Se connecterDenver.The moment I stepped out of the car, something didn’t sit right, and even though I couldn’t explain it, I felt it settle under my skin in a way that made it impossible to ignore.It wasn’t the kind of wrong that came with danger, nothing sharp or immediate that put you on edge, but something quieter, something almost easy to miss if I wasn’t paying attention, like something familiar had slipped into the air without permission and was now sitting there where it didn’t belong.I kept moving anyway.Doctor Jameson was already walking toward me, greeting me with a polite smile and an outstretched hand, saying something about it being an honor to have me there, but I barely registered his words as I shook his hand, because my attention had already shifted, not to the building or the staff gathered nearby, but to that feeling lingering just beneath the surface, faint but present, something I knew without fully understanding how.We stepped inside, and the moment I crossed the entran
Selena.The announcement came that morning as soon as everyone resumed for the shift, and the moment Doctor Jameson stepped forward, there was already a quiet expectation in the room that this was not going to be one of his usual briefings.He stood at the front of the small gathering, his posture straight and his tone calm yet firm, in a way that immediately commanded attention as his gaze moved across the room, pausing briefly on each of us before he spoke.“The new hospital owner will be visiting today,” he said, his voice measured and clear, “and I expect everyone to be on their best behavior. This is his first official visit, and I do not want anything out of place.”A subtle shift passed through the staff at that, a mix of curiosity and nervous energy that showed itself in quiet glances and hushed murmurs, but I didn’t react, because new owner or not, it had nothing to do with me.I kept my focus where it had been these past weeks, on my work, on keeping my head down, on staying
Selena.The work no longer felt as overwhelming as it had on the first day.My hands had learned the rhythm of it, the quiet repetition of cleaning, arranging, wiping down surfaces until they looked untouched again, and even though it was not the life I had imagined for myself, there was something steady about it now, something that made the hours pass without dragging the way they used to.I was getting used to it.Getting used to the early mornings, the long hours, the quiet nods from people who now recognized me, and even the occasional small conversations that made the place feel less unfamiliar.Aside from the discomfort that came and went—subtle aches, moments of dizziness, the constant awareness that my body was no longer just mine—everything was… manageable.And for now, that was enough.It was almost time for my break.I wiped my hands on the cloth I carried with me, glancing briefly around the room to make sure everything was in place before stepping out into the hallway, al
Talia.By the time I got to her chambers, I had already decided how this would go.If Denver refused to listen to me, then I would go to the one person who still influenced him, the one person who could shift things without force, without argument—his mother.Because no matter how powerful he was, no matter how much control he carried, he still respected her.And I needed that.I didn’t wait to be announced.I stepped inside.She was seated near the window, calm as always, her posture straight, her expression composed in a way that made it seem like nothing ever truly unsettled her.But when her eyes lifted to mine, I knew she already understood why I was there.“Talia,” she said quietly.No warmth.No hostility.Just acknowledgment.That alone made something in me tighten.“I need to speak with you,” I said, keeping my voice steady even though I could feel everything underneath it pressing forward, waiting for a chance to break through.“You already are,” she replied.There was no in
Talia.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
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







