ELENAMy heart was in my throat as I held my phone in my hands. Aiden had run out of pack territory. Alone.My breath caught as I shoved my phone back into my pocket, spinning on my heel to leave. Derek’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist before I could take another step.“What’s wrong?” His voice wa
Logan looked at the other women in the room, their clothes threadbare and grubby. His eyes lingered on Maggie for a long moment before turning back to me.“Maybe the people who came after them are the same ones who attacked you all those years ago.” He turned to look at Carly. “You said these people
DEREKThe child barely came up to my waist, his wild curls bouncing as he tilted his head up at me. His amber eyes sparkled with mischief as he studied me. He didn’t look afraid—if anything, he was curious.“I’ve never seen you before,” he said, matter-of-factly.I smirked. “Maybe because I haven’t
“We should move on to the meeting,” she said evenly.The meeting itself was tense, the room crackling with friction. Mason and Elena sat across from me and my men, both projecting confidence and authority. This was a far cry from the rogue I had found living wild, the girl I had once—I shut down t
ELENAThe tension, even outside, was suffocating. My fingers curled into my palm as Derek’s grip tightened around my wrist, his touch burning into my skin like an unspoken demand. His golden eyes, once familiar and warm, were now dark with something unreadable—anger, frustration, something else lurk
Not wanting to be late meeting Derek, I made my way to the hotel that would host the guests, stepping into the grand hall. It was impressive—high ceilings adorned with intricate chandeliers and polished marble floors. The scent of fresh-cut roses and crisp linen filled the air, a sign that preparati
DEREKI stared at the file in front of me, flipping through the neatly arranged pages with growing astonishment. Elena had compiled an incredibly detailed plan for the Alpha Ball—everything from the venue layout to the sequence of events was accounted for. The seating arrangements were particularly
DEREKThe amphitheater was already beginning to take shape for the Alpha Ball. The grand arches, adorned with the first strands of elegant floral arrangements, framed the vast open space, where pack leaders and their honored guests would soon gather. The event planning team bustled about, making adj
DEREKIt all slammed into me at once.The office, the old leather chair beneath me, the taste of whiskey still lingering on my tongue—and Maggie’s name reverberating like a bell that wouldn’t stop ringing in my head.Maggie. Pierce’s daughter.A rogue who had saved Elena’s life, who had helped her e
I gasped against him, and his tongue slid in—deep, claiming, desperate.I should have shoved him off. Should have screamed at him, reminded him what he was, what I was. But my body betrayed me.I kissed him back.Hard.My fingers curled into the front of his shirt, dragging him closer as his hands s
MAGGIE“Bastard.”It was the first word out of my mouth as I shoved open the grimy motel room door. The air inside was stale—sweaty sheets, old coffee, the reek of damp carpet and desperation. Logan looked up from where he sat on the edge of the lopsided bed, one foot resting casually on the ratty h
I froze, inhaling again, trying to find it.“Elena?” Derek’s voice was cautious behind me. I could feel him watching me, could hear the faint shift of his weight in the needles.I didn’t answer right away. My head turned slightly, following where I thought the scent had drifted. I took a step, then
ELENAThe fire pit was little more than a ring of scorched stones now, filled with white ash and the collapsed skeletons of logs. Charcoal dust stained the edges of the grass, a faint outline of where the flames had lived. The scent of woodsmoke still hung in the air, sharp and lingering, but it was
My son turned toward him. “Yeah?”“Why don’t you go tell Caroline how you want that room decorated?”Aiden’s face lit up like someone had flipped a switch inside him. “I get to decorate it?!”“You get full artistic control.”He gasped like he’d been offered the moon on a stick. “Cool! Bye, Mom!”And
ELENAThe phone rang at 6:23 a.m.At first, I didn’t register the sound. I was curled under the covers, still caught in that foggy place between dream and waking, where everything is quiet and soft and nothing bad has happened yet.But the ring didn’t stop. It cut through the peace with sharp, repet
DEREKThe scream tore through me like a blade.Aiden.I shifted mid-motion, bones snapping, fur ripping free of skin, the world sharpening into Erebus’s senses before the tent flap even hit the ground. I lunged straight through the sliced back panel, teeth bared, paws hitting earth as I hit the wood
DEREKThe trout crackled over the flames, the skin curling and blistering as the fat sizzled into the fire. It smelled amazing—woodsmoke, lemon, the faint tang of salt I’d sprinkled from a packet I found in the supply box. I was proud of the sear, honestly. Not bad for fish cooked on a stick beside