LOGINAvaThe first thing I heard was a low, tired voice, reading words I couldn't quite catch yet. My body felt heavy under the sheets, pinning me to the bed. I could hear the steady rasp of my own breathing. My open eyes blinked dryly in the dim light.I opened my eyes wider. A small, pale room with a c
AvaDad let go of the shackle and sat back, his face relaxing from the concentration. He was quiet for a long moment. Then his eyes met mine."Baby," he said gently, "do you want to know what happened?"Something in his tone made my chest tighten. I had a feeling that this was a truth I wasn't ready
AvaHe stepped out of the blackness, edging closer, until I could finally see him. Unbelievable. He was so young, the age he was when...when he died. His warm brown eyes, both of them, looked at me with a fond smile.I stared, my mouth hanging open, unable to make a sound. My dad. Standing in front
LeviI settled into the chair by her bed and took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb over the back of it. "Hey, Ava. It's Levi," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I just talked to Sofia. We had some things to say to each other."I sat there, rubbing her hand, trying to find the words Maya and
LeviI sat with my father in his room, a week after Hilda's funeral. Some families had already packed up and left the pack after becoming human. Others had stayed, unsure of where else to go.My father wheezed beside me, the hiss of his oxygen tank an ever-present sound now. He was thinner, frail, h
MayaI zipped Sofia's dress as best I could with my good hand. The collar was tricky. I fiddled clumsily with the small metal fastening. "There, perfect," I said, releasing the dress and stepping back.Sofia blinked hard at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun. The dr
Evelyn"What did you just do?"My mind raced, trying to formulate an explanation, some way to justify what Damon had just witnessed. I was caught off guard, desperately searching for the right words when suddenly Susan's voice cut through the tension."She attacked Margaret!" Susan screamed in compl
EvelynSeven AM. The hallways were quieter at this hour, most pack members still asleep or just beginning their day. I should have felt rested after a full night's sleep, but my body dragged like I'd been running marathons in my dreams. Maybe it was the emotional weight of last night. Maybe it was j
SusanI watched with satisfaction as Mother moved around my room, gathering medical supplies and setting up her equipment. She'd already thrown Dr. Graham's herbal compounds into the waste bin, muttering about "amateur remedies" under her breath.This was exactly what I'd been waiting for. Mother fi
MargaretTwenty-four hours of confinement, and I was still replaying yesterday's humiliation in the courtyard. The slap burned worse than any physical wound. Not the pain - that had faded within minutes. It was the shock of it. The way that visiting doctor had looked at me with pure hatred before he







