LOGINWhat I needed to clear my fogged head was nothing more than the morning cold against my skin as tiny beads of sweat rolled down the sides of my face. I had been running for nearly an hour, my legs burning and lungs aching as a torch hung below me, but I didn't slow down. The rhythm of my feet against the pavement was the only thing keeping the chaos in my chest at rest… alongside my heartbreak song playlist. Every time I stopped or took a deep breath, the thoughts came rushing back. Nick admitting to wanting Kira and Kira… The weight of her lies was choking me. My sister killed someone and had been lying to me for years… Thanks to my convenient memory loss. And Nick covered it up. With no shame whatsoever. How great was his love for her that not even the mate bond he shared with me deterred him? I rounded a corner and entered one of the main streets of the town. The small shops and cafes just began opening for the day, and the sweet scent of fresh-baked goods drew my feet toward
KaylaThe car had now become a small, suffocating box…. Leather seats are cold against my thighs, the dash lights casting a pale glow over the interior. Every breath I took was thick with the heat of our conversation, the space between us shrinking until there was nowhere left to hide and run from what needed to be said. “I can't mark you, Kayla. Not like this.”His voice was low, strained. He couldn’t even look at me as he said it. His hands moved to his thighs, and he squeezed them into fists as if he were holding himself back from something… or holding himself together. “Why not?” I raised my voice, losing the little bit of patience I had left. The sound bounced off the windows, too loud in the cramped space. My fingers curled into the seat fabric, my nails digging in. “She doesn't want you, so why can't you just bloody mark me now?”He turned his head, looking out the window to where Kira stood on the sidewalk. Her silhouette was faint, but I could see her watching us.“I'd exp
KaylaThe car had now become a small, suffocating box…. Leather seats are cold against my thighs, the dash lights casting a pale glow over the interior. Every breath I took was thick with the heat of our conversation, the space between us shrinking until there was nowhere left to hide and run from what needed to be said. “I can't mark you, Kayla. Not like this.”His voice was low, strained. He couldn’t even look at me as he said it. His hands moved to his thighs, and he squeezed them into fists as if he were holding himself back from something… or holding himself together. “Why not?” I raised my voice, losing the little bit of patience I had left. The sound bounced off the windows, too loud in the cramped space. My fingers curled into the seat fabric, my nails digging in. “She doesn't want you, so why can't you just bloody mark me now?”He turned his head, looking out the window to where Kira stood on the sidewalk. Her silhouette was faint, but I could see her watching us.“I'd exp
KaylaThe walk back from the cafe was a blur of grey pavement and my swirling thoughts. I didn’t remember crossing the street, or even passing the park, or the row of shops, or the bridge that led out of town. My feet carried me forward on autopilot while my mind churned through everything Harper had told me. I had spent years believing that the gap in my memory was a blessing. A protective block my mind had built to shield me from something terrible. But now I realized that I hadn't just been protecting myself. I was avoiding the bigger issue that involved my twin sister, and I couldn't deal with it. And everyone had let me stick to that warped memory. My parents and even Kira. They had all looked at me, night after night, day after day, and let me believe that the blank space in my head was nothing. A side effect of the attack. A minor inconvenience for their fake story. They had let me fill in the gaps with their lies, and I had swallowed every one of them because I had put s
KaylaThe car had now become a small, suffocating box…. Leather seats are cold against my thighs, the dash lights casting a pale glow over the interior. Every breath I took was thick with the heat of our conversation, the space between us shrinking until there was nowhere left to hide and run from what needed to be said. “I can't mark you, Kayla. Not like this.”His voice was low, strained. He couldn’t even look at me as he said it. His hands moved to his thighs, and he squeezed them into fists as if he were holding himself back from something… or holding himself together. “Why not?” I raised my voice, losing the little bit of patience I had left. The sound bounced off the windows, too loud in the cramped space. My fingers curled into the seat fabric, my nails digging in. “She doesn't want you, so why can't you just bloody mark me now?”He turned his head, looking out the window to where Kira stood on the sidewalk. Her silhouette was faint, but I could see her watching us.“I'd exp
KaylaThe car had now become a small, suffocating box…. Leather seats are cold against my thighs, the dash lights casting a pale glow over the interior. Every breath I took was thick with the heat of our conversation, the space between us shrinking until there was nowhere left to hide and run from what needed to be said. “I can't mark you, Kayla. Not like this.”His voice was low, strained. He couldn’t even look at me as he said it. His hands moved to his thighs, and he squeezed them into fists as if he were holding himself back from something… or holding himself together. “Why not?” I raised my voice, losing the little bit of patience I had left. The sound bounced off the windows, too loud in the cramped space. My fingers curled into the seat fabric, my nails digging in. “She doesn't want you, so why can't you just bloody mark me now?”He turned his head, looking out the window to where Kira stood on the sidewalk. Her silhouette was faint, but I could see her watching us.“I'd exp
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
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
Kayla watched her twin sprint out of the house, leaving behind a trail of vanilla scent. She wondered where Kira must have misplaced the hair tie for her to rush out like her pants were on fire. The hair tie was the best item Kayla had purchased when they arrived in New York. The shiny pink and or
“It’s good to know I didn't completely ruin their family.” Mom sighed heavily, dropping the last pastry box she was working on. The soft thud of the cardboard hitting the wooden table. “Kira, please stop. You were a child. What happened wasn't your fault.” A part of me wanted to say “I know,” bu







