LOGINGeorge's PovMorning came in cold and gray, which felt about right.I hadn’t slept. Not even close. Every time I shut my eyes, the twin bond lit up like a raw nerve, Freya scared, hurting, forcing herself not to break. I couldn’t tell where she was, not even close, but I could feel her pain like it was sitting in my chest.And it was wrecking me.“You should’ve rested,” Evie said quietly, stepping up beside me with a canteen. She’d insisted on joining the search party, no matter how much I argued. My mate had a real talent for ignoring common sense.“Couldn’t.” I took the water and drank without thinking. “The bond won’t let me. I can feel her, Evie. Her fear. Her pain. You don’t sleep through that.”“You won’t help her if you collapse.” She touched my arm, firm but gentle. “You matter too, George.”“I’ll rest when she’s safe.” I handed the canteen back. “How’s Dane?”Her jaw tightened. “Bad. He hasn’t shifted back since we found the decoy camp. Just pacing in wolf form, snapping at a
Freya's Pov I had no idea how long I’d been in that cage. Hours, maybe longer. Time didn’t work right without my power. Without that steady hum of goddess energy, everything felt off, like my internal clock had just… stopped.All that was left was emptiness.Across from me, Jessica and Connor were curled together in their own cell. Jessica wasn’t crying anymore, but her face was blotchy and pale, tears still drying on her cheeks. Connor’s chest wound had stopped bleeding, but it looked bad red, swollen, angry. He needed a doctor.We all did.None of us were getting one.“Freya?” Jessica whispered. Her voice shook. “What’s going to happen to us?”I wanted to lie. Tell her Dane would burst in any second. Tell her this was temporary. Tell her we’d all walk out of here.But I couldn’t do that.“I don’t know,” I said quietly. “But we’re not giving up. We survive this. All of us. Okay?”Connor nodded, weak but determined. Jessica just stared at me, terror wide in her eyes.Footsteps echoed
Dane's Pov“DANE! Stop!”George’s voice sliced through the red fog in my head. Hands clamped onto my shoulders, hard, keeping me from finishing the shift as my wolf tore at my skin, desperate to get out.“Let me go!” The words came out rough, half a snarl. My teeth were already down, vision burning gold. “She’s out there. She’s hurt. She’s scared. I need to...”“You need to think.” George shook me once, sharp and deliberate. “Losing your mind won’t save her. You charge in like this, you die. Is that what Freya needs?”The words barely landed. My wolf was roaring, demanding blood, demanding movement, demanding we hunt down whoever touched our mate and tear them apart.“Dane.”That voice calm, heavy, impossible to ignore.“Look at me. Now.”The Alpha command in it still worked, even if he no longer held the title. I locked eyes with my father. Marcus stood solid in front of me, jaw tight, gaze steady.“I know exactly what you’re feeling,” he said quietly. “When your mother was taken, I
Selene's PovTWO WEEKS AGOThe warehouse reeked of rust and rot. The kind of smell that clung to your clothes and never really left. It sat at the edge of nowhere, forgotten, collapsing in slow motion.Selene was curled up on a stained mattress shoved into one corner. That was it. The only furniture in the whole damn place.Home. For the past month, anyway. Ever since Dane threw her out.Exile.The word still burned. Still tasted bitter every time it crossed her mind.They’d caught her. Proof and all, meetings with Viktor, information passed along piece by piece. She could still see Dane’s face when he confronted her. The rage, sure. But worse than that was the hurt. That look almost killed her more than his claws ever could have.She’d expected death. Hell, she’d welcomed it.Instead, he spared her.Banished her.Big fucking mercy.She tugged the thin blanket tighter around herself. The warehouse was always cold. Holes in the roof. Shattered windows. No heat, no protection. She survi
Dane's Pov "Has anyone seen Freya?" Evie's voice sliced right through the quiet chatter in the dining hall. I glanced up from the map I'd been poring over with Henry and Marcus. There she was, standing in the doorway, looking kinda lost and confused. "She's in the library," I said, checking the clock real quick. It was almost noon. "Buried in her mom's journal. What's up?" "That's what I figured, but she's not there anymore. The journal's just sitting on the table, open, but no Freya." Evie stepped farther into the room. "I needed to chat with her about something... eh, it's not important now. Any idea where she headed?" A weird chill crept up my back. "She didn't mention she was going somewhere?" "Nope. I've been helping Sarah sort supplies for the last hour or so. When I wrapped that up, I went looking for her, but..." Evie just shrugged. "Maybe she started training early with George?" I automatically reached for the mate bond, that invisible link to her. It was there, but ki
Freya's Pov "Please, Freya... pretty please? We really need them for the protection charms for the kids." I looked up from my mom's journal and spotted Jessica in the library doorway. at sixteen, with a blonde ponytail all messed up, green eyes wide and hopeful. Maya and Connor trailed behind her like little shadows. Maya was this tiny fourteen year old bundle of energy. Connor, seventeen and still growing into his frame, with long limbs and weird height. "What charms?" I asked, snapping the journal shut. "Elder Miriam's making protective talismans for the kids who can't fight yet," Jessica rushed out. "But she needs moonflowers, and they're only out by the eastern border, that old oak grove. The thing is, they have to be picked by someone with goddess blood or the magic won't take." I hesitated. George's training session wasn't for another hour, but that vision from last night still had me rattled. Leaving the compound felt like a total bad idea. "It's pack land," Connor adde







