AgnesElijah had been gone all day, still at the prison with Olivia, and my anxiety was getting worse by the minute. I knew if I didn’t distract myself soon, I’d drive myself crazy. Or maybe even burn the hotel down; in fact, my palms had been itching all afternoon, warmth sparking through me like f
“I…” I hesitated, unsure of what to say. My inner monologue had been so cruel that I wasn’t used to hearing someone actually be… excited about my powers. “I don’t know about being a superhero, but maybe I’ll be able to light a candle without a match.”“Or make a campfire without matches! Or keep us
AgnesMy knees buckled. The hallway seemed to sway around me, and for a moment, I thought I might collapse right there on the hotel carpet.“What?” The word came out as a choked whisper.Elijah reached out, steadying me with his hands on my shoulders. “Let’s sit down,” he murmured, guiding me to the
I was silent, motionless. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like I was hearing the plot of a movie, not real life.“Olivia gave birth in that cave where the bones were found. But the baby was stillborn.”My hand flew to my mouth. Despite everything Olivia had done, the thought of her losing her child w
Agnes“What do you think of this couch?”I pointed at a plush sectional sofa on my laptop screen. It had been two and a half weeks since Elijah’s bombshell about Thea, and we’d fallen into an unspoken agreement—act normal on the outside, freak out on the inside.Elijah peered over my shoulder, his c
Inside, painters were finishing up the walls, and electricians were installing the last of the light fixtures.“The master bedroom is done,” the foreman told us as we walked through. “Just need to move in your furniture. Same with the kid’s room. We’re putting the finishing touches on the bathrooms
AgnesI covered my eyes with my hands, feeling a bit silly but deciding to play along. Elijah’s warm palm pressed against the small of my back, guiding me forward through what must have been the doorway. The air felt different immediately—cooler, with a slight mineral scent that reminded me of a spa
I pulled out one of the volumes, a thick leather-bound tome with gilded lettering on the spine that read Principles of Elemental Control. The pages were old and brittle, filled with diagrams and cramped handwriting in faded ink.“Where did you find these?” I asked, carefully returning the book to it
I watched carefully as the candidates interacted. Some immediately gravitated toward Thea, crouching down to her level and asking about her interests—sometimes too aggressively, and a couple even talked to Thea like she was a toddler.Others were more reserved, focusing on impressing me with their q
AgnesThe following morning, after breakfast, I headed to my study and got to work on finding a nanny right away. I sat down at my desk and pulled up the pack database on my computer. All pack members were registered with their educational backgrounds, employment histories, and special skills. It wa
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