DEREKI straightened my tie in the mirrored window, adjusting the knot for the third time even though it hadn’t moved. The glass reflected a version of myself I recognized—groomed, composed, steady. But on the inside? I was coiled wire.Elena stood nearby, quiet, trying to keep her breathing steady.
CASSANDRAI sat curled up in one of the velvet chairs in my father’s study, legs tucked beneath me, the rim of my wine glass resting lightly against my bottom lip. The press conference played across the flat screen mounted above the fireplace, illuminating the room in hues of blue and gold.I twirle
“You leaked it,” he said.Not a question. A fact.I set the wine glass on the table beside me, forced a shrug, and leaned back in the chair, feigning nonchalance. “Honestly, it’s not like that secret was going to stay buried forever. So to speak.”“You could’ve gotten her killed,” he growled. “You c
DEREKThe press conference had only been two days ago, but it felt like a lifetime.I still hadn’t slept. Not really. Not in any way that counted.I’d crashed for a few hours on the couch in my office the night after—boots still on, half-dressed, a mostly full glass of whiskey sweating rings into my
Joe didn’t leave. He knew better.“You think it was someone we know?” he asked after a while.“Yes.”“You think it was someone close?”I stared into the flames. “I think someone in our pack wanted Elena dead before I ever knew who she really was.”He didn’t respond, and I didn’t ask him to. I needed
ELENAI’d barely slept the night before. My head still throbbed from the press conference, the way Derek had held my hand in front of the cameras like we were still something, like we were united. Like I wasn’t still carrying the weight of all the things inside me that he’d shattered.The shrapnel h
“What’s going on?” I hissed. “They’re questioning your leadership.”He didn’t answer, just stared out the window at the courtyard below.“Mason.”“I heard them,” he muttered. “Loud and clear.”“Then talk to me. Where have you been? Why have you missed meetings? You’re the future Alpha—”“I didn’t as
DEREKCassandra’s father, Alpha Bruce Laurent of the Eastern Ridge Pack, was the kind of man who didn’t believe in personal space or indoor voices. He had a laugh like an avalanche and a handshake that could fracture bone. We were only two courses into dinner and already I was counting the minutes u
“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-