MasukNatalia’s POV“What the hell is going on here?!”Andrei’s voice boomed across the driveway, surprising everyone. The pack members all whirled around, gasping and murmuring, some even shouting outright—one woman even fainted, caught by one of her companions before she could fall—as they saw him climb
“He’s gotten so strong,” Andrei whispered as, a little while later, we stood beneath the hot spray together. I traced my fingers across the familiar planes of his chest and abdomen, leaving patterns in the hair. Everything was the same. Everything. As if not a single day had passed since he left.“H
Natalia’s POVThe light wound up leading us to a small, nondescript inn with a sign that read “Rusty’s Rest” at the edge of a narrow and winding roadway. It had worn wooden siding and an inviting yellow glow through the dusty old windows.We were all surprised to come across any sign of civilization
Natalia’s POVCold, wet ground rushed up to meet me. I gasped, tucking my arms, and braced myself for impact.Thankfully, the bed of moss I fell onto was soft and plush, and although it knocked the breath from our lungs, I heard no cries of pain or snapping of bones. In fact, the cold damp of rain w
My wolf came back like a dam had burst.It was sudden and all-consuming, almost painful in its intensity. My nerve endings lit on fire. A bond I’d forgotten for too long suddenly snapped into place like a live wire pulling taut. I looked up, and an animal howled in my mind.Mate.My Lord let out a d
Andrei’s POVThe ring was too small for every finger except my pinky.I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Her hands were still wrapped around mine, and she was saying something. Not out loud, but somewhere deep and resonant. Inside of me, where my Lord’s voice dwelled, came hers. Soft and sweet and so
NATALIAIt was a strange thing, planning your own funeral.There was no playbook for it. No checklist. No eulogy to write. Just decisions to make in hushed tones—what kind of coffin, what kind of crowd, what kind of lies would be carved into the stone.I sat across from Damon in the study, the morni
I knew what Andrei was doing: he was just trying to seduce me to get me to admit the truth, because he knew I wasn’t telling him everything.Well, he wasn’t going to get what he wanted. Not now, and not ever.Composing myself, I pulled back just before his lips could meet mine and said firmly, “It’
NATALIAI’d been injured before when my car fell from the cliff—cuts, bruises, and fractured rib—but something about this time felt different.Maybe it was the way the pain lingered beneath my skin like a warning, a slow burn of vulnerability I couldn’t shake. Or maybe it was the gnawing weight in m
She continued to talk.“If you don’t finish this,” she said quietly, “I will.”The line disconnected with a sharp beep.For a long moment, she stood by the hearth, breathing heavily.I lifted up a picture frame to dust under it, trying to quell my nerves. But my palms were slick with nervous sweat,







