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
Hilda’s hand hovered at my shoulder, like maybe if she just touched me the accusation would lose its bite. The staff woman kept staring, unblinking. Thomas was silent. The only sound was the thin, mechanical heartbeat in the corner, ticking time but not fixing anything.Even my mother didn’t look at
She smiled, just at the corner of her mouth. “I knew.”I stared at her, not understanding.She kept talking. “I’ve known about wolves since I was a kid. Not in the way everyone knows, but actually knew. I read every book, every article, every old news clipping. I even looked up your mom once, becaus
AvaMaya's fingers caught my wrist as everyone turned toward the house. "Ava, wait—"I yanked free and walked the opposite direction. Away from the crowd, away from the careful voices and sideways glances. My mother hadn't looked at me once during the burial. Not once."Ava!"I broke into a run.Aro
The world didn’t go slow, not like they say it does. It went fast, too fast, so that the moment Maya’s eyes met mine, I stood up and then immediately forgot how to breathe.Every part of me wanted to run to her. Every other part wanted to curl up and die.I got as far as the edge of the bed, then fr







