로그인ARIELI woke up without Kazimir on my bed. The sheets were cold on the other side. The pillow still held the faint imprint of his head, but the warmth was gone, replaced by the chill of morning. I reached out, my fingers brushing the fabric, and felt the absence like a physical ache.I shouldn't have missed him. I'd spent ten years sleeping alone, running alone, surviving alone. I didn't need a man’s warmth. I didn't want it.But I did.I wanted his.I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, remembering the way he'd held me at the summit. The way his arms had wrapped around me, the way his breath had been warm on my hair, the way I'd slept through the night without a single nightmare.Then I pushed myself up, swung my legs over the side of the bed, and forced myself to move.Evie was still asleep when I checked on her. She was curled around her stuffed rabbit, the gray stone from Nikolai on her nightstand, her face peaceful in the soft glow of the crescent moon nightlight. I
ARIEL ARIEL The estate came into view like a promise.I pressed my forehead against the car window, watching the familiar stone walls rise out of the darkness. The windows were lit with warm golden light. Smoke curled from the chimneys. Somewhere inside, Evie was waiting for me.I hadn't let myself think about her during the drive. Hadn't let myself imagine what it would be like to hold her again, to hear her voice, to feel her small arms around my neck. I couldn't. It was all too much to think about. But now we were here. And she was inside.The car had barely stopped before I was out of the door.I heard her before I saw her, that small, delighted shriek that always made my heart ache. Then she was running across the foyer, her hair flying behind her, her arms outstretched."Mama!"I dropped to my knees. She crashed into me, her small body colliding with mine, her arms wrapping around my neck. I held her so tight I was probably hurting her, but I couldn't let go."Baby. My baby."
KAZIMIR I kissed her again.This time, there was no hesitation. Her hands found the buttons of my shirt, fumbling with them, her breath hot against my neck. I reached behind her, finding the zipper of her dress, and pulled it down slowly.She shivered as the fabric loosened. I pushed it off her shoulders, watching it fall, watching her emerge from it like a goddess from the sea.She stood before me in nothing but a thin slip of silk, her seductive curves and the swell of her breasts were hard to miss, especially when her nipples stood erect, her skin flushed, her eyes bright with wanting."Your turn," she whispered.She pulled my shirt over my head, her hands exploring my chest, my shoulders, my back. Her touch was electric, leaving trails of fire wherever she went.I lifted her, carried her to the bed. She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer, her mouth finding my neck, my collarbone, my chest.I laid her down on the sheets.She looked up at me, her raven black hair s
KAZIMIR KAZIMIR The day ahead was full of politics, the final ceremony, the closing remarks, the endless handshakes and empty promises. But there was one thing I needed to do first.Marcus Volk had requested a private meeting after the breakfast ceremony.I found him in the library, standing by the fire, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He looked up when I entered, his face unreadable."Kazimir. Thank you for coming.""You said it was urgent.""It is." He gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."I sat.Marcus didn't immediately speak. He swirled his whiskey, stared into the flames, and seemed to be choosing his words carefully."I have a proposition for you," he said finally. "A business proposition. From an interested party.""Who?""I'm not at liberty to say that yet.” "Then I'm not interested."Marcus smiled. "I thought you might say that. Which is why I'm going to tell you enough to pique your interest, but not enough to satisfy your curiosity."I leaned back in my chair. "
ARIEL I woke to warmth.Not the cold of the mountain estate. Not the chill of the stone walls or the draft from the window. Something else. Something that pressed against my back and wrapped around my waist and breathed slow and even against my hair.I opened my eyes.The room was still dark, gray light filtering through the curtains, the fire burned down to embers. I was in the bed. The massive, canopied bed that I'd refused to share with him.But I was sharing it now.Kazimir's arm was draped across my waist, his body curved around mine, his chest pressed against my back. His face was buried in my hair, his breathing deep and steady. He was still asleep.I should have pulled away.I should have shoved him off, reminded him of all the reasons this was wrong, retreated to my side of the bed and built my walls back up.I didn't move.I lay there, frozen, feeling the rise and fall of his chest against my back. Feeling the weight of his arm, the warmth of his breath, the steady thrum of
ARIEL My heart stopped. "What?""The suppressants, they won't last forever. They were always meant to be a temporary solution. Without proper treatment, she won't live to see her next birthday. That is the simple fact.” "You're lying.""I'm not. And you know I'm not." He reached into his jacket, pulled out a small case. Opened it. Vials. Pale blue liquid. Dozens of them, lying there like they weren’t the one thing I needed to save my daughter. "I can help her. I have everything she needs. The medication, the research, the doctors. All you have to do is come back." "Never.""Ariel..." "I said never."He closed the case. Slipped it back into his jacket."You're making a huge mistake.""I'm not making anything. I'm surviving. The way I've always survived. Without you."Malhorn looked at me for a long moment. His eyes were sad. Almost."We still have your eggs," he said. "We never really stopped. Your presence isn't really needed. We can always find another wolf to be the surrogate.
KAZIMIR I didn't sleep. The study was dark now, the fire burned down to embers, the whiskey decanter half empty. I sat in the chair behind my desk, the same desk where she'd been pressed against the wood, her back arching, her mouth on mine, and tried to remember why I hated her. Blondeau, I
ARIEL The second kiss was slower. Deeper. Less like a fight and more like a conversation. His hand slid from my waist to my hip, pulling me closer, and I let him. His body pressed against mine, and I felt everything, the hard planes of his chest, the strength in his thighs, the evidence that he w
ARIEL The study was empty. I'd been watching the door for twenty minutes, hidden in the shadows of the hallway, counting the seconds between footsteps. Kazimir had gone to Lev's lab an hour ago. Dimitri and Nikolai had left the estate,, I'd seen their car disappear down the driveway. The maids
KAZIMIR An hour later, Nikolai burst into the study without knocking. His face was flushed. His phone was in his hand. He looked like a man who'd just been caught stealing and was trying to figure out how to talk his way out of it. "We have a problem," he said. "We have many problems," Dimi







