ANMELDENOutside, the world was a nightmare of orange fire and grey smoke. Explosions rocked the ground, sending showers of dirt and stone into the air."Seth!" Travis roared, springing forward.Seth spun around, the knife still biting into Aubrey’s neck. "Stay back! I told you! I’ll do it, Travis! I’ll end them both right here!"Travis froze at the top of the porch steps. His chest heaved, his eyes darting between the blade and Aubrey’s pale, terrified face. Behind him, his mother, Hilda, scrambled forward. She tripped, falling to her knees and grabbing Travis’s hand with a desperate, crushing grip. Her face was streaked with tears and soot."Travis, please," she sobbed, her voice thin and breaking. "Don't let him go like this. Whatever he’s done... whatever he’s doing to us, to the pack... please. He’s your brother. Spare him, Travis. Please, just bring him back to us."Travis looked down at his mother. The fury in his gut was a living thing, screaming for blood, but seeing her broken like t
Seth didn’t answer with words. The moment Travis took a single step forward, Seth’s arm hooked around Aubrey’s neck. In a flash of silver, a jagged dagger was pressed hard against her throat."Stay back, Travis!" Seth screamed. "I mean it! One more step and I’ll open her up right here!"Aubrey let out a choked sound, her hands flying up to grip Seth’s forearm. She tried to pull away, but Seth’s grip was like iron, his body trembling with a violent, nervous energy. Travis froze, his hands hovering in the air, his face turning ghostly pale beneath the soot and blood of the battle."Seth, put the knife down," Travis said, his voice dropping into a forced, low calm. "What the hell is happening to you? Why are you doing this to your family?""Family?" Seth let out a jagged, hysterical laugh. He started backing toward the door, dragging Aubrey with him. Her heels scraped against the stone as she struggled to keep her balance with her heavy belly. "Is that what we are? Because I’ve felt like
The North Wing was eerily quiet compared to the war zone in the courtyard. The stone walls muffled the distant pops of gunfire and the muffled thuds of explosions. Aubrey sat on the edge of the bed, her hands resting protectively over her swollen stomach. Each time the floor vibrated from a blast, her heart hammered against her ribs.Travis had told her to wait. He told her someone would come for her if he couldn't. But as the minutes stretched on, the silence in the hallway felt more dangerous than the noise outside.Footsteps. Heavy and hurried.Aubrey stood up slowly, the weight of the pregnancy making every movement a chore. She moved toward the door, her eyes fixed on the handle. She wanted it to be Travis. She needed it to be him."Travis?" she whispered as the door creaked open.A figure stepped into the dim light of the room. He was tall, with the same broad shoulders and dark hair as the Alpha, but as he stepped forward, the candlelight caught his face.It wasn't Travis."Set
The second explosion was still ringing in their ears as Sky and Caspian stumbled toward the prison exit. Caspian was leaning heavily on Sky, his face tight with a mix of agony and adrenaline."Keep moving," Sky grunted, her shoulder aching under his weight. "We have to get to the surface."They had just reached the top of the stairs when the heavy iron doors flew open. Travis burst in, his face smudged with soot and his eyes burning with a cold, predatory light. He wasn't wearing his Alpha cloak anymore; he was in tactical gear, a heavy knife strapped to his thigh and a pistol in his hand.He stopped dead when he saw them. His eyes drifted from Sky to the mangled, bloody mess that was Caspian’s back."Sky? What the hell happened to him?" Travis’s voice was a low growl."My father," Sky said, her voice trembling with anger. "He ordered the torture while you were busy with the 'transition.' He went behind your back."Travis’s jaw tightened so hard a muscle jumped in his cheek. He looked
Sky walked to the front of Juno’s cell, her boots grinding against the grit on the stone floor. She looked at him through the rusted bars, her teeth gritted so hard her jaw ached. The man in the shadows looked back at her with a smug, knowing grin, but Sky didn't flinch."What I did before was giving you a chance to think of your wrongdoings, Juno," she said, her voice low and sharp like a blade. "I let you go because I was foolish enough to believe you still had a shred of humanity left in you. I believed you could change."Juno chuckled, the sound dry and raspy in the damp air. "And yet, here I am. Still a thorn in your side.""That mistake will stay with me forever," Sky continued, her eyes cold. "It’s a weight I carry every single day. But don't think for a second that I’ll repeat it. I was wrong about you then, but I’m right about you now. This is it, Juno. This will be your end. You’re never leaving this cell again."She didn't wait for his reply. She turned her back on him and
The sun rose bright and early over the Silverstone Estate, casting long, golden shadows across the perfectly manicured lawn. It was a beautiful morning, the kind that usually felt peaceful, but today the air was thick with the scent of fresh scandal.Travis walked through the central garden, his hand resting firmly on Cassandra’s lower back. He made sure to keep his pace slow, leading her past the flower beds where the servants were already busy trimming the hedges. Every head turned as they passed. The whispers followed them like a trail of smoke.Cassandra kept her head up, but her eyes were tired. She had spent the night crying, and even the heavy makeup she’d applied couldn't fully hide the puffiness. She leaned into Travis, playing her part, while Travis looked ahead with a cold, satisfied expression.High above them on the terrace, Travis’s family stood in a small cluster. Former Alpha Vincent and Hilda watched their son, both of them shaking their heads in unison. Hilda pressed
As Travis stepped into the room, a cold dread settled in his chest. The silence was absolute. The air was chilled, but it was the stillness that felt wrong, a heavy, suffocating wrongness. He approached the bed. The sheets were perfectly made, crisp and untouched, with no sign that anyone had reste
When the bodyguard finally released Eileen’s arm, he gave a short, respectful bow to Aubrey before stepping back into the shadows of the foyer.Rafael and Estella watched the exchange in stunned silence. Estella’s gaze was a volatile mix of indignation and newfound fear, while Eileen stood tremblin
The baby shopping trip had stretched into the late afternoon. Aubrey and Danica’s arms were heavy with bags filled with unisex onesies, feeding bottles, and assorted newborn essentials. Their faces were flushed with the kind of simple, human happiness that had been rare lately, laughing about the t
Two weeks had passed in a blur of frantic activity and quiet, high-stakes preparation. The blueprints for the wedding of Aubrey and Travis were nearly complete, an elaborate affair designed to mask the growing tension within the Silverstone Pack. Aubrey was now two months into her pregnancy, and th







