DEREKThere were only so many cold showers a man could take.I gritted my teeth, sweat dripping from my brow as I drove my elbow into Kieran’s gut and pivoted just in time to avoid a sweeping leg kick from Brock. The Silverclaw training grounds echoed with the sound of fists hitting flesh and bodies
I stared at it for a long moment before pressing call.It rang twice before she picked up.“Elena Hart,” she said, her voice clipped. Businesslike.I swallowed the knot in my throat. “Hi. It’s Derek.”A beat of silence. “I know.”Right. Dumb start.“I just wanted to confirm. I’ll be picking Aiden up
DEREKThe bouquet was clutched in my hand like a shield, and I was two seconds from turning around and walking back to the car.I’d picked the damn flowers myself—real ones, not store-bought. Lavender sprigs for calm, moon roses because they reminded me of her, and a few wild irises from the edge of
“Solid advice.”He took to the saddle faster than I expected. Nervous at first, but game—gripping the reins like a little warrior. I let him set the pace, and we made our way through the forest trails in companionable silence, the rhythm of hooves and rustling leaves soothing in a way I hadn’t expec
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
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
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
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
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
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