Mag-log inMILLIE'S POVI'd never been inside the Council chamber before.The building itself was imposing—stone and timber construction that looked ancient, set deep in pack territory where humans rarely ventured. As Braham led me through heavy wooden doors and down a corridor lined with portraits of past Alpha Kings, I felt completely out of my depth."How many people will be there?" I asked quietly."Forty-three Council members. Maybe another fifty or sixty pack representatives in the gallery." He squeezed my hand. "Don't let the numbers intimidate you. Just speak honestly."The chamber was massive—circular, with tiered seating rising up around a central floor. Every seat was filled. Wolves I'd never seen before stared down at me as we entered. Some curious. Some hostile. Some carefully neutral.I was the only human-looking person in the room.Braham guided me to the center of the floor. Two chairs had been placed there, facing the Council. We sat, and I felt every eye boring into me.An old
MILLIE'S POVThe first headline appeared Wednesday morning, less than twenty-four hours after our wedding."HEARTLESS HEIRESS: Millie-Rose Harvey Marries While Half-Sister Fights for Life in Hospital"I stared at my laptop screen, coffee growing cold in my hand. Below the headline was a photo—grainy but unmistakable—of me and Braham in our backyard, mid-kiss, Leo jumping between us. Someone had taken it from a distance, probably zoomed in from beyond our fence."How did they get this?" I asked, my voice hollow.Braham looked over my shoulder, his expression darkening. "We had security. No one should have been able to…""It's everywhere." I scrolled through page after page. Different outlets, same story, variations on the same theme of cruelty."While Martha Harvey Lies in Coma, Sister Celebrates""Werewolf Heiress Shows No Mercy: Wedding During Family Crisis""Millie-Rose Harvey's Shocking Display of Indifference"The articles were vicious. They painted me as a monster—a woman so cold
MILLIE’S POV We got married on a Tuesday.Not because Tuesdays are particularly romantic, but because Leo's birthday was on Saturday and we'd promised him we'd be married before he turned four. That gave us exactly four days to plan his birthday.Most people would panic. We laughed."Do you even care about having a big ceremony?" Braham had asked the night before, both of us exhausted on the couch after putting Leo to bed."I care about being your wife," I'd said simply. "Everything else is just decoration."So we kept it simple. Intimate. Ours.The backyard had been transformed overnight by Callie and Renan, who'd taken Leo on an "adventure" that morning to give us time to get ready. White fabric draped between the trees, creating a canopy that caught the late January sunlight. Simple wooden chairs arranged in two small rows. White roses—my mother's favorite—in mason jars along a makeshift aisle.It was perfect."You're fidgeting," Callie said, adjusting the flowers in my hair for
MILLIE’S POV The correctional facility looked even grimmer than the last time I'd visited. Gray walls, razor wire, the stale smell of institutional hopelessness. But this time, I wasn't here seeking answers about my heritage.I was here to deliver consequences.Braham walked beside me through security, his presence a solid wall of support. In my bag was a leather folder containing photocopies of documents we'd found hidden in my mother's safe—documents that changed everything."You sure about this?" Braham asked quietly as we were led to the visiting area."I need him to know," I said. "I need him to understand that every choice has a price."My father sat at a metal table in the back, wearing his prison jumpsuit. He looked older than the last time I saw him, more worn. His eyes lit up when he saw me approaching."Millie-Rose! I didn't expect…I thought after last time, you wouldn't…" He stood, smiling. "Thank you for coming back. I know things were tense, but I've had time to think a
SABRINA'S POVThe iron door slammed shut with a finality that vibrated through my teeth. The sound was a death knell.Life imprisonment without possibility of parole.I sat on the thin, stained mattress of my cot, my breath coming in ragged, shallow hitches. The words echoed in my mind like a sentence of execution. I would be an old woman—if I even survived that long—and I'll never smell fresh air again.But it wasn't the sentence that was strangling me. It was the exposure.The one weapon I had held over June's head for years, the secret I had used to bleed her dry while she withered away in that hospital bed, was now public property. I had guarded it like a dragon guards gold, waiting for the perfect moment to destroy Millie with it.And she had simply thrown it away. She had stood in that courtroom and exposed her mother's werewolf heritage, her own half-blood status, everything I could have used to ruin her—just to make sure I never saw freedom again."Foolish girl," I whispered i
BRAHAM'S POVThe drive home was silent except for the low hum of the engine and the occasional burst of radio chatter from the security detail following behind us. Millie sat with her head resting against the window, her eyes closed, exhaustion etched into every line of her face.She had fought a war today. She had stood before a courtroom and exposed her mother's secret, her own heritage, everything she'd been taught to hide—all to make sure the woman who'd murdered her mother would never see freedom again.But the price was her privacy. Her safety. Our son's innocence.I watched the city pass by through the window, already planning. Increased security. Media blackout protocols. Legal action against any outlet that published Leo's image. We would need to move quickly, before this spiraled further out of control.When we pulled into the driveway, I could already hear Leo's small, frantic heartbeats from inside the house. My wolf senses picked up his elevated pulse, the chemical signat
RENAN'S POVThe pack training grounds were busy when I arrived for the morning session. Wolves in human form clustered in groups, some running drills, others sparring in designated areas. The autumn air carried the scent of sweat, earth, and the particular musk that came from shifters working out t
MILLIE'S POVThe afternoon sun streamed through the living room windows, casting golden light across the couch where Braham and I sat tangled together. His hand traced lazy patterns on my thigh while mine rested against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.Leo was upstairs, suppos
SILAS'S POVI stood outside the courtroom, leaning against the cold marble wall, trying to process what had just happened.Martha was pregnant. With my child. And she'd just antagonized the judge so badly she'd gotten her sentence almost doubled. Fifteen years. Ten before parole.My child would be
MARTHA’S POV I opened my mouth to say exactly what Kevin and I had practiced: "I want what's best for my baby, Your Honor. Whatever that means."But then I looked at Silas.And I saw it—that expression I'd seen a thousand times before. That look that said he wished he was anywhere else. That he wi







