ログインSelenaPacking took longer than it should have.Not because there was much to bring, but because I kept stopping without meaning to.Maxwell sat on the edge of the bed swinging his legs, watching me with the quiet patience only a child could have. The suitcase beside him was already half-zipped, his things neatly folded inside, though he looked far more interested in the mask in his hands than anything else.He turned it over once before looking up at me.“I still don’t get why I have to wear this,” he said.I paused for a moment, smoothing down a folded shirt before answering.“It’s only for a little while.”His brow creased slightly, like he was thinking harder than he wanted to.I had given him the mask to prevent Denver or anyone from recognizing him as Denver child."You are trying to hide my face so no one recognizes me?" he asked. My hands slowed.That wasn’t something a child should have had to think about.Still, I kept my voice light.“That’s the idea.”He studied the mask
Talia.Though it was already late, I was more than determined to make sure my aim arrived. Not minding the earlier downpour, I made my way to Christopher's pack house to see him. If I trusted anyone enough to help me and keep my secret, it would be him. My steps slowed as I reached his door, my hand hovering briefly before I finally knocked.There was an answer for a few seconds and just when I was going to knock again,“Enter.”His voice carried easily through the woods. Calm. Controlled. As if he already knew who it was.I pushed the door open.Christopher stood near the far side of the room, jacket undone, one hand resting loosely in his pocket while the other held a glass of amber liquid he didn’t look like he had touched.His eyes lifted the moment I stepped inside.And stayed there.“I didn’t expect you,” he said simply.I closed the door behind me.“I didn’t come to socialize.”A faint smile touched his lips, though it didn’t reach his eyes.“That much is obvious.”The silenc
Talia.“You’re not listening to me.”My voice cracked sharper than I intended as I paced across my mother’s sitting room for what felt like the hundredth time that night.Outside, rain tapped softly against the tall windows overlooking the eastern side of the pack grounds, but the sound did nothing to calm the frustration clawing steadily through my chest.My mother barely looked up from the documents spread across her lap.“I am listening,” she replied calmly. “You are simply being emotional.”A bitter laugh escaped me.“Emotional?”I stopped pacing long enough to stare at her in disbelief.“It has been seven years.”That finally made her glance up.“Seven years,” I repeated more quietly, the exhaustion in my voice suddenly sounding heavier than anger. “And nothing has changed.”Because nothing really had.Yes, I lived in the Alpha house.Yes, people treated me with respect.Yes, Denver provided for me in ways most women could only dream about.Expensive clothes.Jewelry.Security fo
Selena.The restaurant overlooked the water.At night, the city lights reflected against the dark surface in long shimmering streaks of gold and white, soft enough to make everything outside feel quieter than it really was.Inside, the atmosphere was warm and calm, filled with low music and the soft murmur of conversations drifting between tables.It was the kind of place I normally would have been too exhausted to enjoy.But tonight felt strangely different.Maybe because it had been so long since I had sat somewhere without thinking about work.Without rushing home to study.Without worrying about hospital schedules or whether Maxwell had finished his homework or eaten enough vegetables that day.For once, I was sitting across from someone who knew me better than almost anyone else in the world.Jameson loosened his tie slightly as the waiter stepped away from our table.“You realize,” he said dryly, “this is probably the first proper dinner you’ve had in months.”I smiled faintly a
Denver.I knew something was wrong before I even stepped out of my office.Talia’s voice carried through the second-floor hallway, sharp enough to make something in my jaw tighten instantly.“You embarrassed me again!”I started toward the sound before I even thought about it.The closer I got, the quieter the other voice became.Alec.He wasn’t yelling back.Of course, he wasn’t.That only made the irritation sitting under my skin worse, because my son almost never raised his voice, even when he was upset, even when he should have.By the time I reached the sitting room, the doors were partially open. Talia stood near the center of the room with her arms folded tightly across her chest while Alec stood several feet away from her, shoulders tense beneath his dark sweater.The sight of him still hit me harder than it should have.Seven years old, but lately he looked smaller somehow. Thinner. The shadows beneath his eyes are more noticeable than before.Every doctor tried to explain it
Selena.The applause still echoed faintly through the ballroom even after I stepped away from the stage.Warm lights spilled across polished glass and marble, catching against the gold detailing along the walls of the hotel hall. Conversations blended around me—doctors, investors, hospital directors, journalists—all moving through the crowd with practiced smiles and expensive perfume.Seven years ago, none of this would have felt possible.Now people were offering me contracts worth more money than I had ever imagined touching as a student barely surviving sleepless nights, single parenthood, and grief.Renowned pediatric surgeon.The title still felt strange attached to me.“Dr. Vale, over here please!”Another camera flashed.I smiled politely before finally managing to step away from the growing crowd.Exhaustion settled into me almost immediately.Not physical exhaustion.Something deeper.The kind that came after years of surviving instead of living.The last seven years have gi
Denver.I had followed her without being seen, moments after she left my room.Old habits. Old instincts. Something told me Christopher might want to get back at her, and I was not about to let that happen.When she first entered her room, I thought my concerns were unfounded for a moment, until I
Selena.By the time I reach my room, my hands are still shaking.Not from fear.From him.From the way Alpha Denver’s fingers had barely brushed my skin and yet left a burn that refuses to fade. From the restraint in his eyes, the battle he fought so openly frightened me more than Christopher’s crue
Denver.I woke that morning to the sound of someone knocking on the door.I groaned, unwilling to open my eyes for another hour or two, but when the door opened and my beta walked in, I knew sleep was done for.“Good morning, Alpha,” Jacob greeted as he stepped further into the room.“Good morning,
SelenaI saw them before they saw me.They were hidden in a dark corner off the west corridor, where the torchlight barely reached and the stone walls swallowed every sound. My stomach clenched before I even realized I’d stopped walking.Christopher has Joyce pressed against the wall, his mouth on







