LOGINThat vampire wasn't going to die hunting Marcus Dane and Elena Frost. He was going to come home. Eventually. When the hunt was done. I just had to trust that. Had to believe it despite seven days of silence. Had to— I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, sunlight was stream
I thought back. Past the recent years, past childhood, to the earliest memory I could find. "I was three," I said finally. "Maybe almost four. I was in the pack house garden—Mama's garden with all the night-blooming flowers. And I was trying to draw them but my crayons weren't the right colors and
My Cheating Mate Grace pov Seven days. Seven days since Uncle Cas had left to hunt Marcus Dane and Elena Frost. Seven days of silence. No calls. No texts. No updates through the vampire network that usually kept us informed. Just—nothing. I stared at my phone for the hundredth time that ho
Courtney's eyes went wide. "Not—not prison? Not exile?" "The Council recognizes your age, your cooperation, your genuine remorse, and the manipulative environment you were raised in," Madeline continued. "We also recognize the testimony of your victim, Grace Trent, advocating for rehabilitative co
The Council members conferred quietly. Then Madeline spoke again. "Grace Trent. Please approach to provide testimony." I stood on shaking legs. Connor squeezed my hand once before releasing it. I walked to the center position—standing a few feet from where Courtney sat. "Miss Trent," Madeline
"Did you know about the planned assault?" Christopher asked. "No. Not until after." She shook her head. "The Preservation Front contacted me three days before the attack. My father—" Her voice broke. "Thomas Vex was my father. I didn't know he was high-level Preservation Front leadership until Lor
"You saved my life last night," I said quietly. "You and my father. That leader would have reached me if you hadn't—" "I would die before I let them touch you," Jeremy interrupted. "Emma, I know I don't have the right to be protective. Know I lost that when I betrayed you. But last night, watching
My Cheating Mate Jeremy pov My father's office door was open when I arrived, but he was on the phone, his expression grave. He waved me in and gestured for me to sit. "I understand the situation," he was saying, his Alpha voice firm. "Yes. Coordinate with our border patrols. If they cross into
"And?" "And I can't keep doing that. Can't keep destroying myself and calling it protection." I set down my fork. "So I'm going to talk to my father about delegating more of the intelligence work. About only taking point on missions I'm actually needed for. About letting the pack handle this as a
Jeremy's phone buzzed. He answered immediately. "Report." I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but I watched his face. Saw the tension increase, the lines around his eyes deepen. "Understood. Keep me updated." He hung up and finally turned from the window. "That was my father. The







