ROGUE BLOOD

Flashback: ARACHNE’S P.O.V“Promise me!”Helena’s voice cuts through the room like a blade, ragged and desperate. She’s dying. Bleeding out, trembling, and barely holding on.I grip her hand, heart pounding loud enough for both of us to hear. “Hel, please—”“Promise me, Arachne.” Her fingers latch onto my wrist like a lifeline. Her nails bite into my skin, but it’s not the pain that sends a chill down my spine—it’s the way her eyes, wild and glassy, lock onto mine with a desperation I have never seen before.“Promise me that no one will ever know about her. Not him… not my brother.”Another scream tears from her throat. The baby’s coming—fast. Too fast. I press down on her shoulder, trying to keep her still. But she’s thrashing, drenched in sweat, teeth clenched against the pain.“I can’t keep this from him,” I whisper. “He’s the father—”“I don’t care!” She spits through her gritted teeth. “Promise me!”I hate this. I hate all of it. I hate that I’m the one here—the one watching her

ELI’S POV“How did you find me?” She asks as the door clicks shut behind us. Her arms are crossed, her gaze sharp and piercing.I don’t answer right away. Instead, I study her—she's short, wiry, aged by something more than just time. She's clearly not afraid of me, but she's guarded and she doesn’t want me here. That much is obvious.“You know who I am,” I say, my voice steady.“I do,” she mutters. “But that is not the point nor the question I asked. How did you find me?"I let out a sharp breath. Of course, she won’t make this easy. “My father, Richard, he mentioned you a lot in his journals before he died. Your name kept coming up, over and over again. You and a certain… Helena.”Her expression doesn’t change. If she feels anything hearing my father’s name, she buries it deep.“What do you want from me?” Her voice is sharp and dismissive. “I left that life behind for a reason and I want nothing to do with werewolves or your world.”“I understand that,” I say, keeping my frustration

MIA’S P.O.VThe whiskey is already in front of me when I sit down and I do not remember ordering it.I stare at the glass for a beat, then at him, then back at the glass like maybe it will confess on its own. It smells sharp and warm and a little reckless. Which feels appropriate, considering the night I am having.“So,” I say, picking it up and taking a sip even though I hate whiskey. It burns all the way down. I do not stop it. “Are you planning on telling me why you showed up at my house like you paid rent there, or are we committing to the mysterious brooding thing for the rest of the night?”He shifts closer. Not fully. Like he is trying to respect space but only halfway. His knee brushes mine. Accident or not, my stomach flips and I am instantly irritated with myself for noticing.“Straight to the point,” he says. “I respect that.”“I do not care,” I say. “I want answers, not applause.”He exhales through his nose, lifts his glass, drinks slow like he is buying time. His jaw tig

POV: MIAI walk into the bar knowing I should not be here and still doing it anyway.My mom’s voice is in my head like background noise I cannot mute, saying no and saying danger and saying don’t poke things that bite back. Not all humans know about the supernatural elements of our society or the creatures that live with us. But Mom made sure I did, even if we are loving in the most human part of the world. Still, I know enough to not go near any of them, but here I am.My hand is already on the door before I finish the thought, and I pull it open like I am daring the world to stop me.It smells the same. Loud. Warm. Sticky floors. Bass in my chest.And he is already there.Same bar stool. Same spot. Like he planned it or like he never moved after I left last time. My chest does this stupid drop thing and I hate it, because this is not a crush and this is not a date and this is definitely not smart.This is an interrogation and this time,I am planning getting answers. Mom had gone to

POV: ELII look up the moment Jasper says my name.“Eli.”He says it low. Flat. That tone he uses when he’s pissed but holding it back. I feel it hit before I even look up.I glance up from my phone. I already know what this is about. My chest tightens anyway. I hate that it still does.“What?” I say. I’m tired. I’m buying time.Jasper leans back on the truck and folds his arms. He looks down the street first, checking for humans, then his eyes snap back to me.“Are you gonna act like you don’t know,” he says, “or you wanna just say it.”I scoff and shove my phone into my pocket. Run a hand through my hair.“Say what.”He laughs once. Short. Sharp. It gets under my skin.“You’ve been here too long,” he says. His voice drops. “And you know it.”I open my mouth to argue. Nothing comes out. The silence is loud as hell.Jasper pushes off the truck and steps closer.“You’re Alpha,” he says, slow, like I’m being stupid on purpose, “and your pack is running without you. How long are you plan