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
“Hey, Mom?” I said.“Yeah, baby?”“Do you ever—” I trailed off, glancing at Levi, who was watching me with an expression so naked I had to look away. “Do you ever think about what it would be like if things had gone differently? If Dad hadn’t… if none of that had happened?”A pause. Then, soft: “Som
Ava.She was there. Right there, standing at Levi’s side, towering over the other guests in heels and a sheath of deep green silk. Her hair was longer than I remembered, still red as blood, pulled back in a twist so sharp it looked engineered. She didn’t look older. If anything, she was younger, sle
LeviThe garden air was so dense with perfume and salt it felt alive. Security had already locked the path down; one of them in a black suit blocked the guest approach and barked at some women who tried to wander after the spectacle. Smart. If even one of them saw what lay past the hedge, I’d have l
LeviThe clearing was so quiet I could hear the blood drip from her muzzle.She watched me, balanced above like a myth, and for a moment I thought I could see some sliver of reason in her stare.But the second I turned my head, she was on me—no warning, no hesitation. A white flash, weightless in th







