LOGINHis voice was soft when he asked, “Are you mad at Daddy?”My breath caught.I didn’t answer right away. I just held him tighter, brushing my lips against the top of his head, breathing in the familiar scent of shampoo and dreams.“No, baby,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper. “Just sad
ELENAHe said it. Just like that."Because I was a coward."And for a moment, I didn’t breathe. Didn’t blink. I just stared at him, this towering Alpha, folded in on himself like the weight of everything he’d done was finally more than he could bear.It wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t defensive. I
DEREKI was more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life.And that included some truly horrible moments. Moments when life and death had been in the balance.Worse than when Aiden had been in the hospital, his little body limp and pale against white sheets, machines screaming at me that I mig
ELENA"I’m strong enough to travel," I said.The words came out firmer than I expected. My voice still felt like it didn’t quite belong to me—too quiet, too dry—but I forced strength into it anyway.My mother narrowed her eyes at me across the hospital room, arms folded, posture stiff with tension.
ELENAThe first thing I felt was cold.Not the kind of cold that settled into your bones. Not the chill of snow or wind. It was sterile, dry, antiseptic. The kind of cold that came from machines humming, filtered air, fluorescent lights. A hospital.I blinked slowly, and the world came into focus in
DEREKToday was going well.Which, lately, felt like a miracle.The meeting room was warm with early sunlight, and the Stormfang delegation finally looked less like they wanted to skin me and more like they might—possibly—listen. The Icelandic pack had been guarded since our arrival, especially with
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said as he pulled a penlight from his coat.He lifted it and gently shined it into her eyes, first one, then the other, his own gaze sharp and analytical. “Follow the light with your eyes,” he murmured, moving it side to side. She did, her pupils reacting normally.“Can you
And for now, I couldn’t be.JACOBI watched the whole thing unfold with a blank expression. I’d gotten good at that lately—masking emotion, keeping the truth of what I felt locked down tight behind the kind of smirk or shrug that made people think I didn’t care.But inside?I was reeling.Elena had
JACOBThe sound of children screaming was not what I’d call peaceful.But it was honest.Their laughter echoed off the bright mural-painted walls of the newly finished Rogue Foundation Day Care, bouncing between scattered foam blocks, oversized bean bags, and a play kitchen that someone’s kid had al
DEREKI would have liked to have thought she was joking.The way she blinked at me, eyes wide and curious, didn’t feel real. Like she was playing some sort of trick. Maybe testing me. Maybe still mad.But then she tilted her head, brows knitting softly in confusion, and turned to Jacob.“Who is he?”







