LOGIN"I'm calm because I trust my father and Uncle Cas to handle this," I'd said. "And because I know—I know—that you staying is the right choice. Even if it's the harder choice. Even if it's terrifying." Now, at four AM, watching her finally sleep, I let myself feel the fear I'd been hiding. What if
The Rejected Mate Nate pov It was four in the morning and Rose had finally—finally—fallen asleep. Real sleep. Not the fitful, nightmare-plagued half-consciousness she'd been experiencing for the past six hours. Actual deep sleep where her breathing evened out and some of the terrible tension l
"What do we do for the next forty-eight hours?" I asked. "Just—wait for them to attack?" "We investigate," Dad said. "Tonight's pack meeting gave us data. Wolves who were most vocal in supporting Jessica's ideology. Wolves who didn't speak but watched with approval. We document everyone. Cross-ref
"We need to identify them first," Mom said. She'd appeared in the doorway, looking furious. "Cas, you can't just eliminate anonymous threats. We need to know who we're dealing with." "The message came from a burner phone," I said. "Like the threats Rose got before. Untraceable." "Nothing's untra
The Rejected Mate Nate pov Rose was finally relaxing against me as we walked back to my room. The pack meeting was over. Sarah and Michelle were exiled. Dad had made it clear Rose was protected. For the first time in days, she looked—peaceful. Like maybe she could actually believe she was safe
No one moved. No one spoke. "Good." Dad's expression was grim. "Let me make this absolutely clear. Rose Castellan is Nate's fated mate. She is pack family. She is under pack protection and Alpha authority. Anyone who threatens her—anyone who harasses her, stalks her, sends threatening messages, or
"That's not true," Jeremy said, his voice breaking. "Emma, you were never—" "It felt true!" I shouted, the anger finally breaking free. "It felt like I didn't matter! Like I was just a means to an end, a broodmare with the right bloodline!" The words hung in the air between us, raw and painful.
I stared at her, stunned. She'd never yelled at me like this before. Never lost control in quite this way. "You want to take responsibility for something?" Emma continued, her voice shaking. "Take responsibility for actually healing. For doing the work in therapy. For being present instead of drow
"No." I cut him off. "Jeremy, you're responsible for your choices. For the affair, for the lying, for the betrayal. But you're not responsible for Vanessa hiring assassins and leading a pack assault. Those were her choices. Her crimes." "Dr. Chen said something similar. That I can't take responsib
My Cheating Mate Jeremy pov I wasn't fully asleep. The pain medication made everything hazy, distant, like I was underwater. But I could hear voices—Emma and Aria talking quietly, thinking I was unconscious. I should have let them know I was awake. Should have said something. But I couldn't.







