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
"Susan?"Damon's voice called through my thoughts. "Are you okay? Why are you smiling?"I shook my head, then regained composure as I prepared to tell Damon what Evelyn had done, arranging my expression for maximum impact."Margaret caught Dr. Graham slipping a toxic substance into my doses," I bega
EvelynThe words hung in the air. Ava's cheerful announcement—"I heard Grandma is back!"—had created this strange pause where all the adults suddenly found very important things to look at that weren't each other."Well," Damon said finally, his voice carefully neutral. "I suppose we should head bac
DamonI led Dr. Graham down the hallway, my steps automatic while my mind churned through last night's conversation with Susan. She'd been practically glowing when she told me about her mother's return, sitting up straighter in bed than she had in weeks."My mother will know exactly what to do," she
EvelynThe next morning, I sat beside Catherine's bed, checking her pulse periodically as she slept. Her breathing was steady, natural. The fainting episode had passed without complications, but I knew the underlying cause was far more serious than anyone realized.Footsteps in the hallway made me l







