Agnes Thea’s eyes lit up as the flashing lights and the speaker above the booth announced Elijah’s win. She rushed forward, reaching her little hands out. “Which prize would you like?” the vendor, a teenage boy with his hair hanging in his eyes, asked with a sigh. He looked like he wanted to be
Agnes The sun reflected off the clear blue water, the ripples shimmering like liquid glass in the late afternoon light as Thea splashed in the shallow end of the pool. She shrieked with laughter, darting around like a fish while two other kids chased after her. The sound of her happiness made my c
Agnes The touch on my back startled me, and I nearly spilled my drink as I jolted upright. But when I turned, it was just Elijah who was standing behind me. His hand was resting lightly on my shoulder blade, and he was staring at my back. “You’re sunburnt,” he said simply before I could ask what
Agnes For a few moments, Olivia and the other women just stared up at me. I couldn’t tell if they were astonished by my sudden appearance or silently mocking me, but it didn’t take long for me to find out. They laughed. Right in my face. Olivia’s laughter was the loudest. My breath hitched, an
Once Thea was safely settled in the playroom, we returned to our hotel suite. By now, my buzz from the alcohol was beginning to wear off and the shame was setting in. The air inside the hotel room felt cold against my damp skin, and I shivered beneath my bathing suit coverup. Elijah closed the doo
Elijah I felt a little lighter as I stepped into the playroom, instantly surrounded by the sound of children’s laughter. The space itself was warm and cozy, with a plethora of toys, books, and comfortable furniture for the kids to play on. Thea spotted me almost immediately, snapping her head up
Agnes I stared down at the rose in my hand, unsure of what it was supposed to represent. It was a beautiful flower, but the red color also left my head reeling. Was it an apology? A romantic gesture? An attempt at taking back what he’d said? And then Elijah told me to get ready for dinner, and m
He was doting on me, yes, but there was no substance behind it. No acknowledgment of the things that had been said, the hurt that lingered just beneath the surface. It was all glitz and glamour, and none of it addressed the real issue. By the time dessert arrived, one of those chocolate confection
The moment he stepped out, Thea launched herself at him. He caught her effortlessly, spinning her around before setting her back on her feet. I approached more slowly, although I couldn’t help but grin. I’d missed him, even though it was just a few days. It seemed that the scraps of my wolf returnin
AgnesThe silence in my living room was deafening.I had told Evelyn and Gertrude everything—about my elemental abilities, about Thea being my biological daughter, about Olivia’s deception and my father’s machinations. The story had taken longer than I expected, and now the clock was ticking well pa
The elevator was at the far end of the lobby, requiring me to walk past the entrance to the hotel. As I approached, I noticed the guy from the bar, the one who had been with the woman, hurrying after me. He wore a blue hoodie and had a pair of glasses on.“Excuse me,” he called, “Alpha Elijah? Sir?”
ElijahHotel rooms always felt the same to me: sterile, impersonal, and far too quiet. This one was nicer than most—the pack I was visiting had surprisingly put me up in their territory’s best accommodations despite our trade disagreement—but it still felt wrong. The bed was too soft, the air condit
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Thea bounded down the stairs, racing me to the door.“I got it!” she cried, yanking it open before I could reach her. “Miss Evelyn!”Evelyn swept in like a hurricane, bringing with her the scent of expensive perfume and a veritable horde of what looked like gifts in
AgnesI was buried in sketches for the next season’s line when a knock at my office door pulled me from my concentration. I glanced up, surprised to see Elijah standing in the doorway. He hadn’t mentioned stopping by my office today.“This is unexpected,” I said, setting my pencil down. “I thought y
“What do you think it was like for her?” I said after a moment. “My mother, I mean. Living her whole life afraid that someone would find out what she was.”Elijah’s thumb traced circles on the back of my hand beneath the water. “Lonely, I imagine.”“She never told me,” I whispered. “My own mother, a
AgnesThe saltwater felt like heaven against my overheated skin. I’d been soaking in my in-ground pool for nearly an hour now, but the heat that had built in my body still hadn’t completely subsided.Honestly, I was surprised that I hadn’t burned down the entire bar earlier. My finger had certainly
“Yes,” he insisted. “Because Elemental Enterprises is owned by your stepmother’s family.”The world seemed to tilt beneath me. I gripped the edge of the table to steady myself. “What?”“I’ve been keeping your true nature from your stepmother all this time,” he continued, the words coming out of him