LOGINNatasha's POV I pull into the school parking lot harder than I need to. The car stops with a sharp jerk, and my bag slides off the seat. I don’t even bother fixing it. I just grab my phone, push the door open, and slam it shut behind me so loud it echoes across the almost empty space.Useless.That’s the only word sitting in my head right now.Alpha, elders, pack members… every single one of them stood there yesterday pretending to be powerful, pretending to be in control, only for everything to fall apart the moment it actually mattered.The Alpha himself stood in front of everyone, declared a death sentence with that deep, commanding voice of his, and then what…changed his mind five minutes later behind closed doors?I let out a dry laugh as I start walking toward the school building.So much for power.So much for authority.And I don’t even need to think too hard to know who’s behind it.Clinton.Of course it’s him.Who else would bend the Alpha that way? Who else would stand in
Catherine's POV I told him one hour.Just one hour to do whatever he needed to do. One hour isn’t long. It’s barely enough time for anything serious to happen, which is why I said it in the first place.But when I look at the time now, the numbers don’t make sense anymore.It’s almost eleven.I sit on the edge of the bed, staring at my phone as if that alone will make it light up, or like waiting hard enough will pull him back through the door.Did he forget?The thought slips in without permission, and I push it away immediately, but it doesn’t go far. It stays close, hovering at the edge, waiting for me to give it space.I unlock my phone and scroll through my contacts, my thumb slowing down when I get to his name. It sits there, unchanged, just letters on a screen, but it feels heavier than everything else on the list.I press it.The call screen opens, the number already dialing, and I hold it there for a second before ending it.No.I shouldn’t be the one calling him.He said he
Clinton's POV I push the door open again without knocking, already halfway inside before I take in what’s happening.He’s on the phone.“Call off your men.”I don’t need to hear the voice on the other end to know who he’s speaking to…the head guard.I stop where I am, the rest of my thoughts stalling for a second as relief settles in quietly.He actually did it.He kept his word.I stand there watching him. He ends the call, sets the phone aside, and sits back on the bed as if that decision doesn’t carry any weight.“I did what you asked.” His eyes lift to me, steady, already expecting something in return. “And now it’s your turn to keep your part of the…”“I know you didn’t send that assassin,” I cut him off, holding his gaze as I say it.His brows draw together slightly…not anger, not yet, just confusion at the shift.I take a step closer.“Why? Why did you make me believe you were the one who tried to kill me?”He studies my face like he’s trying to figure out what changed…what ma
Clinton's POV My father stands from his bed so suddenly that the air in the room shifts before I even register what is coming. I barely have time to steady myself, barely time to form another sentence, when he closes the distance between us.The slap lands before thought catches up.My head snaps to the side with the force of it, and for a moment there is nothing but a ringing silence in my ears, sharp and disorienting, as if the room itself has been struck.“You are a disgrace to this family.” His voice cuts through the ringing, colder than the strike, heavier than the pain still blooming across my face.I keep still, forcing my body not to react further, because anything else will only give him more reason.“Do you know how disgusted I was today, watching my own son defend a human against his own kind in front of the entire pack?”My chest tightens in response. I would have taken another hit…anything would have been easier than hearing him say that.“You are the Alpha’s son, and ye
Clinton's POV My father’s voice fills the hall again.“That talisman is indeed one of a kind.”The words reach me slowly, as though they have to pass through something heavy before they land.My heart is already beating too fast, and the moment he says that, it picks up even more. Each beat presses harder against my chest until it begins to hurt in a way I can’t ignore.Not now.I draw in a breath and press my hand lightly against my chest, adjusting my stance so it looks natural, so no one sees anything beyond what I allow them to see.The last thing I need is for anyone here to notice weakness…not when everything is hanging on what he says next.“We are all alive today and in good health. All thanks to her.”A ripple moves through the crowd. Heads begin to nod, slowly at first, then more firmly, as if the reminder is settling into them whether they want it to or not.I don’t look at them.I look at him.My stepmother doesn’t move, but her face tightens. There’s something close to d
Clinton's POV I turn my gaze to my father and find him exactly as he has been since I walked in…still, composed, unreadable in a way that feels intentional rather than natural.My stepmother shifts in her seat, crossing her legs with slow confidence.“You seem to already have a suspect, so why not let us in on it?”Her voice cuts clean through the room, and I keep my expression steady even though I can feel every eye tighten on me a little more.She is not asking out of curiosity. It is a trap dressed as a question, a careful push to make me speak too much, to say something that can be turned against me later. I have seen this before. I know exactly how it ends if I take the bait.I do not give her that satisfaction.“I don’t have a suspect yet.”The words come out even and controlled, and I feel the weight of them immediately because they are not the full truth. There is a name sitting in my head…sharp and persistent…but saying it out loud in this room would only make everything wor







