MasukHis 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
"Still counts."He smirked but didn’t argue.Eventually, the road narrowed into a gravel turnout. A young wolf stood there beside a snowmobile, already shifted, tail flicking. Derek turned off the car and nodded toward the trail ahead."Don’t worry. You’re not driving.""Thank the Goddess," I mutter
He flinched. Not much. Just a twitch in his brow, the faintest shift in his shoulders. But I saw it. Felt it. And that small, involuntary response tugged at something deep inside me, something instinctual and anxious that whispered: this matters.I slid off him, slowly, and pulled the sheet up with
DEREKThe summit hall was finally quiet.The ceremonial chamber, once filled with the voices of delegates arguing over rogue threats in Europe and shifting alliances, now echoed with only the whisper of the wind through the old stone rafters. I stood by the arched window, watching snow swirl beneath
The air grew colder the higher we climbed, and inside the car, condensation fogged the windows. Derek’s hand was resting on his knee, relaxed, but his eyes tracked the horizon with quiet precision.A man preparing for something. A man stepping into territory where he’d be watched from the moment he







