LOGINI 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
Andrei’s POVThe collar of my shirt was pissing me off.I had fastened it twice already and it still insisted on sitting crooked, pulling too tight on the left side. I undid it a third time and redid it, slower, watching my hands in the mirror rather than my own face. My reflection had been botherin
Natalia’s POVHe didn’t hesitate.The moment I swung the rod toward him, his hand shot out and closed around my wrist like a vise. My arm wrenched sideways, and I felt the bones grind together under his grip, and the rod fell. It clattered somewhere on the stone floor, rolling away into the darkness
Andrei’s POVThe room was warm. The bed was soft and plush, the pillows made of feathers and velvet. Everything smelled familiar, the kind of scent that you recognize from a past life but can never put a finger on its source.Home.The woman was laying next to me, just as she always did. Amber hair
But I would do it, because the alternative was my children going through whatever came next, and that was not something I was willing to consider.I wasn’t certain yet. That was the only reason I was still trying so hard now. Because there was still a small part of me that thought that there must be
Natalia’s POVThey came for me after what felt like a full day. I say felt like because it really could have been any amount of time, or none at all. But someone did bring me some slop to eat at some point, so that had to have meant that at least a full cycle had passed.I was on my feet before the
“Of course. After you.”As I passed Andrei, I heard a snort. “You two are going to make home repairs?”Damon stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to face Andrei. His eyes flashed. “Something wrong with that?”Andrei shrugged. “It’s just surprising, that’s all. An Alpha and Luna could easily send
“It always is.” Emily’s eyes softened slightly. “Look, I don’t claim to understand what happened between you two. But these past five years, you’ve been good to us. Good to my mother. So I won’t hold it against you more than I have to.”“Thanks, Emily. That means a lot.”She simply shrugged, drying
“One spoonful, mixed with water, as needed,” she instructed, handing me the vial. “No more than once a week, and never for more than a month at a time.”“I understand,” I said, taking the vial. It was surprisingly warm in my palm, and the liquid inside was swirling with flecks of gold. “What do I ow
I could see it now, plain as day. This wasn’t just about anger or fear. It was about jealousy. Hurt. Rejection.“I care about you, Natalia,” Damon said, his voice cracking slightly. “More than I should. I know our marriage is just for show, but I’ve always hoped that maybe, someday, you might see me







