LOGINMy 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
I still knew every word.“Mom.” Max’s hand tightened on my arm. “Drop it. Look at me.”I looked at him.He had dirt on his face and his lip was split and his eyes were wide and scared and absolutely certain, all at once. He looked eleven years old and he looked forty, and I loved him so much in that
Natalia’s POVI fought like hell.My arm shook from the strength it took not to let that blade drive down toward Andrei’s chest. Max’s screams faded into the distance. The knife hovered six inches above Andrei’s chest, getting closer with each second.I had both hands wrapped around the handle now,
Natalia’s POVIt all happened so fast—a flash of movement at the edge of the platform, a small hooded figure vaulting up the steps, and then the knife coming down in a quick, hard arc that made the blade catch the red light overhead.Andrei threw himself sideways just before the knife collided with
I straightened up. My heart was pounding. I looked around the room and for a single, disorienting moment, I had no idea where I was. The black stone walls, the red sky beyond the window, the dead air of this place—none of it felt right. None of it felt like mine. I felt like a man who had woken up m
NataliaBy the time we finally stopped for the evening, I was completely exhausted. Not physically, because we spent most of the day sitting in the car, but emotionally—from watching Max grow paler and more still with each passing hour.Around sunset, we found a small clearing surrounded by dense pi
Natalia“What happened?” I asked as Grace led me through the front door. “He was fine this morning.”“It came on really suddenly. Damon was playing with the twins in the living room after you left, and Max just started complaining that he felt hot. By the time I took his temperature, it was already
Natalia & AndreiNatalia“We can play whatever you want,” Andrei said, already heading toward a cabinet in the corner of the dining room. He opened the cupboard door and pulled out a stack of various brand-new-looking board games, which made my brows shoot up in surprise.“Since when do you keep boa
NataliaMax looked so much better as he blew out his six candles. The sight of him grinning as everyone sang happy birthday made everything feel alright. Whatever Andrei had done upstairs, it had clearly worked.“Did you make a wish?” Jane asked, bouncing beside her brother. Her mouth was already wa







