LOGINWINTERâShut up,â she rasped, her voice breaking between sobs before she threw her arms around me.My motherâs embrace this time was the tightest I had ever felt. Her body trembled, muscles loosening as though the tension were finally giving way. And I didnât need to see her face to know she was crying; I could feel it in the way her chest shuddered against mine. Guilt twisted deep in my stomach for causing her so much disappointment and for returning to her like this. âIâm so sorry-"âShut up, you stupid girl,â she interrupted, her words sharp but her voice trembling. âJust shut up. I need to make sure itâs really you, that youâre alive, not⌠not like what Crystal said. That youâre still whole. Still alright.âAt that, I clung to her even tighter.For a long moment, we stayed like that, locked together in silence. There was so much I wanted to tell her, but I held back, waiting. When we finally pulled apart, her eyes were softer this time.âI thought you were mad at me,â I began qu
WINTERI canât even remember the last time I was in the Winterwood Pack. It must have been ages ago. Ever since I moved out with Kallias, our visits grew rarer and rarer. He always claimed to be too busy, but deep down, I knew the truth; he simply didnât want to go back there. Kallias and my parents never got along from the very beginning. Even when my father passed away, we stayed only a single day and night before leaving again. Thinking about it now fills me with a deep, stinging regret. How foolish I had been.I used to think returning here alone someday after leaving Valtorâs place, whether because heâd finally had enough of me or because Iâd walked away myself.Never once did I think Iâd be coming back with him. That I would bring him here, to the Pack where I was born, to the home I once called mine.âWeâve arrived,â Valtor said as he stood, offering his hand to help me down.I accepted it and rose. The moment I stepped out of the carriage, a cool breeze brushed against my cheek
WINTERI can't stop thinking about what Loran told me yesterday. He said what Valtor did to Alaric was only the beginning, that he would go much further if he had to, that heâd do whatever it took to protect me even from his own people. I didnât want to find out just how far he would go. I didnât want his followers to turn against him, didnât want them to hate him because of me.In the evening, I took a long bath, but it did nothing to quiet the chaos in my thoughts. I tried to get some information from the maids about what had happened to Freya, but none of them spoke. I also hadnât seen Freya since yesterday morning. That woman just vanished without a trace.Maybe I should ask Valtor directly, I thought. He was supposed to be in his study right now, meeting with his council.But when I stepped out of the bathroom, I froze. Valtor was already there, seated at the edge of the bed, his gaze fixed on me.Then in that deep, commanding voice, he said,âCome here, kitten.âMy feet moved on
CRYSTALâThat rogue is already dead, Alpha. There's nothing we can do."âDead? Fuck!â Kallias's roar echoes off the walls. âThen what about the deal he promised me? What about our cooperation?!âThe chaos of papers scattering through the air, a vase shattering into pieces against the floor, greeted me as I stepped into Kalliasâs study. His face was flushed crimson, nostrils flaring, his jaw so tight it looked like his teeth might break from the strain. Julian stood before him with head bowed low, too afraid to lift his gaze to the Alpha who now looked half-possessed by fury itself.âJust let him rot anyway,â I said calmly, resting a hand over my stomach.Both menâs eyes snapped toward me at once.âGet the fuck out, Crystal." But I didnât leave. I stepped further into his wrecked study, ignoring the storm brewing in his eyes. Old me would have turned around, I would have just kept quiet like the obedient toy Kallias expected me to be. But I was done pretending to be some decorative, u
WINTERâFreya, I think thatâs too much,â I said sharply.Itâs not that I took what happened yesterday lightly. The moment I heard Alaric was dead, it felt like the air had been punched out of my lungs. And I wasnât defending Valtorâs decision to burn that place down with Kallias and Crystal still trapped inside.But when the word war slipped into the conversation, a war between the Rogue Kingdom and the Werewolf Packs, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Our people had been enemies for as long as history remembered, always striking, raiding, and retaliating. But a true war⌠that hadnât happened in ages. And I knew both sides wouldn't want to relive that horror again.âYou disgusting hypocrite,â Freya rose to her feet, eyes shining with fury. âYouâve already thrown the entire kingdom into chaos and now youâre acting like some frightened lamb? What did you think would happen after this? A celebration?"âIâll try to talk to them-"âWho? The Alphas?â Freya asked, âWho do you thi
WINTERâIs that Kallias? Did that bastard not only approach you, but dare lay his hands on you?âI still couldnât bring myself to answer.Valtor gripped my hand, bringing it to his face, inhaling deeply as if he needed to reclaim what was his. The way he pressed my skin to his nose like he owned me, made my breath hitch. My scent clung to him, yet something that didnât belong lingered beneath it. Kallias's scent tainted me after he forced himself too close, his hand gripping me before I could shove him away. Iâd fought and screamed, but heâd already pulled me into his arms by the time the guards arrived and tore him off me."Please erase it from me," I whispered. "I donât want any part of that man left on me. Clean me, replace what Kallias left with yours."A flicker of satisfaction flashed in Valtorâs eyes.He cupped my jaw and before long, his lips found mine again. I clung to him, my arms wrapping around his neck as I pulled him closer. His scent enveloped me, drowning out every tr







