LOGIN~Serena~There’s a pit in my chest that carves deeper into my soul as the distance between our daughter grows longer. Every mile is a sword cutting me in half.I might have shoved Gladia out of my head, but now I’ve left my heart with that blue-eyed girl who’s in the care of Spade’s twin brother.Spade was behind the wheel, Declan in the shotgun, while I pressed myself against the edge of the SUV’s backseat, wanting to jump out the window and run back to where we left Luc and Tali.It’s a long drive back to Fallenmist Pack, and every second that ticks is another brick piling on my shoulders.How is this my life? Why is finding happiness so fucking hard?I have Declan. We’re mated. I should be satisfied with that. But fate always finds another reason for me to loathe being alive.I’m the reason Tali’s life is in danger. If she weren’t my daughter, she wouldn’t need Luc watching over her. She could have a normal, boring human life—not some dangerous shifter one.I wanted to sleep. My bo
~Serena~“I don’t think that’s—” Spade started.“I’ll do it,” Luc cut in, his tone filled with certainty.The alpha twins’ simultaneous answer surprised Declan and me.Spade narrowed his eyes at his brother. “What?!”Unperturbed by his brother’s outburst, Luc rolled his shoulder in a lazy shrug. “I’ve got nothing better else to do.”He wanted to sound disinterested, more like bored with this topic, but I sensed an underlying intent in his response.Declan and I exchanged glances; we both expected a different outcome in this meeting. We asked Spade and Luc to follow us where we found our daughter, to discuss our dilemma about her safety, and honestly, I was prepared to give Luc a lot more persuasion to take on our offer. But it turns out Spade was the one who needed convincing.“This is a bad idea,” Spade turned to us with his earthy, pleading eyes. “You can’t be considering this, Declan,” he glowered at the man sitting beside me, as this option was the worst idea he had ever heard.“I
~Declan~I can’t believe it. Lia was telling the truth. My head said this was another part of her scheme. I refused to believe any word that came out of the traitor’s mouth, but the girl across the street was the mirror image of my mate.She was pretty, our daughter. She got the good bits after her mother. The expressive blue eyes that squinted when she laughed, soft carved jaws, pinkish lips, and shiny blonde hair. She even grabbed the melody of Serena’s laughter.I was lightheaded just watching her from a distance. She was having a lively conversation with two other girls around her age. They were inside an ice cream parlor, seated in the booth beside the glass wall. I don’t know if the people who adopted her knew she didn’t have human DNA. She was born five years ago, but she looked like she was already eleven.Whoever killed Kaya sold our daughter to a couple who couldn’t have children. I don’t know if he was still alive, but Lia said he didn’t have the heart to slit a child’s thr
~Serena~A few tense beats passed. Spade, Declan, and I were stunned, glaring at Lia, while Luc’s eyebrows furrowed.“What did you just say?” Declan was the first to recover from the bomb Lia dropped—or should I say, the first to throw a threatening question at her.Lia remained cool, turning to Declan. “I found your daughter.”She didn’t even finish her sentence before Declan was already on her—his big hand clasping Lia’s neck, pushing her up into the air until her toes were pointed at the ground.“Declan!” I hissed, rushing behind him.He didn’t hear me. His anger had his vision tunneling entirely on Lia, who was now gasping for air. The veins on her neck were ready to pop as she clawed at Declan’s hand. Her rogue strength was no match for my alpha mate’s.“Say that again, and I’ll snap your neck,” he growled, his voice low and menacing. “I’ve been waiting for a reason to do that, and you’ve just given me an unforgivable one, Lia.”Spade and Luc stood on the sidelines, anticipating
~Serena~“Is she really gone?” Declan wanted to know. “Did he finish the job?” His concern rushed through my skin like a current.I sighed and reached for his face. He closed his eyes, leaning into my touch. “Yes. Gladia’s gone.”Peace. This was the only word to describe what I felt right now. For four years, I lived my life with someone constantly watching me, waiting in the dark for her chance to take over my life. Now, it was complete silence in my oblivion. No dark red eyes watching me, no demonic shadow following me everywhere I went.“She won’t bother us again,” I said.Guilt dawned on Declan’s features. “I should’ve known it wasn’t you, Serena.”“Shh. You couldn’t possibly have known someone else had taken over my body.”Declan’s jaw clenched. “I cheated on you.”“Stop,” I cut him off. “I’m just gonna say this once. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t even hold it against you. Please, let’s not have this conversation again.”And I meant every word I said. It wasn’t his fa
~Serena~‘Why hasn’t she woke up yet?!’ I heard Declan’s voice. It was faint, like an echo from another mountain, but his fury was evident.A man answered him in an inaudible voice. It was unfamiliar and so calm, as if Declan’s rage didn’t rattle him.‘If she doesn’t wake up soon, you’re fucking dead!’ Declan’s alpha command was crystal clear—it made me snap out of my still state.I opened my eyes, blinking at the pearl-white ceiling. There was a gentle wind caressing my cheek and a soft bed beneath my back. The scent of freshly cut grass and wildflowers was thick in the air.“I will burn this cabin to the ground along with your family name, you son of a bitch!” Declan’s raging voice wasn’t a dream. He was really here. My wolf could sense that her mate was near—her very, very angry mate.“She’s going to be fine, Declan,” Spade’s familiar calm voice answered Declan’s rage. “She’s just recovering from what happened.”“What happened is you fucking betrayed me, bringing her here to this fr







