Mag-log inAbby’s POV Just as we reached the Alpha’s door, it opened.“What an august visitor I have here!” a rough, deep voice said.A one-eyed man stood in the doorway, a black patch covering his left eye. His belly protruded beneath his clothes, while his unkempt hair and scruffy beard made it obvious he didn't care much about his appearance.But his aura screamed Alpha regardless.“Alpha Baldwin,” Hayden said simply, confirming what I'd already sensed from his aura.“It's been a long time since I last saw you, Alpha Hayden.” Baldwin flashed a wide, toothy grin, which somehow softened his rugged appearance. Then he stretched out his hand for a handshake. “What brings you to my pack? It must be something serious.”“Sure,” Hayden replied, taking his hand before releasing it almost immediately. “We're looking for someone.”Baldwin frowned slightly. “You could have simply sent word. There was no need for you to come all the way here yourself.”“I could have,” Hayden said. “But this is something
Abby’s POV The games ended well, and they turned out to be much more fun than I'd expected.I'd never imagined Hayden and Derek having this kind of peaceful competition.Hayden won almost every game effortlessly, without going easy on Derek. Still, he lost a few rounds because Amy's constant cheering and hyping distracted him, which at least helped Derek earn some points.Amy practically bounced around the compound, shouting excitedly every time Hayden won or did something impressive. Asher, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly frustrated that Derek, the person he had chosen to support, wasn't winning.Amy kept sticking her tongue out at him until he finally got annoyed.“I'm not playing again!”Before things could escalate, Father stepped in.“How about Grandpa plays Hayden?”Asher's face immediately brightened.Father knew Hayden would never take the game seriously against him, and he was right.Hayden began deliberately letting him win.Father started winning one challeng
Abby’s POV Before I could figure out who it was, the scent of dark woods and cedar drifted into my nose.My entire body prickled as the familiar scent surrounded me.Hayden.Carla whimpered inside me, instantly sensing Rey nearby.Derek pulled away from the hug, completely unaware of the presence lurking nearby.I slowly turned toward the direction of the scent, but there was no one in sight. Still, I knew he was somewhere nearby.Maybe he thought he could stay hidden. But there was no hiding his scent from his mate.“What is it?” Derek asked, following my gaze.I smiled and rubbed my arms. “Nothing.”He nodded, his gaze settling back on me.Then he spoke again.“I'll be leaving for Australia tomorrow. I have some pack duties waiting for me.”“Oh.” I nodded. “No problem.”He didn't say anything else.His arm slipped around my shoulders. “Come on. Enough standing out here in the sun.”With that, we walked back inside the house together, only to be met with beautiful chaos.The twins w
Abby’s POV “She's upstairs. Still sleeping,” Maggie replied.Relief washed over me. But Maggie's expression still didn't sit right with me. “Then… what happened?” I pressed.She explained that Asher had woken up nearly an hour ago and had practically driven her crazy, insisting he wanted to come looking for me.I couldn't help but chuckle as I looked at my little joy giver, who now stood there looking far too innocent to have caused so much trouble.“Sweetie.” I ruffled his hair. “I told you I was going out last night, remember? I promised I'd be back before you woke up.”He folded his tiny arms and pouted.“You break promise.”“You're right.” I nodded. “I broke my promise. I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Mommy's really sorry, huh. Will you forgive me?”Instead of answering, he looked past me at Hayden.“You like my Mommy?”I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. Then I remembered. This wasn't the first time. Either he or Amy had asked Hayden the same thing before.“Very, very
Abby's POV The night passed in a silent but peaceful moment. Hayden barely let me go. Even in his sleep, his arms remained wrapped around me, like some part of him was afraid I would disappear the moment he loosened his hold.Every time I somehow drifted away from him in my sleep, I'd unconsciously feel his arms pulling me right back against his warm chest.I didn't mind.In fact...I loved it.But when I finally woke up, the space beside me was empty.My heart jumped a second thinking everything had been a dream.But his scent still lingering on my skin and the sheets reassured me.It wasn't a dream.I got out of bed.“Hayden?” I checked the bathroom, but he wasn’t there, so I decided to go downstairs.I heard his cough from the kitchen and I headed there only to be met with a shock.Smoke everywhere.“What the hell?!”My eyes landed on the burnt pieces scattered across the counter.Was that supposed to be pancakes?I looked back at him.His hair was messy, sweat covered his forehe
Abby’s POV I barely had time to gasp before strong arms wrapped around my waist and yanked me back to the surface.The next thing I knew, I was coughing against Hayden's shoulder as he lifted me onto the poolside.“Are you okay?” His blue eyes searched mine frantically.I blinked, still trying to catch my breath.“My... phone.”For a second, I expected him to scold me for jumping into the pool when I couldn't even swim.Instead, he turned and dove back into the water.A few moments later, he resurfaced with my phone in his hand.“It's useless now.” He held it up, water dripping from it. “Better to get another one.”My mood dropped instantly.“I'll lose some important things on that phone.”“I think what you should be concerned about right now is yourself.” His gaze moved over me briefly before he looked away. “You'll catch a cold if you don't get out of those wet clothes.”My brain finally caught up.I looked down at myself.The fabric of my clothes had become almost transparent, the
Hayden's POVI squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the burning impact, but nothing came.Only a groan. A pained, broken groan from Liam.I snapped my eyes open. He was sprawled on the ground, blood pooling beneath him, gasping for air. My gaze shot up.Alex stood there, smoke curling from his raised g
Abby’s POV “Please don't kill me.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. The creature only sneered, stepping forward as if savoring my fear. Its fangs slid out, gleaming, ready to…“Stop.” A woman’s voice cut through the air.Shockingly, the creature obeyed.My chest heaved as the woman
Hayden’s POVI stared at the picture of Abby and Derek on the bed, and something in it hit me wrong.My throat tightened.I was still staring at it when Alex walked in. I shifted my gaze to him. “Tell me you found them,” I said.He exhaled, shoulders dropping. “I’m sorry.”My grip tightened on the
Abby's POV I rolled from side to side on the hospital bed, unable to close my eyes. It was past 2 a.m., yet I was wide awake, my eyelids heavy and swollen.I could barely remember anything after the rogue attack, just the blow to my face… then darkness. I didn’t even know how I was rescued.I clu







