LOGINThe storm came out of nowhere.By seven o’clock the sky turned black-green and the wind howled like something alive. Rain hammered the station roof so hard it sounded like gunfire. Then the power died. Every light in the county went out at once.Jax locked the front door and looked at Lila, the only deputy still on duty. Red emergency lights glowed low along the hallway, painting everything blood-red.“You’re staying here tonight,” he said, voice rough. “For safety.”Lila’s pulse spiked. She knew that look. “Yes, Sheriff.”They didn’t make it past the holding area.Jax grabbed her by the waist and shoved her against the cold iron bars of the empty cell. Her uniform shirt ripped open as he yanked it, buttons flying. He shoved her bra up and sucked hard on her nipple, biting down until she cried out. Rain pounded the windows while he dropped to his knees, yanked her pants down, and buried his face between her legs.“Fuck, Daddy—” she moaned, fingers gripping the bars.He ate her like an
DamonI left the ballroom without explanation.The music continued behind me. Guests called my name. Father’s voice rose above the confusion, ordering me to return, but none of it mattered.The mate bond pulled again.Hard.Clear.Alive.I pushed through the terrace doors and stepped into the cold night air. My chest rose and fell too quickly as I followed the strange warmth spreading beneath my ribs.For weeks, the bond had given me faint pulses.Moments so brief I could dismiss them as grief.This was different.A heartbeat beat against mine.Not my own.Not imagined.Elliot’s.My wolf surged forward with such force that my vision sharpened. Every scent in the garden became stronger. Wet grass. Night flowers. Guards near the gate. The distant forest beyond the mansion walls.And beneath it all, something familiar.Faint.Impossible.Mate.I moved down the terrace steps.The pull came from the east.Mooncrest lay east of Silver Moon.My feet carried me toward the garden path before I
LeliaBy the time the first guests arrived, I had already forgotten how many people had touched my face, adjusted my hair, or tightened the gown around my body.The dress was exactly what Father wanted.White silk flowed from my waist to the floor, covered with gold embroidery that reflected the ballroom lights whenever I moved. Tiny crystals had been sewn across the bodice, making me sparkle like someone stepping into a dream.The long sleeves concealed the bruises around my wrist.Makeup covered the fresh mark near my jaw.My hair had been arranged carefully over one shoulder to hide the shadow Father’s fingers had left near my neck after reminding me one final time not to fail him.No one would know.That was the purpose of beauty in my father’s world.Not joy.Camouflage.The ballroom below had been transformed into something magnificent. Silver Moon’s colors decorated one side, while the white and gold of my father’s pack covered the other. Crystal lights hung from the ceiling, a
DamonI stared at the name until the letters blurred.Assistant Coach Elliot Blackwood.It had to be a coincidence.That was the first thought my mind offered, even while every other part of me reacted as though the dead had just spoken.Elliot was not an uncommon name.Blackwood belonged to Mooncrest’s Alpha family.There could be another young Omega named Elliot. Someone intelligent. Someone who understood hockey. Someone who had appeared in Mooncrest around the same time my Elliot disappeared.There could be.My wolf slammed against the walls of my control.No.Alive.He is alive.The bond tore through my chest again, stronger than any pulse I had felt since Elliot left Silver Moon. My fingers crushed the edge of the tournament document.Mason caught my wrist before I ripped it.“Careful.”I barely heard him.My eyes remained fixed on the line.Elliot Blackwood.My Elliot had been Elliot Hayes before becoming part of my family. Then he had carried our pack name only because our par
DamonThe council chamber was already full when I arrived.Pack elders occupied the front rows, dressed in formal black and silver. Council members spoke quietly among themselves while sponsors, business representatives, and several officials from the regional hockey league waited near the long windows overlooking Silver Moon territory.I stopped just inside the doorway.Father had told me there would be a council gathering.He had not mentioned the sponsors.Or the reporters.A large Silver Moon banner hung behind the raised platform. Beside it stood another banner decorated in white and gold, the colors of Lelia’s pack.My stomach tightened.This was not a council meeting.It was a public performance.One more scene designed to convince everyone that my life remained perfectly under control.Mason appeared beside me, already wearing his formal jacket.“You look like you’re considering leaving.”“I am.”“That would probably become another scandal.”“That is the only reason I’m still
DamonI had not intended to overhear them.After training, I took the garden path because the main halls were crowded with engagement planners, tailors, and servants carrying enough flowers to decorate half the territory. I wanted quiet. More importantly, I wanted a few minutes without Father reminding me about public appearances, speeches, and the future he had already designed.The eastern garden was usually empty in the late afternoon.That day, it was not.I heard Mason’s voice before I saw him.“You came to me instead of stealing the real document.”I stopped behind a tall hedge.Every muscle in my body tightened.A document?Lelia answered too quietly for me to catch the first words, but the fear in her voice was unmistakable.Then Mason spoke again.“Your father will not control you forever.”The anger that rose inside me had nothing to do with jealousy.Victor.The bruises.The fear beneath Lelia’s careful smiles.I had suspected her father was responsible, but this sounded la
The entire pack was celebrating tognight! banners hanging brightly across the pack square, and music blasting from large speakers set up around the open field. Food stalls lined the edges, their delicious aromas mingling with the excitement, while children ran around wearing Damon jerseys, their
The entire city were buzzing with excitement, the air thick with anticipation that you could almost feel on your skin no matter where you went. Everywhere I turned, people were talking about the hockey game—the biggest one of the season, the championship match that had everyone on edge. Even be
By the time training finally ended, every single part of my body ached with exhaustion and pain that ran deep into my muscles and bones. My arms throbbed from the endless drills, and my legs felt so weak they might give out beneath me at any moment. There was still dried mud caked on my clothes, a
Elliot POV Just like every day, the sharp ring of the alarm clock cut through the quiet morning and pulled me from my restless sleep. I groaned softly and tugged the thin, worn blanket up over my head, trying to block out the world for just a little longer. For a brief moment, I let myself pret







