LOGINThe cottage had always been a place of stillness for Nick. A space where the weight of leadership loosened its grip just enough for him to breathe without feeling like the entire pack depended on the rise and fall of his chest. But today, even the quiet felt loud. It pressed in on him from all sides, clinging to his skin like something alive, something watching.Nick stood by the window, arms crossed over his bare chest, his gaze fixed on the stretch of forest beyond the clearing. The trees swayed lazily, their leaves whispering secrets to one another, but none of it reached him. His mind was elsewhere, tangled in threads he could not seem to pull apart.Behind him, Alfie sprawled across the couch like he owned the place, one arm draped over the backrest, the other lazily tossing a small apple up into the air and catching it with practiced ease. The casualness of his posture was almost offensive considering the storm brewing in Nick’s head.“You’re going to wear a hole into that windo
Nick POVThe packhouse had finally gone quiet after the roundup of all the festivities. Not the peaceful kind of quiet that settled over the town during early mornings but the kind that had something lingering underneath. This silence felt heavy and unsettled. Like the entire pack was holding their breath after the chaos of the Alpha and his mates. It made Nick uncomfortable but he knew now wasn’t the time to dwell on what people might be saying. He stood in his office with both hands planted on the edge of his desk, his neck bent and eyes staring intensely at his desk. The room smelled faintly of old paper that took space on his shelves, cedarwood polish, and the lingering scent of Kira still on his skin after their hug and refused to leave his senses no matter how many windows he opened to let in fresh air. Perhaps a lengthy shower would help but Nick had deliberately not gone to his room to wash off her scent. His jaw tightened for the one millionth time as the memory of her sta
The cottage had always been a place of stillness for Nick. A space where the weight of leadership loosened its grip just enough for him to breathe without feeling like the entire pack depended on the rise and fall of his chest. But today, even the quiet felt loud. It pressed in on him from all sides, clinging to his skin like something alive, something watching.Nick stood by the window, arms crossed over his bare chest, his gaze fixed on the stretch of forest beyond the clearing. The trees swayed lazily, their leaves whispering secrets to one another, but none of it reached him. His mind was elsewhere, tangled in threads he could not seem to pull apart.Behind him, Alfie sprawled across the couch like he owned the place, one arm draped over the backrest, the other lazily tossing a small apple up into the air and catching it with practiced ease. The casualness of his posture was almost offensive considering the storm brewing in Nick’s head.“You’re going to wear a hole into that windo
Nick POVThe packhouse had finally gone quiet after the roundup of all the festivities. Not the peaceful kind of quiet that settled over the town during early mornings but the kind that had something lingering underneath. This silence felt heavy and unsettled. Like the entire pack was holding their breath after the chaos of the Alpha and his mates. It made Nick uncomfortable but he knew now wasn’t the time to dwell on what people might be saying. He stood in his office with both hands planted on the edge of his desk, his neck bent and eyes staring intensely at his desk. The room smelled faintly of old paper that took space on his shelves, cedarwood polish, and the lingering scent of Kira still on his skin after their hug and refused to leave his senses no matter how many windows he opened to let in fresh air. Perhaps a lengthy shower would help but Nick had deliberately not gone to his room to wash off her scent. His jaw tightened for the one millionth time as the memory of her sta
NickThe cottage had always been a place of quiet for him, a space removed from the constant movement of the pack house and the expectations that came with being Alpha. It sat at the edge of the forest, surrounded by tall trees that filtered the light into soft, shifting patterns across the wooden floor.Today, it felt anything but quiet.Nick stood near the small window, his hands resting on the edge of the frame as he stared out into the trees. The wind moved lazily through the branches, carrying the familiar scent of pine and damp earth, yet it did nothing to settle the restless tension building beneath his skin.Too many things had shifted in too short a time.The mate bond.The council’s secret.The footage.The blood moon.And now Kira standing in front of him with questions he was not entirely ready to answer.A soft knock sounded against the door behind him, followed by the creak of wood as it opened without waiting for permission.“Wow,” Alfie’s voice filled the room with cas
The whole matter was a huge pill to swallow. One moment, it felt like I was finally getting a grasp of the whole situation… the next moment, I was losing control of the head and tail of the story. “So the curse,” I whispered. “It isn’t just about our mate bond with Nick.”“No,” Dad said firmly. “We suspect the mate bond you both share with Nick is one of the consequences.”The word hit harder than I expected. A consequence. Not a destiny or blessing that one would initially think of.“Of the blood moon?” I asked.“Yes. But we don’t want you girls to dwell too much on either the prophecy or the curse that Elder Esme claims. We’ll handle it,” Dad said, a small smile framing his face. “And the prophecy? How will you handle that?”Mom and Dad fell quiet again, sharing a look.“You and Kayla being mated to the same werewolf isn’t the end of the world. It doesn’t define the prophecy Esme claims to have heard,” Mom said carefully. My heart pounded hard against my chest. Esme calling our m
The kitchen had never felt this small before. Big enough to fit 20 people, yet the air felt barely enough for a capacity of 3. Mom had been pacing for so long that the white tiles beneath her slippers scratched in protest. She moved back and forth, as if she stopped moving for one second, she migh
What if Kayla misread everything? Judging by her manner of speaking and wistful gaze in her eyes as she spoke about Nick. Any stranger would think she'd had this amazing breakthrough with her mate, but in reality, we were trying to decipher what this really meant for her.And for me. Would he cla
Nick ran like the forest had the answers he deperately needed. His thoughts were muffled, covered by the stumping of wolves behind him and racing his heart. Branches snapped beaneath his paws as he tore through the undergrowth, the sound of dozens of wolves following close behind got louder, echoi
Nick didn’t speak immediately.He sat there with his elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped together so tightly that the veins stood out. His wolf was unsettled in a way he had never experienced before, pacing restlessly underneath the surface like it was searching for something it could not fi







