ANMELDENTalia.I knew he wasn’t going to make this easy, and I was not about to give up on him.He had been avoiding me since I told him about the pregnancy. He had made it very clear that he was choosing distance, choosing silence, choosing anything that didn’t involve facing me directly.But that wasn’t something I could allow to continue.Not now.Not when everything depended on this. If he didn’t see any reason to choose me as his rightful, then I was going to show him—or better still, remind him.The walk to his office felt longer than it should have, not because of the distance, but because my thoughts kept shifting with every step, replaying every possible version of how this conversation could go, searching for the right words, the right tone, the right approach that would make him listen instead of shutting me out the way he had been doing.By the time I reached the door, I had already decided.I wasn’t leaving without something.Even if it wasn’t acceptance, it had to be something I
Selena.By the third day, I had started to understand the rhythm of the work, not because it had become easy, but because it had become predictable in a way that made it easier to move through without thinking too much about everything else that waited outside of it.Clean. Replace. Wipe. Move on.If I kept my head down and followed instructions, no one really paid attention to me, and for now, that was exactly what I wanted—to exist without being noticed, to move without being questioned, to do what needed to be done and leave without leaving anything behind.That morning had started like any other, quiet and controlled, with nothing out of place and nothing demanding more from me than I could give.I had been assigned to one of the recovery rooms, carefully folding fresh sheets over the bed and smoothing them out the way I had been shown, paying attention to the corners and edges, making sure everything was in place as it should be, when I noticed a faint stain on the pillowcase.It
DenverThe silence did not settle after they left, and instead of fading, it lingered in a way that felt deliberate, like something unfinished had been left behind in the room and was now waiting for me to acknowledge it.I remained where I was, standing in the same spot for longer than necessary, my gaze unfocused even though my mind refused to be still, moving restlessly through everything that had just been said and everything that had not.Talia’s words did not leave.They stayed, circling back no matter how I tried to push past them.Pregnant.Six weeks.The timing alone was enough to tighten something deep in my chest, because six weeks was not just a number—it was the exact length of time Selena had been gone, the same stretch of days that had passed without a single trace of her, without a single answer that made sense.It wasn’t a coincidence.It couldn’t be.And yet everything about it had been arranged in a way that made it look like one, clean and believable and easy for a
Denver.Six weeks.That was how long it had been since Selena vanished without a trace.Six weeks of silence that did not soften with time but grew heavier each day, as if the absence itself was learning how to breathe inside the pack.I stopped measuring hours after the first few days. It became easier to measure everything in failed reports, empty searches, and the same answer repeated in different forms—no sign, no scent trail, no movement.And still, I did not stop looking.The office doors opened without warning, and I did not need to look up to know who it was.My mother stepped in first, her presence calm in the way only someone used to chaos could manage. But even she did not speak immediately. She watched me for a moment, as if trying to decide whether words would even reach me.“You need to rest,” she said at last.I didn’t respond.She sighed softly, closing the door behind her.“Your restlessness is not helping anyone, Denver.”I finally looked up.“It is helping me find h
Selena.The staff quarters were smaller than I expected, but they were clean, and for now, that was enough.A narrow bed stood against the wall, neatly made with plain sheets that smelled faintly of detergent. There was a small wardrobe beside it, half empty, and a window that let in just enough light to make the room feel less closed in. It wasn’t much, but it was quiet, and more importantly, it was mine.I stood in the middle of the room for a while after I was shown in, turning slowly as if I might find something I had missed, something that would make this feel more real. But there was nothing else to see.No memories.No traces of who I had been before.Just a small space and the weight of starting over.I sat down on the edge of the bed, my hands resting loosely in my lap, my thoughts moving in circles I couldn’t quite follow. Everything had changed so quickly that my mind still hadn’t caught up. A few days ago, I had a place, a life, a name that meant something.Now—I pushed
Selena.After spending two days in the hospital, the doctor confirmed me fit enough to be discharged.And that was a problem. Not because I wasn’t strong enough to leave, but because everything outside those doors felt uncertain again.Inside, at least, I had been safe. Watched over. Given time to think without the world pressing in on me.But I couldn’t stay there forever.I sat on the edge of the bed while the nurse removed the IV from my arm, trying to ignore the slight sting it left behind.My clothes had been returned to me, neatly folded on the chair beside the bed, and I changed quietly while pretending I had somewhere to go afterward.But deep down, I was clueless about how my life was going to be out there, especially with a child growing in me. The doctor came in not long after.Doctor Jameson.He looked at me the way he had been looking at me since the first night he brought me here. He looked at me like he was trying to place responsibility somewhere that wasn’t his.“Yo
Selena. Dinner was announced just after sunset.I had hoped the day would end quietly, that I could retreat to my room and gather myself after seeing Silas earlier, but that hope dissolved the moment a servant informed me that the family would be dining together in the private chamber.Family.The
Selena.Later that evening, I sat at the edge of my bed, fingers tracing the edge of the silk sheet, thinking about the day. The conversation.with Denver mother, Tiana cold words lingered, but none was enough to take my mind from thinking about him.About Denver. About the way his eyes lingered o
Denver.I was heading back to my room that evening when a guard intercepted me.“Alpha… your mother would like to see you in the sitting room,” he said.I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to wipe away the fatigue that had settled into my bones after the endless meetings, the elders’ scrutiny, a
Selena.I stood at the window and looked out at the land below. From here, I could see how large Denver’s pack truly was.The buildings stretched far into the distance. Roads, lights, homes, training grounds, guard towers. It was bigger.More developed. More structured than the pack I had come from







