LOGINElla.The alarm system screamed through the mansion. Red lights flashed in every hallway. I jerked awake, disoriented.Kyle was already up, pulling on clothes. His phone pressed to his ear."How many?" he barked into the phone.I couldn't hear Ethan's response, but Kyle's face told me everything. This was it. Derek was here."Wake Maya. Get her to the safe room. Now." Kyle's voice was steel. No room for argument."What's happening?""Derek's at the south border with at least six others. They've already taken down two patrol units."My heart stopped. "Are they...""Alive. Unconscious. But Derek's moving fast. He's heading straight for us."I ran to Maya's room. She was sitting up in bed, clutching her stuffed bear. Tears streaked her face."Mommy, what's that noise?""Just a drill, baby. We need to go somewhere safe.""I'm scared.""I know. But Daddy will protect us."Kyle's mother appeared in the doorway. "Come with me, sweetheart." She held out her hand to Maya. "We're going to play
Kyle.My wolf surged forward. Protective. Furious. Every instinct screaming to hunt. To eliminate the threat before it reached my family."He's coming here.""That's why I needed to tell you immediately. I wanted to warn you earlier, but I needed confirmation. I needed to be sure."Ella sank back onto the couch. Processing everything. The color had drained from her face completely."He's coming for me because of something that happened before I was born. Something I had no control over. Something my mother did."I knelt in front of her. Took her hands. They were ice cold despite the warm room."He's not getting anywhere near you. I promise.""Kyle, he's dangerous. He almost destroyed your pack once. He knows how you think. How you fight.""And he failed. He'll fail again. We're stronger now. Better prepared."Thomas stood. Paced to the window. "I should have told you sooner. As soon as I found the documents. But I wanted to verify everything first. I thought maybe I was overreacting."
Kyle.I excused myself from the conversation and stepped away from the crowd. Ella followed, concern crossing her face."Thomas?""Kyle." His voice was tight. "I need to talk to you and Ella. Privately. It's urgent.""What's wrong?""Not over the phone. Can you come home tonight?"I glanced at Ella. She was watching me with worry in her eyes."We're in DC. We can catch the first flight tomorrow morning.""Make it tonight if you can. This is important."The call ended. I turned to Ella."Your father needs to see us. Now.""Is he okay?""He sounded scared."We left the reception immediately. I called the driver while Ella gathered our things from the hotel. The drive to the airport felt endless. Traffic crawled. Red lights seemed to last forever."What do you think happened?" Ella asked."I don't know. But Thomas doesn't scare easily.""Maybe something with Jane? The baby?""He would have said that over the phone."We caught a late flight home. The plane was nearly empty. Just us and a
Kyle.Kieran woke up next. The twins were identical, right down to the worry in their eyes."Is she okay?" Kieran asked immediately."I'm fine," Rachel said softly."You are all going to be fine," I added. "But you need to stop fighting the bond.""The elders say it's wrong," Kieran said. "That nature doesn't work this way.""Nature created the bond. That makes it natural, no matter what the elders think."Over the next few days, I worked intensively with all three of them. Teaching them meditation techniques Ella and I had developed. Showing them how to channel bond energy instead of resisting it. Helping them understand that their situation wasn't a curse but a gift.We practiced breathing exercises. Visualization techniques. Ways to synchronize their energies instead of fighting them.Rachel struggled at first. "It feels wrong. Like I'm betraying one of them by loving the other.""You're not betraying anyone. The bond connects all three of you equally.""But society says...""Socie
Kyle.My phone rang at two in the morning.I jerked awake, reaching for it before the second ring could wake Ella or Maya. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number with an area code I didn't recognize."Hello?""Alpha Kyle Torres?" A male voice, rough with exhaustion."Speaking.""My name is Alpha Caleb Wilder from the Cascade Pack in Oregon. I apologize for the late hour, but we have an emergency situation. We need your help."I sat up slowly, careful not to disturb Ella. She stirred slightly but didn't wake. "What kind of emergency?""We have a young she-wolf experiencing a triad bond. She's eighteen years old, and the bond is killing all three of them. We heard about your experience with Luna Ella and Alpha Jason. Your expertise could save three lives."The words hit me like a punch. A triad bond. Someone else going through what we'd survived."How long has this been happening?""Three weeks. The deterioration is accelerating. We've tried everything we know, but nothing's working.
Ella.The ceremony ended with more cheers and celebration. Guests threw flower petals as Marcus and Elena walked back down the aisle together, officially married at last. Their faces glowed with joy.The reception started immediately. Pack members had transformed the adjacent area into a celebration space. Tables loaded with food appeared. Music played from speakers hidden among the decorations. Dancing began almost instantly.Maya found Marcus and Elena quickly, tugging on their joined hands. "Can I dance with you? Both of you?""Of course, sweet girl," Marcus said, lifting her up.They moved to the dance floor, all three of them. Maya stood between her grandparents, holding both their hands as they swayed to the music. Her laughter rang out, pure and joyful.Kyle appeared at my side, offering his hand. "Dance with me?""Always."We joined the others on the makeshift dance floor. Kyle pulled me close, one hand at my waist, the other holding mine. The familiar warmth of his body press
Ella.The pain hit at exactly midnight.I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, when something inside my chest yanked hard. Like a fishhook caught in my ribs and someone pulled the line. I gasped. Clutched at my shirt. Tried to breathe through the sudden wrongness spreading through my body.Kyl
Ella.Kyle's fear hit me before I even opened my eyes.Sharp. Cold. Like ice water down my spine.I sat up in bed, gasping. The bond pulsed between us, stronger than it had ever been. So strong I could feel his heartbeat like it was my own. Could feel his emotions tangled with mine until I couldn't
Ella."You need to know what could happen if you complete the primary bond first and never complete the secondary bond," Jason said, pulling out his phone. "And Kyle either doesn't realize it or he's pretending not to care."I watched him scroll through something on his screen. My heart hammered ag
Ella.My laptop screen glowed in the darkness of my room. 1:47 AM. I'd been awake for hours, scrolling through digital archives of pack law that Jason had sent me.Trial by Distance.The words appeared in documents dating back to 1843. Before that, handwritten records in photographs so old the ink







