Se connecterElena woke before sunrise.The apartment smelled faintly of boiled cabbage and disinfectant. Her mother was asleep in the recliner, her cough soft but persistent. Her younger siblings huddled under blankets on the sofa, still dreaming. Bills and overdue notices lay in a messy pile on the table.Her hands shook as she poured coffee into three chipped mugs. Last night’s memory clawed at her chest. Dante. The blood. The way he had looked at her. Cold, precise, and terrifyingly calm.She tried to shake it off. She had a job to do. A family to feed. She couldn’t afford fear.Her phone vibrated. Unknown number.“Elena Rossi?”Her stomach dropped. She pressed “yes” before thinking.“This is Dante Moretti. You saw something last night. I need to speak with you. Discreetly.”Her fingers froze.She typed back: I don’t want trouble.You already have it, the reply came almost instantly.She didn’t respond. She couldn’t.By mid-morning, two black SUVs parked outside her building. Two men in suits
Elena wiped her hands on the edge of her apron and checked the time on the hallway clock.11:47 p.m.Too late for decent people. Perfect timing for the rich.The executive floor of the Bellissimo Grand Hotel was quiet, but not empty. It was never empty. Money did not sleep. It whispered behind locked doors and signed papers after midnight.“Elena,” Mrs. Carter called from the end of the hall. “Suite 1903 is added. Be quick.”Elena nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”She didn’t complain. She never did.Her mother’s hospital bill sat heavy in her bag downstairs. The pharmacy had refused to release medication that morning without payment. Her youngest brother needed new shoes for school. Her older sister had stopped asking for help with tuition.Elena could not afford mistakes. Or curiosity.She pushed her cart toward Suite 1903.The door was slightly open.That was unusual.She paused.There were voices inside. Male. Low. Tense.She should leave.She knew that.But the hotel had rules. Open door mean
“Do you always bring unconscious strangers into my house?” The deep voice cut through the quiet room. A second voice answered calmly. “She would have died in the forest if we left her there.” “Maybe she should have stayed in her own territory.” Nora’s eyes slowly opened. The ceiling above her was unfamiliar. Smooth dark wood with a large hanging lamp. Soft light filled the room. For a moment she did not move. Her body felt heavy but the sharp pain in her chest was gone. Not completely gone. Just… quieter. She turned her head slightly. Two men stood near the door. One of them was the hunter with the scar she saw in the forest. The other man was the tall figure who stepped out of the shadows. The Alpha. He was standing with his arms folded, watching her. The hunter noticed her movement first. “She’s awake,” he said. The tall man looked at her properly now. His eyes were sharp and steady. “Leave us,” he said. The hunter nodded without question and walked out of the roo
“Stop running. You’re going to kill us.”The weak voice echoed inside Nora’s head.Her wolf sounded tired. Broken.But Nora did not stop.Branches snapped under her feet as she pushed through the dark forest. Cold air burned in her lungs and her legs trembled with every step.Behind her the pack house was long gone. The voices that once called her name had faded into silence.Still she ran.Tears blurred her vision.“You heard what he said,” her wolf whispered again. “He rejected us.”Nora clenched her jaw.“I know,” she muttered.The memory of Liam’s voice played again in her mind.I reject you.The pain in her chest tightened like a fist.Her wolf cried out softly.“I can still feel it,” Nora whispered. “Why does it hurt so much?”“Because the bond broke,” her wolf answered weakly. “Even if it was never strong.”Nora stumbled over a rock and nearly fell.Her legs felt heavy now.Her body was reaching its limit.But she refused to stop.If she stopped, the memories would catch up to
“What do you mean tomorrow?”Nora’s voice shook as she stared at her sister.Maya remained seated on the bed, holding the blanket loosely around her body as if nothing was wrong. Liam stood beside the bed, running a hand through his hair.“Nora, calm down,” Liam said quietly.“Calm down?” Nora laughed weakly. “I just walked in and found my fiancé in bed with my sister and you want me to calm down?”Her eyes burned with tears but she forced herself not to cry.“Explain it,” she said. “Now.”Liam opened his mouth but no words came out.The silence in the room felt heavy.Maya was the one who spoke.“You really want the truth?” she asked.Nora looked at her slowly. “Yes.”Maya rested a hand on her stomach.“I’m pregnant.”The words fell into the room like a stone.For a moment Nora did not understand what she heard.“Pregnant?” she repeated.Liam looked away.The meaning slowly sank in.Nora felt something inside her chest tighten.“How long?” she asked.“Two months,” Maya replied.Nora’
Stop moving so much, Nora. If you ruin that dress the seamstress will blame me.Nora laughed as her best friend Mira pulled the soft white fabric over her shoulders.I’m not ruining anything, Nora said. You’re the one pulling it like you want to tear it.”Mira stepped back and looked at her carefully. The dress was simple but beautiful, made for tomorrow night's mating ceremony. Silver threads ran through the sleeves and the waist fit perfectly around Nora’s body.Mira folded her arms. Well… tomorrow you become the Beta’s Luna. I have to make sure you look perfect.Nora rolled her eyes but she couldn’t stop smiling.Future Beta Luna, she said softly.The words still felt strange.All her life the pack had said it would happen. Nora and Liam had grown up together. They trained together as kids, fought together during pack exercises, and slowly their childhood friendship turned into something deeper.Everyone believed their love story was perfect.Even Nora believed it.From the open w
Nova did not avoid Ryder the next day.She went to him.Not as a warrior reporting for duty. Not as a spy. Just as someone who needed answers.He was standing near the western cliffs, looking over the valley below. The wind moved through his dark hair. His hands were behind his back.He sensed her
Nova had always believed the story.Bloodmoon attacked without warning.Their Alpha ordered the slaughter.Ryder Blackwood would one day pay for it.Simple. Clear. Clean.Now it no longer felt clean.For three days after the bond formed, she moved through the pack with quiet focus. She trained. She
The night of Nova’s twenty-first birthday arrived quietly.There was no grand celebration. Blood moon was not a pack that wasted time on loud ceremonies. Strength was acknowledged. Power was respected. That was enough.A fire burned in the center of the courtyard. Warriors stood in a loose circle.
The forest was quiet, but Nova did not trust it.She moved through Bloodmoon territory with steady steps, her boots soft against the damp earth. The night air was cold and heavy with pine. To any wolf watching, she looked calm, loyal, and alert.She had perfected that look.Six years inside the ene







