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
DEREKI woke with the sour taste of whiskey still clinging to my tongue and sunlight stabbing through my eyelids like a punishment. My head was pounding. My mouth felt like cotton. And the dull throb behind my eyes wasn’t just from the hangover.Cassandra’s bare shoulder was the first thing I saw wh
DEREKI sat there for a long time after my mother left, the untouched bacon on the plate cooling beside me, the scent of coffee thick in the air. But it wasn’t breakfast I could taste. It was bitterness.Elena.Her name kept echoing inside my skull like a curse and a prayer at once. I’d betrayed her
ELENAThe villa looked like something out of a travel magazine—terracotta tiles, palm fronds swaying gently in the salt-heavy breeze, a glittering private pool framed by limestone and lush tropical blooms.It sat on the very edge of the resort property, past the winding golf cart trails and through
AIDENThe metal was colder than he expected.Aiden crawled forward on his elbows and knees, trying not to let the duct rattle too much beneath him. The air inside smelled like dust and old hotel rooms—mixed with the chlorine still clinging to his skin from the pool.That was probably good. He didn’t







