LOGINThe crowd continued to applaud as Thea took one final bow before exiting the stage. The moment she was out of sight, Elijah grabbed my hand.“Come on,” he said, already pulling me toward the aisle. “Let’s get backstage before everyone else.”We made our way through the crowd, accepting congratulatio
AgnesEight years had passed by.The concert hall was packed to capacity, not a single empty seat in sight. My spine ached like hell from sitting on the hard wooden chair for the past two hours, and my pregnant belly made it impossible to find a comfortable position. Elijah kept rubbing his neck and
“Mom?” Thea’s voice called. “Everyone’s waiting. Are you ready?”I took one last look in the mirror, adjusted the mask slightly, and turned toward the door.“Ready,” I said, opening it to find my daughter standing there in a midnight blue dress that she had designed herself. Her own mask, shaped lik
AgnesOne year later.I stood in front of my mirror, hardly recognizing the woman staring back at me. Two years. It had been two years since I met Elijah—not counting that foggy night we conceived Thea seven years before that, a night neither of us could fully remember thanks to whatever drugs had b
Initially, I resisted. The thought of sharing my pain with a stranger when I had spent so many years being treated like a madwoman for my trauma scared the hell out of me. But Elijah was persistent, reminding me that we all carried burdens that were too heavy to bear alone.And so, twice a week, we
AgnesThe weeks following the destruction of the Lunaris Stone passed in a blur.Elemental Enterprises, of course, was immediately shut down by the authorities. Every known international law enforcement agency descended on Richard’s territory, working alongside Richard and us to document the crimes
Agnes & ElijahAgnesThe casket was tiny. Too tiny.I stared blankly as it was slowly lowered into the ground. The small clearing was quiet except for the soft rustling of the wind through the leaves.Ever since Elijah had convinced me to hold a funeral, I’d been in a haze. He and James had handled
“I saw what happened at the festival yesterday,” he said after a moment. “The scorched grass.”My blood ran cold, but I kept my expression as neutral as possible. “What about it?”“That wasn’t friction.” His eyes fixed on me with uncomfortable intensity. “We both know that.”“I don’t know what you’r
“What happened wasn’t your fault,” he insisted for what felt like the hundredth time since it had all happened.I nodded silently. Even if I didn’t believe his words, I couldn’t bear to disappoint him further, so I made a quiet vow to quit complaining and buck up.“I promise I’ll try to help with th
ElijahI was absolutely exhausted as I drove home, the dashboard clock showing nearly midnight. My eyes burned from staring at paperwork all day, and my back ached from too many hours in uncomfortable chairs, listening to other Alphas argue about territory lines and trade agreements.All I wanted wa







