LOGIN“Do you remember what he looked like?”“It’s all a blur. Sorry.”I nodded slowly, looking around again. I spotted Max on the other side of the yard, returning to his work with a group of other males.“What’s the labor for?” I asked. “Are we building something?”“We think it’s for an army. The stone
Natalia’s POVBy the end of the first hour, my shoulders were burning and my palms had gone from sore to numb. The rock I’d been assigned to break with a heavy pickaxe was dense and black, and I was expected to break it into small pieces, then place them on a large wagon. One of those awful gray thi
A pair of figures crossed our path as we walked across the roadway. We fell into step behind them naturally, matching their pace. Neither of them looked back.The water trough was near the center of the settlement. I spotted a short line of people standing in front of it. It wasn’t running water, bu
Natalia’s POVI jerked awake with a gasp.The red sky was the same as it always was. Max was curled on his side a few feet away, still asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly. Nothing had moved. Nothing had changed.I pressed my hand flat against the ground and steadied my breathing.The vision
Natalia’s POVThe report came back the following morning. I’d hardly slept that night, which was strange for me; usually, sleep came quickly and efficiently, serving purely as a means to regain my energy for another day of hard work.But last night, I kept tossing and turning. That pull in my chest
“It’s no use!” I heard her voice call after me. “He’s already gone, you stupid bitch! He’s not who you think he is anymore! You’ll all die here!”Her words struck me somewhere deep and painful, but I kept running. We didn’t stop until the hovel was well out of sight. Only then, once we were certain
NataliaI woke up to the warm sensation of sunlight streaming through the curtains. And for a brief, blissful moment, I thought I was back in my own bed in Ashmoor.And then my eyes opened and took in the familiar-yet-unfamiliar surroundings, and it all came rushing back.The banquet. The drugs. My
Cool hands gathered my hair back from my face, holding it out of the way as I heaved again and again. A warm palm rubbed circles on my back.When the first wave of sickness passed, I slumped against the cool porcelain, exhausted. My mouth tasted terrible, and my body felt like it had been hit by a f
If I told him the truth about Max and Jane, he would never let go. He might try to take them from me. I couldn’t risk it. I wouldn’t.So I lied. Again.“The accident,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady, “it… the baby didn’t survive the impact. By the time Damon found me, it was gone.” I swal
DamonI checked my watch for the third time in the past fifteen minutes. Natalia had been gone for too long.She’d mumbled something about needing the restroom after our toast with Alpha David, but that had been nearly half an hour ago. Something wasn’t right. Was she ill, perhaps? If that were the







