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
AgnesThe next morning, I woke to a text from Evelyn. She asked me to attend a mother-daughter fashion show in her pack; it was a small event to gather donations for her local women’s shelter, and I couldn’t agree to go fast enough. The show was set for that weekend, and I was already buzzing with i
After breakfast, Thea insisted on helping me get ready first. I put on some light makeup as she brushed my hair, then I helped her pin it into an updo, showing her how I did it. Then, I slipped the tiara onto my head.Next, it was her turn. I helped her into her dress, careful not to mess up her hai
AgnesI stood frozen in the doorway, suddenly feeling like Thea and I were on display.The silence in the room was deafening, and I immediately glanced down at our matching princess outfits. What had seemed cute and fun at home now felt painfully out of place once I saw the other low-key outfits tha
One of the organizers approached us then, signaling that it was almost time to begin. Evelyn and I made our way backstage, where the mothers and daughters were being lined up in their walking order. Thea was practicing waving her wand for the big turn at the end of the runway when I found her.“I’m
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
AgnesI fidgeted in the passenger seat as Elijah pulled into the dive bar’s parking lot. The place looked exactly as I remembered it from my past life—grimy windows with neon beer signs, chipped paint on the exterior, and a crooked sign hanging above the door.Years ago, I’d spent many nights here t
“Elijah, wait.”I froze, expecting to feel the tug of the mate bond, that infuriating compulsion she’d used so many times to force me to listen to her, to stay when I wanted to go. But it never came. For the first time, she hadn’t used the bond to control me. Today was full of surprises, wasn’t it?