LOGINHis 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
ELENAThe silence Derek left behind was louder than anything he'd said all night.Aiden stirred the melted remains of his ice cream with the tip of his spoon, not looking up. The happy chatter from nearby tables felt like it belonged to a different world—one where parents didn’t rush off to the side
ELENAThe drive back to Moonstone was quiet, but not uncomfortable.The sun was dipping behind the trees, casting long streaks of gold across the windshield. Pine shadows flickered over the hood as we followed the winding road north, back toward our father, our pack, and the very carefully maintaine
But then something shifted.I felt it in the way she started fidgeting. How she kept glancing at me, then at the horizon, then back again. Her laughter grew tighter, her smiles didn’t quite reach her eyes.It was like she was waiting for something.And whatever it was… I wasn’t giving it to her.By
ELENAThe door to my father’s study was already cracked open.I paused outside anyway, hand resting against the worn wood. It had been years since I’d knocked to enter this room—back then, I’d always been too eager to be invited inside, too desperate to sit across from him and feel like he was proud







