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
“Children!” the Luna called, sweeping her hands wide. “Those of you who placed in the scavenger hunt—please come forward!”Aiden bolted ahead so fast I didn’t even have time to call his name. His ribbon from the hunt was still in his hand, and he waved it in the air as he ran.My mother stepped forw
ELENAThe embers of the children’s Bondfire still glowed behind us, pulsing warm and steady like the heartbeat of the pack.Aiden had long since been swept off by one of the older cousins, yawning mid-sentence and insisting he wasn’t tired. I’d kissed the top of his head before he vanished into the
ELENAHis lips brushed mine.And then—The kiss wasn't soft. It wasn't hesitant. It was heat and hunger and six years of ache collapsing into one breathless, impossible moment. He kissed me like he needed it to live. Like if he let go, the world would vanish around us.And I kissed him back.The mom
DEREKI stayed in the grotto long after she was gone.The trees didn’t move. The water barely rippled. The only sound was my own ragged breathing and the distant echo of paws crashing through underbrush.I can’t.That’s all she’d said.Just those two words, strangled and breaking, before she shifted
She turned to the four who stood at each corner of the platform: the Alpha, the Luna, Mason, and Elena.My breath hitched.Elena looked radiant, even in the firelight. Composed. Fierce. The flicker of the torch in her hand mirrored something wild in her eyes.Together, they lowered their torches, sl
DEREKThe clay felt cool in my palm—damp, smooth, still soft enough to shape but beginning to dry around the edges. It had been warming by the Bondfire for hours, waiting for hands like mine. And yet… I had no idea what to carve.The priestess who gave it to me said nothing. Just handed me the blank
ELENAThe dream clung to me like humidity—thick, lingering, inescapable.I was in the grotto again. Derek’s hands were on my skin, reverent and rough in equal measure, his lips trailing down my throat as the moonlight spilled over us in silver sheets.I could feel the weight of him, the strength of
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I whispered.“That makes two of us.”He didn’t ask for more. Just stood there beside me, hands still in his pockets, looking out at the river like it held answers we were both afraid to reach for.CASSANDRAThe tailor’s bell chimed softly overhead as I stepped inside,
ELENAWas I crazy?I might’ve been.I kept asking myself that the entire walk down the Moonstone hill, the hem of my coat swishing around my knees and the crisp night air curling against my neck. I had said yes. I had agreed to go on a date—with Derek. Of all people.And now I was doing something ev
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-