DEREKThe sun was hovering just above the trees, and the cocktail hour had rounded out with a glass of celebratory champagne. Paper lanterns swayed overhead like little glowing moons, casting halos of light over the crowd.Music filtered in from the edges of the lawn—strings and flutes now giving wa
ELENAThere was something timeless about the way twilight draped over Moonstone, blurring the edges of old stone walls and new laughter. Children darted through the shadows like fireflies, some already clutching small scrolls, others bouncing with anticipation near the Luna’s makeshift game table—an
DEREKThe drumbeat stopped.There was a moment of eerie silence, broken only by the creak of a torch swaying in the breeze.Elena and I stood shoulder to shoulder at the edge of the staging area, staring at the enormous painted sign: WELCOME, LAST PLACE TEAM.I could hear snickering from behind us.
I gave her a look. “Please never say that again.”“I’m just saying, interpretive storytelling? It’s a niche.”“You’re a menace.”She shrugged, eyes glowing. “And you’re finally fun.”***The celebration picked up again as we rejoined the main crowd, lanterns flickering high above and the scent of wo
ELENAFor a second, the courtyard was absolutely silent.The fire crackled softly, and the soft notes of the drums had stilled to a heartbeat rhythm as everyone turned toward Logan. The moment he raised his hand and pointed across the ring—past the shifting torchlight and the stunned expressions—it
DEREKI was still wiping the blood off my arm when Elena grabbed her father by the sleeve.“What’s going on?” she demanded.“There’s been a rogue attack,” he said, low and calm.I stiffened beside her. “I’ll go help.”But the Moonstone Alpha held up a hand without looking at me. “I appreciate your w
I studied her profile. The way her eyes darted toward the trees, always alert. “You were incredible, you know.”She let out a breath. “I was furious.”“Still incredible.”She tilted her head up, eyes catching mine. “You took a hit pretty well.”“I’ve had worse.”“That’s not the flex you think it is.
ELENAThe medallion caught the light again as Logan turned it slowly in his hand, making sure everyone could see it. Whispers had already started rippling through the crowd before he even spoke again, but when he did, his voice was sharp and commanding—meant for everyone.“A Silverclaw crest,” he sa
I grew angrier the more I talked.“You gave me a heartbeat on a monitor and a false sense of fatherhood. And then, when you knew the walls were closing in, you faked a miscarriage to seal the story. You didn't just lie—you tried to break me.”Tears welled in her eyes, but I kept going.“I mourned a
DEREKThe cemetery was quiet.The kind of quiet that settled into your bones, that made your thoughts louder, your memories sharper.I stood alone, one hand tucked into my coat pocket, the other wrapped around the slim stem of a white chrysanthemum. It was early—too early for mourners or caretakers.
Amy’s voice was small now. “I believe so.”I set the glass down with a soft clink. “Pour the full glass.”She did.“Now decant the rest,” I said. “I’ve lost my appetite for food. But I’ll be staying to enjoy the bottle.”Amy said nothing. She bowed slightly and stepped away to fetch the decanter.Th
DEREKI didn’t stop for the cameras.They flared like tiny suns as I stepped out of the black SUV, their shutters clicking rapid-fire.Flashes bounced off the platinum buttons of my coat, off the trim of my collar, illuminating the sidewalk in sharp, artificial bursts. I walked straight through the
The temperature in the room shifted.Not dramatically, but enough. Like a subtle drop in pressure before a storm. Erin straightened, her laughter tapering. I smoothed the sample fabric in front of me and didn’t look up right away.“Hey,” Logan said casually. “What’s so funny?”Erin glanced at me. “J
ELENAThe Moonstone packhouse was a flurry of motion and color. Fabric swatches fluttered like flags in a breeze as pack members carried bolts of cloth up the stairs. Someone was arguing loudly in the hall about whether “frosted lilac” was different from “lavender fog,” and a delivery of beeswax can
ELENAThe metronome was ticking again.That steady, deliberate rhythm that Dr. Voss insisted helped center my recall—though half the time, I wasn’t sure if it helped or just made me hyper-aware of how fast my thoughts were spinning.I sat back in the reclined chair, palms resting against the fabric-
“A silver claw?”I nodded. “Yeah. The first. The only. It seared his flesh every time he used it. Every swing hurt. But he used it anyway.”“That sounds… awful.”“It was,” I said. “But he made that pain his purpose. Every battle, every fight he walked into—he carried the silver claw. And with it, he
DEREKThe room still smelled like fresh paint.The new bedding hadn’t quite lost its store scent either—crisp fabric, a little too new, the faint chemical undertone of being unboxed that morning.But it didn’t matter. Aiden was already halfway under the covers, head turned toward the window, blanket