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DenverAfter she closed the door, I did not ask her to sit, and that was intentional.Silence had a way of exposing people. Most tried to fill it when it stretched too long, their discomfort slipping through in small, careless ways. They shifted their weight, spoke too quickly, and offered explanations that had not yet been asked for. It was never the obvious reactions that gave them away, but the subtle ones, the things they did without realizing they were being watched.Talia did none of that.She remained where she was, composed in a way that did not feel forced, her hands relaxed at her sides, her posture balanced between ease and awareness.She carried herself like someone who understood the weight of attention and knew how to stand under it without letting it show.I let the silence linger longer than necessary, my gaze fixed on her as I observed every detail.There was no fidgeting, no unnecessary movement, not even a shift in her breathing to suggest unease.That, more than a
Talia.By the time the hallway emptied and the noise faded, everything had already settled exactly the way I wanted it to, at least on the surface.The servants moved more carefully now, their voices lower, their steps quicker, as though the walls themselves were listening. Fear had a quiet way of spreading in a place like this. One moment everything was normal, and the next, everyone was reminded how quickly things could fall apart.I walked through it all without drawing attention to myself.No one stopped me, and no one questioned me. If anything, the few glances I received held something new. It was not the casual indifference I had grown used to since arriving, but something warmer, something more aware.Respect.Gratitude.It almost made me smile, but I kept my expression composed as I turned down one of the quieter corridors, my steps steady and unhurried. Outwardly, nothing had changed, but inside, my thoughts were already moving, replaying every detail of what had just happ
Denver.The moment the door closed behind the doctor, the room fell into a kind of silence that didn’t feel like relief.I stood there for a while, my gaze fixed on my mother where she lay resting against the pillows. Her breathing was steady now, her face no longer flushed, the swelling slowly fading. To anyone else, it would have been enough to ease the tension.It wasn’t enough for me.My hands rested loosely at my sides, but I could feel the tightness in my muscles, the quiet strain sitting just beneath the surface. I had learned long ago how to control it, how to keep it from spilling over, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.It was always there.Selena hadn’t moved from where she stood.I could feel her presence behind me, quiet, uncertain, carrying a weight I didn’t need to turn around to recognize. Guilt. Worry. Questions she hadn’t asked yet.But my focus stayed where it needed to be.On what had just happened.On what should never have happened.A severe allergy wasn’t s
Selena.I knew something was wrong even before I stepped into the corridor.It was the noise.Voices overlapped, urgent and sharp, echoing down the hall in a way that made my chest tighten. Nothing about it felt normal. Nothing about it felt controlled.Something was wrong.I quickened my pace, my heartbeat picking up as I followed the sound toward the Queen’s wing.By the time I reached the open doorway, I stopped.The room was full. Staff, guards, and a few members of the household. Everyone was talking at once, no one was really listening. The air felt thick with panic.And at the center of it all was the Queen.She was struggling to breathe.Her hand clutched at her throat, her face flushed, her lips slightly swollen. Fear filled her eyes as she tried to pull in air.My stomach dropped.“What happened?” I asked, pushing my way through the crowd.“No one knows,” one of the staff said, clearly shaken. “She was fine, and then suddenly—”“She must have eaten something,” another added
TaliaAfter my last talk with Tiana about getting closer to Denver through his mother, I had been looking for ways to be near the Queen. And as if the universe was on my side, an idea came faster than I expected.I hadn’t been looking for anything when I passed through the kitchen. I usually wandered through the packhouse every now and then to see or hear something useful, something that could help me make my stay here permanent. My steps were quiet, measured. I kept my gaze soft, unassuming.The kitchen staff barely noticed me. To them, I was just another presence in the pack house, someone who belonged enough not to be questioned.It was their conversation that made me stop.“…make sure you remember this,” one of the older women said firmly to a younger girl who looked nervous but eager to please. “The Queen does not eat peanut butter. Not even a trace. She’s severely allergic.”I tilted my head slightly, listening without drawing attention. My pulse ticked faster, just enough to no
Selena.I knew something was wrong the moment he walked back in.It wasn’t obvious. Not to anyone who didn’t know him.His face was composed. Controlled. The same calm authority he wore like armor every day. But I had learned him. Slowly. Carefully. In the way you learn something dangerous, by watching for the smallest shifts.And something had shifted. Not just in him. In the air between us.“Denver?” I said softly, pushing off the edge of the desk.His eyes flicked to me immediately, and for a second, just a second, something dark passed through them.Then it was gone.“Everything’s fine,” he said.Too quick. Too smooth. That was never a reassurance. It was a warning.I frowned slightly, stepping closer. “That didn’t sound like ‘fine.’ What happened?”“Nothing you need to worry about.”There it was. That wall.I folded my arms, tilting my head as I studied him. “I wasn’t aware I needed permission to worry.”His jaw tightened slightly, and for a moment I thought he might actually ans
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
Denver.Christopher’s hand closes around her wrist before I can stop myself from noticing.It is not gentle. It is not ceremonial. It is the grip of ownership."What is happening here, Selena?" I wondered as I watched them close the distance between us.“Uncle,” Christopher says, drawing her forwar
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







