AgnesI stood in the bathroom, staring at the small vial of murky green oil that the witch had given me. The liquid inside seemed to swirl on its own, catching the dim light from the vanity. I uncorked it, the faint scent of herbs and something earthy wafting up to meet me.One drop, she had said. J
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his lips brushing against the top of my head. “I know you were still holding onto hope.”I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.“I’ll call the detectives tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll get updates on the search for your daughter. We’ll find her, Agnes. I promise.”His words off
ElijahI didn’t tell Agnes where I was going. She’d been through enough lately, and I didn’t want to add to her stress. Besides, I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for. All I knew was that Ava had done something suspicious, something that might have had a connection to Agnes’s missing wolf, and I
“This is the only one I kept,” she said, her voice trembling. “I didn’t show it to Agnes because… because I didn’t want to get in trouble.”I picked up the letter, my eyes scanning the neat, precise handwriting. The message was short but clear: “Rip out pages 47, 63, and 89. Do not tell anyone, or e
AgnesThea’s violin lesson was the highlight of her week, and it was quickly becoming the highlight of mine, too. Watching her skip ahead of me, holding her violin case in both hands, was enough to make my heart swell to twice its size.I walked her to the door of the music studio, crouching down to
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. He explained that he’d spoken to Ava today, that Ava had saved one of the letters after all and that the handwriting matched up to Olivia’s.Olivia. Of course it was Olivia. She had always been jealous, always possessive, always angry.But to go so far as to
AgnesI clutched the leather book to my chest as Elijah and I walked up to the witch’s house. The memories of my last visit weren’t exactly fond, not that I could remember much anyway. But we needed the pages of this book that hadn’t been translated yet to be translated, and if anyone could do it, i
That night, Thea had her violin recital.“Mommy, do I look okay?” she twirled in front of me, her black concert dress flaring out around her knees.I smiled, adjusting the bow in her hair. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”“Do you think Daddy will think so too?”My heart squeezed. “Of course he will
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