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 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
I worked 15-hour shifts every day at the restaurant, barely enough time to catch my breath. Parties and banquets? They felt like they belonged to a different world—one I’d never be a part of. I was just a waitress who was hip-deep in debt, a nobody in the eyes of most people. Therefore, when the A
My heart pounded as I held his steely gaze. I’d never seen him before in person. Still, he embodied every physical descriptor I had heard customers give him at the diner: extremely fit, tall, dark, and handsome--with ice-blue eyes.The type of eyes a girl could get lost in. Those eyes narrowed.“Ye
Alpha Elijah had once again firmly sent me back to my rooms while he went to console his daughter, probably to ask her what had happened without any onlookers. Now in my room, my mind still whirled as I thought of the encounter. Not with Elijah or Ava, but with her.Thea.She must have been a clever
The night of the ball had arrived. My heart thundered as I stood at the front of the line of Mate Trial girls outside the large ornate doors of the ballroom, waiting to be let in. I could hear Ava’s loud laughter from her place near the back of the line, obviously wanting to be the last girl in beca
Alpha Elijah led Thea and me out of the ballroom as Thea clung tightly to both of our hands. My mind swirled around the events of the night, continuing to land back on the birthmark on Thea’s neck.It sent shivers down my spine, the prospect that it really could be her—my daughter, the child that I
ElijahThe moment Agnes had walked down the stairs in the ballroom, I had been captivated. It was like she had been made to captivate all my attention. Even now, sitting in my study in her plainclothes, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.From our very first encounter, my gaze had been drawn to hers
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