Mag-log inI went upstairs. Found the second door on the right. Knocked quietly. "Come in." Hope's voice. Muffled. Like she'd been crying. Fuck. I'd made her cry. Had devastated my mate before even realizing she was my mate. I opened the door. Hope was sitting on her bed, eyes red, looking—looking vulner
"I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Didn't want to—to make things awkward since we're friends and train together and—" I stopped. "I was being a coward. Should have been honest months ago instead of letting her build expectations." "Yes. You should have." No judgment in Dad's voice. Just observat
The Next Generation Caden pov I watched Hope Reed-Castellan leave with her family, and something in my chest twisted. She'd looked—gutted. Devastated. Like something had broken when we were talking. And I—I didn't understand why. We'd just been having normal conversation. Me and Emily planning
"Hope Reed-Castellan." Caden's voice. Was it my imagination or did it sound—different? Deeper? "You're avoiding something. What's wrong?" The way he said my name. The intensity in his gray eyes. The—the way he was looking at me like he could see through every excuse. Did he know? Did he feel the
The Next Generation Hope pov I stood with my family at the pack gathering, trying to focus on Alpha Marcus's speech about the anniversary of the Great Integration War. Twenty years. Twenty years since my parents' generation fought extremists who wanted to eliminate hybrid babies like me. Twent
"Months." I looked at Rose. At Hope sleeping peacefully despite violence that had erupted around her. "Rose, we might—we might be able to go home. Back to Crescent Moon. Back to our life. In months. Maybe weeks if Uncle Cas's hunts go well." "Home." She said it like prayer. "Nate, we can—we can re
My Cheating Mate Grace pov I didn't understand why everyone was so serious all the time lately. Mama and Daddy kept having quiet conversations that stopped when I walked into rooms. Uncle Cas didn't smile as much, even when I showed him my new drawings. Grandpa Richard kept checking all the w
My Cheating Mate Emma pov The Council's response arrived six hours after we sent our letter. Not through email or phone. Not through diplomatic channels or formal messengers. It arrived as a coordinated attack on three of our allied packs simultaneously. I was putting Grace to bed when the
We spent the next hour going over every detail. Vampire positions. Communication protocols. Contingency plans if things went wrong. Extraction routes if Emma and Grace needed to be pulled out quickly. It was thorough. Professional. Exactly the kind of planning that should have made me feel confide
"Emma, three hostiles approaching your six," I said into the comm. "Don't react. Let them get close. Vampires will handle it." "Copy." Her voice was steady. "I trust you." Those three words. After everything we'd been through. After all the betrayals and rebuilding and impossible choices. She







