LOGINTRACYTHE NEXT WEEKSilk squeezed my ribs like a vice.Sarah yanked the corset strings again, bracing her knee against my lower back. Sharp pain flared across my spine. The heavy, humid July heat bleeding through the apartment windows didn't help. Surviving the Silver Moon Gala tonight meant projecting absolute, untouchable power, but right now, breathing felt like an Olympic sport."Hold still." Sarah tied a vicious knot at the base of my spine. "You want to look like the lead developer of a billion-dollar AI or a charity case?"Gasping, I gripped the edge of the mahogany vanity. "I want to keep oxygen flowing to my brain. Loosen it.""Not a chance." Sarah stepped back, clapping dust from her hands. She wore a bright yellow cocktail dress, her hair pinned up in elaborate curls. "Alpha Sean’s entire pack is going to be there. The regional elders. Chandler. You need armor tonight, Tracy. This dress is your armor."A heavy knock rattled the bedroom door.Marcus, Sean’s lead security gua
SEANThe damp chill of the mountain air finally began to numb my bare shoulders, but the woman resting her head against my chest was perfectly warm. Wrapped tightly in my oversized flannel shirt, Tracy looked peaceful, her breathing even for the first time in days. My shirt engulfed her small frame, the hem reaching her knees.I stroked her hair, my fingers tangling in the dark strands. The raw, physical bond we had just forged felt deeper than any legal mark. She had trusted me with her body while she was at her weakest, and I had proven I could control the monster inside me to keep her safe.A sharp, high-pitched electronic shriek shattered the quiet night.Tracy jolted upright instantly. Her smartphone, sitting face-up on a flat rock near our discarded clothes, flashed a violent, piercing red. The digital alarm echoed loudly over the steady rumble of the waterfall."What is that?" I asked, sitting up and reaching for my combat pants."The mainframe," Tracy whispered, her face turni
AUTHOR'S POVThe scream shattered the tension in the room.Tracy slammed her laptop shut. The loud crack echoed over the blaring alarms outside. She stood up, her fists clenched at her sides. Her breathing was ragged, her chest heaving, and the dark circles under her eyes looked stark against her pale skin."Shut the fuck up! Both of you!" Tracy pointed a shaking finger directly at Sam. "I am not your partner, Sam! I am your employee! You ambushed me with the press today. You touched me without asking, and you used my face to inflate your stock prices!"Sam blinked, his arrogant posture faltering. "Tracy, I was just trying to build the brand—""You built a target!" she yelled, her voice cracking. Pivoting on her heel, she turned her furious gaze on me.I braced myself."And you!" Tracy stepped forward, jabbing her index finger hard into my chest. "You storm in here with armed guards like a warlord! You command me to drop my life's work! You don't ask what I need. You just issue orders
SEANThe sweat pricked the back of my neck despite the blasting air conditioning in my packhouse office. The July heat outside baked the asphalt into a shimmering mirage, matching the absolute, violent fury boiling in my gut. Keeping Tracy safe from Chandler’s hitmen was my only goal today. But looking at the eighty-inch flat screen mounted on my wall, the real threat wore a custom Italian suit.Sam Zach."Turn the volume up," I commanded.David, my Beta, grabbed the remote and hit the button. The news anchor’s voice filled the room, loud and entirely too cheerful.*"Dubbed the 'Tech Savant,' this unknown developer's algorithm correctly predicted a massive server failure and diagnosed a critical patient three minutes faster than the hospital's top medical team. The leaked footage already has ten million views."*The screen cut to a shaky cell phone video. Tracy stood in the center of the hospital testing floor, her eyes glued to a tablet, rattling off medical jargon while alarms blare
AUTHOR'S POVHeavy June rain hammered against the corrugated iron roof of the underground bar, drowning out the low thumping bass.Yvonne crossed her arms over her expensive trench coat, shivering as the damp, stifling humidity clung to her skin. The subterranean tavern smelled of wet dog, stale beer, and raw ozone from the thunderstorm raging across the city. Sitting across the sticky wooden booth, a man with a jagged scar down his neck lazily counted the stacks of crisp hundred-dollar bills. Securing her position as Luna meant cutting out Chandler’s obsession at the root, and this human mercenary was the only blade sharp enough to do it."Fifty thousand," Silas said. He tapped the thick envelope against the table. "This covers the entry fee. But hitting a pack hospital? That’s suicide. Alpha Sean has his elite guards blanketing the entire VIP wing.""You aren't going in through the front door with a gun," Yvonne snapped.She reached into her designer purse and slid a forged plastic
TRACYThe overwhelming smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol dragged me back to consciousness.Opening my eyes, a harsh fluorescent light stabbed at my pupils. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the blurry shapes around me. A steady, rhythmic beeping sounded near my right ear. I was lying in a hospital bed, the stiff, sterile sheets pulled up to my waist. An IV needle dug uncomfortably into the back of my left hand."Welcome back."Turning my head, I saw Dr. Evans standing at the foot of the bed. He held a silver digital tablet, his face drawn and lined with deep exhaustion. He wore a crisp white lab coat over a dark blue sweater."How long was I out?" I croaked. My throat felt like sandpaper."Three hours," Dr. Evans replied, stepping closer to the side of the bed. "Your coworkers called the paramedics. They transported you to a human ER, but Alpha Sean’s security team intercepted the ambulance and brought you straight to the pack hospital's VIP wing. You are safe here.""The blood," I
AUTHOR'S POVEarly the next morning, the harsh white fluorescent lights of the traditional Pack Council Hall buzzed quietly overhead. Walking into the room side by side, Chandler and Yvonne kept their faces perfectly tight and unreadable. Following a chaotic night of screaming arguments, the pack B
AUTHOR'S POVVictoria spent the entire day hiding in the lower levels of the Packhouse, sulking in a bitter, foul mood. She paced the quiet corridors with her arms crossed tight, desperately looking for a helpless target to vent her boiling anger upon.Walking into the laundry and cleaning quarters
TRACY"She's mine."Hearing Sean say that out loud hit me like a freight train. Instantly, a deep, heavy shiver ran straight down my spine. A sudden surge of intense heat flooded my chest, radiating outward to my fingertips. My wolf reacted violently to the Alpha’s dominance, pushing against my rib
TRACYEarly afternoon sunlight filtered through the large, modern windows of my guest bedroom inside Sean’s Packhouse. Sitting quietly on the edge of the plush mattress, I stared blankly at the far wall. My mind still felt completely exhausted from the terrifying shootout on the city street yesterd







