharp smile touching my lips. "Terribly sorry. I was just checking in with my mate."The disappointment in his scent was thick
The plan in Evelyn’s mind was a jagged, cruel thing. She would facilitate the rogue’s escape into the Dead-Lands, and the Citadel would never scent her involvement. She was the shadow behind the silver. Earlier that sun-cycle, she had received a jagged stone-scratch—a message from the brute—confirm
Logan had quietly covered the blood-debt for the specialized healer to ensure Ruth’s safety.Three weeks later, the scent of antiseptic finally faded as I packed Ruth’s meager belongings and helped her step out from the stone arches of Bayview Medical Center."Ruth, the Harbor View Apartment has pl
"I appreciate your approval, Director Miller." The young designer tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, rising from her seat with a humble bow.Though a flush of pride warmed her, a sharp thorn of guilt pierced her heart. Even in her own mind, she knew my scrolls carried a deeper soul, a craf
In the end, Logan had surrendered to Lucas’s logic.But as he prepared to offer a blood-vow of apology, he knew it had to be absolute. He would not offer a perfunctory sentiment to a wolf of her caliber."I see. Regardless, my stomach is howling for sustenance. Let us partake." I kept my eyes fixed







