Mag-log inAdrian’s pov"I don’t really care," I lied. "You are here with me, so why would I be looking for her first thing in the morning?"Victoria sat up, her face getting serious for the first time. "This is getting serious, Adrian. In a few hours’ time now, she’s going to call our superior... she’s going to ask us about how everything is going with the plan. What are we going to tell her if Harriet is gone?"I paced a small circle in the kitchen. "We need to... we’ll just lie to our talent that everything is going well. Besides, the boss isn't here to know what’s happening. She doesn't know if Harriet is still here or if she has disappeared into thin air.""Well, you’re right," Victoria said, leaning back again. "But for now, keep trying to call her number. We need her here."I waited five minutes. It felt like five hours. I dialed again.The number you're trying to call is not available at the moment."She’s hungry," Victoria complained from the other room. "It’s like a baby who wants food
Adrian’s POV:I drove the car with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on my lap, feeling the weight of the day settle into my bones. Beside me, Victoria was leaning against the window, her breath fogging up the glass as she watched the neon lights of the city flicker by. I had just picked her up from the hair salon where she worked. She looked good, her hair all done up, but I was mostly just thinking about getting home and having a hot meal.When we finally pulled into the driveway and walked up to the front porch, I reached out to press the doorbell. It was a habit, I guess. A way to let the house know I was back."Don't do that," Victoria said, her voice sharp enough to cut through my thoughts. She slapped my hand away from the ringer. "Is it every time I’m going to be telling the wife to open the door for you when you literally have the password? It’s your house, Adrian. Act like it."I turned to her, feeling a bit annoyed. "Don't act as if you care about her feelings or
Alpha Carter :I woke up early like I always do because a restless wolf doesn't know how to sleep in. I spent most of the morning watching the sun hit the trees and thinking about how quiet the house felt even though it was full of people. Harriet was still asleep. I had the kitchen staff prepare a tray, nothing too heavy but enough to keep her energy up because today was going to be a long walk.I walked into her room carrying the tray. She looked small in that massive bed, buried under the white duvet like she was hiding from the world. I set the tray down on the nightstand and just watched her for a second. She looked peaceful which was a change from the terrified look she had when she first saw the gates yesterday.Her eyes flickered open and she groaned, squinting at the light before she realized I was standing there. She saw the tray of pancakes and fruit and a slow smile spread across her face."Are you trying to woo me over with this?" she asked. Her voice was raspy from sleep
"I am," I responded immediately. It felt strange to confirm it out loud. A human. A Luna. "That is so nice finally Phina won't feel like an outcast anymore," Lara responded with a wide smile. I didn't know who Phina was or why she would be an outcast but before I could ask Lara leaned in a little closer. "Before I forget you smell so good." I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. I reached up and twisted a lock of my hair, a habit I always had whenever I felt myself blushing. It was a small comfort in a place that felt so huge and foreign. "A human Luna was exactly what our pack needs to align with humans, and not just a mere human but a daughter of an influential man." The voice was deep and masculine coming from the far end of the hallway. I heard the steady thud of footsteps drawing closer. A man who had to be at least six foot two with dark intense eyes stepped into the light standing next to Lara. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hope you are good I felt you
Harriet The drive away from the world I knew felt like a slow blur of green and blue. I watched the leaves outside the window, watching the way they seemed to smudge against the glass as Mr. Carter drove. I wasn’t really there, in that car. I was still back there, saying goodbye to my family, feeling the weight of a life I’d just signed away in a contract. "Are you going to look there forever?" His voice broke through the fog in my head, but I didn't move. I couldn't. "Ma’am, we are there." This time, he touched me. My heart gave a violent jump and my hand almost flew up to punch him out of pure reflex. I turned, my breath hitching as I caught those blue eyes of his. They were fixed on me, steady and unreadable. "What were you thinking?" he asked, his fingers moving to unhook his seatbelt. "Are you already regretting why you came to me?" I struggled with my own belt, my fingers fumbling against the metal. "I’d rather cry in a Lamborghini than cry in that place," I snapped. It
The ink on the contract was still wet, a dark smear that felt more like a brand than a signature. I looked up at my father. In that moment, the present blurred with the fractured images of my past life the sterile smell of the hospital, the steady beep of the heart monitor slowing to a stop, and the sheer, broken terror in his eyes as he watched me slip away. He looked younger now, but the worry was the same. Then my gaze shifted to my mother. A flicker of heat flared in my chest anger, sharp and reflexive. But I forced it down. I knew the truth now. She hadn’t had a choice; she was losing one daughter while trying to reconcile with another. If this life was going to be different, I couldn't hold onto that bitterness. Especially not when she was about to be blindsided by Haley’s return. I stepped toward her, tapping her shoulder before pulling her into a tight embrace. She stiffened, then melted, tears spilling onto my shoulder. "I thought you wouldn’t want to talk to me," she







