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
"Sorry.""It's fine." And it was. Being thrown out for cheating I never did was old news. Ava's weight in my lap was current news. The way her skin had gone cold despite the blanket was breaking news.Cole was walking back, a nurse beside him pushing a stretcher.Robin groaned, getting out. "Let's
Marina took a step closer. "These children are dying, Cole. And more join them every hour." Her voice hardened, knuckles white as she gripped the edge of the desk. "I don't need you asking me questions I've asked myself a hundred times already."She turned away, her shoulders rigid under the blood-s
"Marina." Cole's voice was careful. "Hey, Marina. You good?"She wasn't good. Her eyes kept jumping from me to Ava to the door like she was thinking of the best ways to escape. Her hands were shaking bad enough that she shoved them in her pockets."Marina, snap out of it!"She blinked hard, several
"We had to put it down," Derek said, pointing to the bullet hole in its head. "Couldn't let it keep suffering like that.""Show me what you found."Derek led me around to the other side, where the bull's stomach faced upward. "This is why we called you."I looked down and stopped breathing.The bull







