Mag-log inSerenI'd known that training was necessary, of course. And let's be honest, having some knowledge of these new powers yesterday would have meant that I could have defended myself and not had to rely on Mom and the guards. I just hadn't realized she'd want to start the process so quickly.Mom didn’t give me time to overthink it. She led me from the library, past sunlit corridors that felt too bright after a night spent among ghosts and secrets, and out into a secluded courtyard hidden behind the eastern wing of the pack house. Stone walls rose high around us, etched with sigils worn smooth by time and weather. The air here felt…different. Thicker. Charged, like the moment before lightning splits the sky.“Aidan brought me here last night. He thought this would be a good place to begin, as it's where the newly awakened wolves train. The space is warded,” she said, reading my unease without me speaking. “Nothing you do here will harm you—or anyone else.”Comforting. Mostly.She stepped
SerenI shot straight up in bed, chest heaving, heart racing as the terror from my nightmare clung to the edges of my waking mind. The dream—a swirling vortex of shadows and whispers and remembered pain—had evaporated, leaving behind only the chilling residue of fear. I fumbled for the bedside lamp, the sudden light a meager shield against the encroaching darkness that still seemed to press against the bedroom walls.Duncan’s scent was faint, barely lingering, though he hadn’t been gone for a full day yet. We’d had no word from the group that went to Blood Moon when I’d gone to bed. Glancing at the clock and seeing that it was just past three, I doubted that had changed. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, the cold hardwood a shock to my bare feet. A shiver traced its way up my spine, not entirely from the chill. The silence of the suite was oppressive, broken only by the frantic thrumming in my ears. I needed to move, to shake off the lingering dread. I padded toward the window
Alpha Brian"Two.""Keep them there until Alpha Duncan and King Cian clear out. I want to know everything. Troop movements, what happens to the rest of Blood Moon, where they take the stock that George was gathering. We may need to raid it later.""Done. Should we start making movements on our end to clean up, in case they come here next?""We need to get our stock out, but not because I'm worried about them. King Mikhail is ready for the next batch. He needs time to prep them, especially if the assault on Blood Moon brings heat on the operation." I stood, grabbing my cell phone and keys out of my desk drawer. "Let's go check the status now, keep things moving. The Royals will be tied up at Blood Moon for a few days at a minimum. Let's not waste that time."We exited my office, locking the door behind us. Walking down the hallway to the stairwell in the back, I smelled Amelia hiding down the corridor. Perfect. I need to put this bitch in her place, too."Come out, Amelia, I know you'r
Alpha Brian'Alpha Brian, we have an issue.' My beta bit the words out, annoyance clear in his tone.'What now? I don't need anymore issues to deal with.''I'll bring him to your office.' He cut the link. If anyone other than Devin did that, there would be hell to pay. As it is, I'm just irritated enough that I may not let him slide either. I don't have time for petty troubles right now. We just made it out of Bloodraven Coven by a thread, and I'm convinced the only reason King Mikhail didn't execute us along with Alpha James and his spawn was because I have an inside line on Crescent Moon Pack. I don't need any additional complications cropping up.I heard footsteps even as three sharp knocks sounded on my office door. "Enter," I called. Devin walked in, leading one of the warriors King Mikhail sent back with us. "Go on. Tell him. Share with Alpha Brian the monumentally stupid actions you took today." There was a bite of frustration in my beta's tone as he placed a hand on the man's
SerenOnce we had the dress bagged, Mom, Louise, and Cat dragged Kayla and me through the mall, stopping at stores to add this shirt and those pants. The next thing I knew, it was almost two, and I was famished. "Mom, we need food! Don't we have enough stuff already?"She stopped and tilted her head, looking at me. "You can never have enough, but you have a point. We need to eat. Gerald, take three of the men and carry these bags to the vehicles. We'll meet you in the food court." Gerald, following behind her, nodded, then picked three men and grabbed all our purchases. The rest of the guards closed in as we all headed to the center of the mall. The selection of food was simply astonishing. After a quick conversation, we ultimately split up so that we could each choose what we wanted. Kayla and I went to the Chinese restaurant, with a couple of Crescent Moon guards not far behind us in the line. We chatted about all the new things we'd seen and done so far today as we waited our turn.
SerenWe pulled up outside the mall in human territory, and something inside my chest stalled.I tipped my head back, back, back—and still couldn’t see where it ended. The building rose in layers like it was daring me to keep looking, daring me to understand it. Humans didn’t build small. They built things that swallowed you whole.Inside, the space felt endless. Levels stacked on levels, stores bleeding into one another until numbers stopped meaning anything at all. I had a sudden, irrational certainty that if I stepped away from the car, I would never find it again. No wonder the parking lots were color-coded. Without them, you could disappear here, and no one would ever know where to start looking."I've never been outside of the pack before. There are so many people here.""You don't have to worry. All human territory is considered neutral ground. Supernaturals can't risk exposing themselves to the humans, so large public places like this are actually one of the safest. If somethi







