EPILOGUE The attic smelled of dust, old cedar, and long-forgotten memories. A shaft of afternoon light slanted through a narrow window, cutting across stacks of cardboard boxes and bins labelled in Ava’s precise handwriting. “Christmas Decor,” “Baby Clothes,” “Old Journals.”Lily was now fifteen and much taller than Ava had ever expected. Her thick curls were pulled into a messy bun, and there was a quiet intensity in her dark eyes that reminded Ava of someone with a complicated past full of regrets and hidden identities.She wore one of Alex’s oversized sweatshirts and a pair of cutoff shorts, bare feet padding softly across the floorboards.She wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Just poking through the past, the way curious teenagers often do when the house is too quiet and the world outside feels far away.She pulled out a weathered box marked only with her name: “Pearl.”The lid gave with a slight creak. Inside, there were scattered mementoes: a faded hospital bracelet,
Selena sat in Ava’s old office, though it hardly looked the same anymore.The curtains were new, and the gold-framed portrait of the hospital's benefactors was missing. So were the fancy glass decanters, the biometric safe, and the stylish mahogany organiser that Ava used for discreet transactions that were never meant to be traced.The space was small but looked professional and straightforward. In the calm of the late evening, the air still held hints of Ava's leather polish from her chair, the soft scent of jasmine perfume, and something sharper that Selena couldn’t quite identify.On the desk sat a single photo in a slim silver frame. It showed her and Ava at a hospital gala from years ago, before the world fractured, before masks became lives. They were laughing in that photo, heads tilted together. Friends. Sisters, partners.The muted voice of a news anchor played from a wall-mounted screen in the background, detailing the final sweep of syndicate arrests. “...thanks to seale
“Don’t hold back,” she gasped. “Give it all to me.” She was daring him, fully aware she was at the mercy of his powerful strokes, but she didn’t care.He let out a deep growl, his hand slipping between her legs, his fingers finding her clit. She cried out as he began to stroke her, matching the rhythm of his thrustsThe intensity was too much, the feeling of him filling her, the sensation of his fingers on her most sensitive spot, the heat of his body against hers. It was all too much.Something primal awakened in her, and she welcomed every wild, untamed sensation.On and on they went, their bodies colliding with unrelenting passion as the sound of flesh meeting flesh filled the lakeside, but neither of them noticed.Alex was utterly lost in the moment, his thrusts growing erratic, the pleasure threatening to unravel them both. Ava’s nails dug into the sheets as she cried out, unable to hold back after minutes of intense pounding.“Alex, please~! I'm going to...I'm gonna-!"Her words
"Take me," Ava urged Alex, her voice thick with desire.He groaned, positioning himself at her entrance. "As you wish, my lady," he murmured in response.Alex's voice was filled with desire, his restraints gone. The air between them pulsed with heat, the full moon enhancing the magnetic pull they felt for each other.Ava's body responded instantly, craving more of his touch, needing to feel the closeness between them deepen. She arched toward him, and his erection brushed against the opening of her core.Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, and his lips met hers in a hungry kiss.The heat between them skyrocketed as she kissed him back, losing herself in his taste, the feel of his hands sliding down her back, pulling her closer.His scent overwhelmed her senses, and she felt Aurelia come forward. The wolf’s desire mingled with hers, intensifying their connection.She wanted more.She needed more.Alex growled low in his throat, his hand slipping to her waist. With a gr
Ava's lips were still warm from their kiss when they pulled away to catch their breath. The porch light cast a gentle glow on her soft eyes. Alex rested his forehead against hers, speaking softly and cautiously. “Can we take this inside?” he asked.She didn’t answer with words.Instead, she kissed him again, slowly, deliberately. And when she pulled back, her fingers gently slipped into his, and she stood.Without a word, she turned and led him through the house, her hand holding his steady and sure.The hallway was quiet, the only sound the faint creak of the floorboards and the rhythmic hum of waves outside. They passed Pearl’s closed door, where the soft glow of her nightlight lit the space beneath it.Ava paused for half a heartbeat, her gaze lingering on the gap. But when she heard the peaceful rustle of her daughter shifting in bed, she gave the door a silent nod and continued forward.Alex followed her down the hallway until they reached their bedroom.The door clicked softly s
The sea wind hit Ava’s… now, Sarah’s face, the moment they stepped out of the car. It carried the briny scent of saltwater and the faint musk of damp pine, curling around the edges of her jacket and stirring something old and instinctual in her chest. The coastal town ahead was sleepy, with its shuttered shops and lazy gulls overhead. The streets were narrow and uneven, the asphalt patchy in places where grass grew through the cracks like weeds too stubborn to die.The house was perched just beyond a weatherworn picket fence. Paint peeled from the siding in long, curling flakes. Ivy crept up one side like fingers trying to reclaim it. A mailbox hung open, rusted and crooked on its hinges.Pearl, now Lily, stood on the bottom porch step, clutching her stuffed bear, eyes darting warily down the street. Even here, in this quiet haven, the fear hadn’t left her face; it clung to her like a second skin.Ava carried only two suitcases, light despite everything they held. She hadn’t packed