MasukJulianThe night was dark and cold, a killing frost threatening in the still air. Autumn leaves had scattered across the training field, and it seemed the entire pack had assembled on the grass, their breath rising in small clouds. The anxiety was palpable — I could feel it, hear it in the low murmur of voices speculating around the edges of the circle that had begun to form.Wisdom and experience against youth and physical fitness. Many of them hadn’t seen me since Kaelen’s ascension, when I had been so diminished I could barely stand upright. I wasn’t that man anymore. The months of running — literally, through the woods, away from Louisa and everything that terrified me about her — had done their work. My body had remembered what it was.And now I had something worth fighting for.
JulianFor all intents and purposes, I had signed over everything I owned to Louisa and our unborn child. It wasn’t a great deal — some personal investments, a sum in savings — but it was enough to let her
KaelenFinally, Louisa and Julian were both out of the house at the same time, and I had the perfect opportunity to search the old Alpha suites for my mother’s gun. I had the master key in my pocket, but I didn’t even need it. Louisa never bothered to lock her door. What a trusting fool. I pushed it open and cringed against the scent that practically slapped me in the face. I never, in my life, smelled a woman who was so damn unappealing.As the door swung open, I took stock of the room. It bore very little resemblance to my mother's room anymore. Louisa had added her own little touches everywhere, and had filled the bland space with splashes of color. It was… not terrible. I took another step into the room, and then realized there was a door on the floor.What in the actual hell?The door that separated the two rooms was off its hinges and just lying on the carpet, for no apparent reason at all. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the door jamb and the handle had been damaged, like so
LouisaThat wasn’t exactly how I had planned for things to unfold, but the cat was well and truly out of the bag.“There are no take-backs, Missy!” Gerald Halfmoon said, once he had recovered enough to speak. “You may be regretting your decision, Julian, but the blood ceremony was performed. Unless Kaelen willingly passes the Alpha mantle back to you, what’s done is done. It’s irreversible.”“Nothing is irreversible,” Ruth said, waving her cookie in the air. “There is always an option to replace a weak Alpha. Julian will have to challenge him.”“But — an Alpha challenge is to the death!”“That’s right!” Gerald said, with entirely too much satisfac
JulianAll I wanted was to get back to Louisa.She had occupied every corner of my mind all day — her smiles, the soft sounds she made, the way she sighed in her sleep. And underneath all of it, steady and impossible and real, the sound of our baby’s heartbeat.I was still trying to make sense of the fact that our tiny, barely-formed child had somehow expelled Kaelen’s venom from Louisa’s blood and healed the mark entirely. Not a trace of a scar remained — I had confirmed that by close examination while she slept. I hadn’t known such a thing was possible. But it only reinforced what I already knew in my bones: Louisa was meant for me. The whole catastrophe with Kaelen had never been going to hold.And it had all come about because of me. Because I had been
LouisaFor a few hours, everything was right in my universe.I was wrapped in the arms of the man I loved — my true, fated mate. He had discovered his unborn child for himself, and with that discovery something I hadn’t realized I was carrying had simply lifted off my shoulders. Keeping the knowledge of his baby from him had never felt right to me, not from the moment I had known, and the relief of it being out between us was extraordinary.We made love until neither of us had anything left. It was deeply tempting to stay there, hidden away in the woods where packs and politics and families couldn’t reach us, but reality has a way of reasserting itself — in this case via cold night air and the unforgiving gravel under one sleeping bag — and we eventually decided we should retrieve our scattered clothing befo
JulianShe had lied to me. She had lied to Kaelen. She had been prepared to deceive the entire pack about the paternity of her child. I should have been furious.I couldn’t manage it.
JulianWhat the hell was I supposed to do now?I stared at the door lying uselessly on the carpet, then at Louisa, who stood there with the Devil himself dancing in her eyes.
Louisa“What do you mean he fell off the roof?” I pressed the phone closer to my ear as Chloe repeated the story — Harrison, a skylight installation, a loose shingle, a two-story drop. “Oh my god, is he alright? Have
ElaraThe apartment I found for Mandi and her mother was small and humble — a bachelor efficiency unit meant for seasonal mill workers, barely enough room for one full-sized bed. Both women accepted it without complaint. Well, Mandi ac







