ログインAVELINE'S POVThe look that crossed Jenna's face when those last words escaped her lips told me I wasn't going to like what she would say next. Within the silence that followed, I tried my best not to react, not to jump to conclusions before she had actually spoken, but it was incredibly difficult not to. Jenna had just told me that Sirus and a number of pack guards had gone on some unknown mission and that my sister's mate had returned bloodied and beaten. Even though I would have liked to believe that it had nothing to do with me, nothing to do with the Wilds, and certainly nothing to do with Nereth, I couldn't.I had spent the weeks since everything that happened in the Wilds trying desperately not to draw connections between things simply because I wanted them to mean something. I had learned that lesson the hard way. My tendency to make grand assumptions had always been one of my more troublesome flaws, and it had led me into more than a few highly unsavoury and, on occasion, dan
Author's note: There's a new chapter behind this one. Read that first. AVELINE'S POV For several obvious reasons, that question coming from Jenna was unexpected and terribly jarring. The first reason for this conclusion was that she wasn't supposed to know. The second was that… She really wasn't supposed to know. Had Ezra told her? Had one of the others? Those were the first thoughts that crossed my mind, followed immediately by the realization that I had been foolish to believe for even a second that they would keep something this important from her. Jenna was the future Luna of the Eastern Pack. Sirus was the Alpha. It was obvious where their loyalties would lie, and I couldn't exactly complain about that or resent them for it. They had responsibilities, and the Alpha was the person those responsibilities ultimately concerned. I only wished they had spared my sister from all of this. I wished they had kept her out of it for as long as they could. But could that really have be
AVELINE'S POVThe plan was simple. Keep this away from Jenna for the foreseeable future, take care of my baby, and find Nereth as soon as possible. I had later come to accept that the last part of that plan was almost certainly impossible if Nereth wasn't willing to cooperate. And it seemed he wasn't willing.In order to shield myself from the hurt of that obvious fact, that Nereth didn't want to see me, I had resolved to ignore it entirely and focus on the one thing that mattered more: Nereth didn't know about our son, and I had to get that news to him.For a while, I managed to convince myself that was enough.It wasn't. It didn't take long for all the doubts I had tried so desperately to deflect to come breaking through my rigid composure. The problem wasn't that I didn't know where the Northern Wilds were. I knew where we'd entered them. I knew where I'd met Nereth. I knew the clearing where I'd last seen him, the trees surrounding it, the creatures that had gathered around him,
AVELINE'S POV When I opened my eyes again, Ezra was beside me. Her expression was tense, and there was something frightened in her eyes that made me immediately realize this was worse than I had thought. “You fainted.” I tried to sit up, but pain shot through me, and I immediately sank back down. My entire body felt as though it had become a battlefield, every muscle aching while heat and cold chased each other beneath my skin. A gasp escaped me, and Ezra watched helplessly for a moment before moving to help. I could see how badly she wanted to do something, anything, even though she had no idea what would actually help me. “Where is Philip?” I asked, partly because I needed the distraction and partly because I knew that if Philip found out about this, he might tell Sirus. As Sirus's Beta, he had every reason to believe something this serious should reach his Alpha. I didn't agree with that. I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted copper. The pain gave me something else to
AVELINE'S POVAt first, I blamed the exhaustion I experienced in the days following our return to the pack house on everything that had happened in the Wilds.It made sense, at least at first. I had barely slept during the time I spent with Nereth there that afternoon, and even after returning to the pack house, my mind refused to settle. Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the creatures, the arrow buried in Nereth's chest, the look in his eyes when Sirus pulled me away from him. I told myself that my body was simply paying the price for everything it had endured.Then came the hunger.It wasn't ordinary hunger. It arrived suddenly and fiercely, leaving me feeling hollow no matter how much I ate. I could finish breakfast and feel hungry again before midday, then eat lunch only to find my stomach empty barely an hour later. Sometimes I ate until I felt uncomfortably full, only for the emptiness to return soon afterward.It was as though there was a space inside me that food could
AVELINE'S POVIt took me longer than it should have to register Sirus's next words.“Who is he?”I opened my mouth, but before I could answer, Stephen spoke from behind me.“Nereth.”Sirus's jaw tightened. “Nereth what?”Stephen didn't answer. He didn't know.Sirus's gaze returned to me, and I hesitated because only then did I realize something that made my stomach twist. I didn't know either. I didn't know his surname. I didn't know where he came from, what he truly was, or what secrets he had buried beneath that calm exterior. I only knew the name he had given me, the name I'd repeated so many times in my head that it felt strange to realize how little I actually knew about the man behind it.“Nereth,” I repeated quietly.The name sounded different now.Less like a name belonging to the man I'd spent the last two months falling for and more like a piece of evidence I had no idea how to explain.Sirus studied my face for a moment, and something in his expression changed. His eyes nar
The Festival of the Blue Moon is fast approaching, and suddenly everyone is a merchant, selling trinkets, beverages, treats, and practically anything that has a price tag. Mom and Dad set up a stall every year. However, they are usually too busy to manage it, being the Beta pair and all. Talia and
I open the window, sliding one foot over, then another. My feet land lightly on the carpet, and I smile at the sheer perfection of the action. The lights flick on. I gulp. Talia stands by the switch, arms crossed, her face set in that “I caught you and you’re in trouble” look. Despite the
I startle at the sound of leaves crunching under boots. “Who’s there?” “Mia? Is that you?” I turn to find Cole picking his way toward me. “Cole,” I breathe. “How did you—” “I had a feeling they were going to come for you after what you did.” He finally reaches where I’m leaning against a t
My screams does not deter him. Oh no. “Don’t—” I start. He lunges again. Below me, the group spreads out in a perfect semicircle. Waiting. “Catch her,” I recall Damon’s words. He plans to force me out if this tree, I realize. Panic claws at my lungs as I adjust myself on the branches so I c







