DEREKThe report sat on my desk, its edges curling slightly from how many times I’d already flipped through it.I had been expecting something damning—evidence that Logan had schemed, that he had manipulated his way into Elena’s life while I had been drowning in grief. Or even that she’d been with h
That irritated me more than I wanted to admit. It was short-sighted. It was stupid. It was also exactly the kind of power play I had expected from Elena’s father.The Alliance Summit wasn’t just a formality—it was a negotiation. One that would set the course for every pack in the region. It would ha
DEREKThe envelope was waiting for me when I returned to my office, a plain, unmarked thing sitting at the center of my desk.I had been expecting reports from my intelligence network, updates on the rogue factions, or perhaps another denial from Moonstone about a pre-summit meeting. But this was so
ELENAThere were a dozen things I was supposed to be focusing on—logistics for the Alliance Summit, reviewing proposals from nearby packs, scheduling site visits for infrastructure coordination—but my mind kept circling back to one thing.Mason.More specifically, Mason’s absence.He’d been disappea
“Is Logan coming to the wedding?” she asked casually.I exhaled. “He’s… busy. Alliance Summit and all that.”I really didn’t want to field more questions about Logan and our “upcoming” nuptials.Her brow lifted, but she let it go. “Well, I was going through old letters the other day and guess what I
DEREKBrock didn’t say a word when he walked into my office. He didn’t have to. The envelope in his hand was enough.“Is that it?” I asked.He nodded and laid it gently on the desk between us. A plain white envelope. No return address. No markings. Just my name scrawled across the front in blocky, d
I stared out the window, watching the trees blur past as the vehicle climbed the last ridge. With every mile, the plan sharpened in my mind. Elena’s father had rejected my proposal to meet before the Alliance Summit.Mason hadn’t even bothered to respond. But a face-to-face meeting couldn’t be ignor
DEREKThe Moonstone estate’s main number rang four times before someone finally picked up.“Moonstone Residence!” a small voice chirped. “Who is this?”I blinked. “Who is this?”“I asked first,” the kid replied, then paused dramatically. “And since it’s our house phone, I win.”A grin tugged at my m
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
ELENAThe fire pit was little more than a ring of scorched stones now, filled with white ash and the collapsed skeletons of logs. Charcoal dust stained the edges of the grass, a faint outline of where the flames had lived. The scent of woodsmoke still hung in the air, sharp and lingering, but it was
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