~ CAIN ~
I’m already halfway out of my chair when Draven’s hand clasps my wrist. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he asks. I glance down at him, frowning. "I have something I need to check out. The real question is, why are you looking at me like that, and why is your palm wrapped around my wrist?" Draven releases me and leans back. "I noticed you getting distracted and figured it was time to bring you back to the present." My frown deepens. "As much as I respect you, old man, I don’t appreciate you butting into my actions. My actions are—" “Damn it to hell, Cain,” he growls, glowering at me. “I don’t give a shit about your personal decisions or actions. I only intervened because of your pack. You need to take your head out of whatever just stole your attention and focus, boy. The fate of~ CAIN ~ I’m already halfway out of my chair when Draven’s hand clasps my wrist. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he asks. I glance down at him, frowning. "I have something I need to check out. The real question is, why are you looking at me like that, and why is your palm wrapped around my wrist?" Draven releases me and leans back. "I noticed you getting distracted and figured it was time to bring you back to the present." My frown deepens. "As much as I respect you, old man, I don’t appreciate you butting into my actions. My actions are—" “Damn it to hell, Cain,” he growls, glowering at me. “I don’t give a shit about your personal decisions or actions. I only intervened because of your pack. You need to take your head out of whatever just stole your attention and focus, boy. The fate of
~ CAIN ~ I scan the bar with narrowed eyes, tracking every supernatural patron lounging at the booths or hunched over the counters. I’m in The Grit—the only place in Ashridge Hollow where all supernaturals dare to mingle and conduct business without starting a war. It’s in the grittier part of town, the kind of place humans steer clear of. The ones who do show up know better than to act out. Everyone fears Draven, the owner of the joint. One wrong move, and you’re walking out in a body bag—if you’re lucky. They don’t call it The Grit for nothing. I sigh as I look around the bar. The longer I wait, the darker my mood grows. Each second drags a slow itch under my skin, and I almost can't take it anymore. I keep my eyes on the entrance, the single door that separates me from the bastard I’ve been sent here to meet. It's still cl
~ CATHERINE ~ Rain burrows into the softness of my cheeks as I barrel across the soaked landscape, dodging debris and shattered concrete. Each of my ragged exhale is matched by the soft slap of my boots against wet metal. The warning from my sources came too late, which means the fight between Blackthorn and the vampire sect they call the Crimson Court might be over in minutes. Focus, Catherine. I force myself to lock in. I don’t have much time. I’d wanted to stay in Ashridge Hollow to help Isode and Jude—my recently discovered blood relations—but this mission can’t wait. Slick rooftops stretch beneath me, but I never lose traction. Some unnatural balance keeps me steady even when the worn rubber soles of my boots slip. I stay in motion, arms extended as I leap from one rooftop to another. My destination comes into vie
~ CAIN ~ Edric's jaw clenches, and a flush rises to his cheeks as he stares back at Ronan. “I didn’t take your warning seriously,” he admits at last, voice measured but tight. “I made a mistake by taking Selene into my pack. Now, I’m trying to make it right. You all can help me fix this—or you can walk away. The choice is yours.” I can’t keep quiet anymore. I step forward, voice low but firm. “If we couldn’t convince you to do the right thing before, what makes you think we should believe you now?” For a breath, no one speaks. The moon is calling to me. I can feel its pull like a humming in my bones, a wild urge just beneath the surface. I can tell that every wolf here feels it—but no one gives in. Not yet, at least. And thank fuck for that. Because right now, all I want to do is run.
~ CAIN ~ “I want Selene here. Right now.” Magnus Dusk’s voice slices through the night air, jagged and raw. Every syllable lands with deliberate weight, his furious glare fixed on Edric Shade like a dagger drawn mid-battle. The intensity of his rage prickles against my skin. “I told you not to trust her,” he snarls. “And knowing that bitch—she’s already long gone.” The gathering is silent, everyone seeming to hold their breath. Then, a faint rustling draws the group’s attention. I turn just in time to see Killan and Tess step out from the shadows of the trees, hand in hand. Their fingers are tightly laced, their steps steady but slow. The earlier heat between them has cooled, replaced by something quieter—like a silent understa
~ KILLAN ~ “I think it’s time we go,” Tess sighs as her fingers twitch along my chest. The way her brow furrows slightly as she stares at the moonlit canopy above us lets me know the howls are beginning to worry her. “We should pay attention to the howling and meet the others.” I stroke her arm slowly, smirking inwardly at how right I was. “Yeah. Unfortunately… yes.” We’ve come down from the high, but the urgency in those howls never really left. The packs are gathering. Lines are being drawn. And somewhere in that chaos, Lyra’s safety still hangs in the balance. Tess shifts beside me, lifting herself up until her eyes meet mine. They’re fierce. Steady. “What should we do?” she asks, voice calm but tight with growing agitation. There’s no fear in her tone—just raw building anger. “I don’t want to leave Lyra to face that woman with