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
ELENA“Close your eyes.”I turned toward Jacob, narrowing my eyes as the elevator hummed softly beneath our feet. We were somewhere past the tenth floor already, and he was grinning like a child with a secret.“What?”He tilted his head toward me, the gleam in his eyes unmistakable. “What I’m about
“I WIN!” he shouted, throwing his arms in the air like a champion at the Games.Jacob rolled in behind him at an impressive lack of speed, finally coming to a stop and slumping over the handlebars like he’d just crossed a mountain range.“You… are… ruthless,” he panted.“You said anything,” Aiden sa
"As a matter of fact," I said slowly, "it was."She nodded. "That was from one of my favorite shirts. My mother was furious when she saw that I’d torn a piece from it."The air went out of my lungs.Her favorite shirt.I blinked, trying to picture that day clearly. Cassandra had been there—that much
DEREKI had called every day that week.Sometimes twice. Once just after breakfast, and once again after dinner when I knew she might be home. And four times out of five, it wasn’t Elena who picked up the phone.It was Aiden.Not that I minded talking to him—I looked forward to it—but it gnawed at m







