MasukWesley POV The fever had climbed too high to bear. My head throbbed, and every sound hit me like a blow.If I refused the medication, the fever would keep rising, my wolf would push harder against the restraints I'd spent years building, and I would lose control. That knowledge should have been enough to make me take the injection. Instead, all I could think about was Isabella leaving without me.Dad had handled the search arrangements, and I trusted him to do what needed doing. He and Franklin were going after Desmond in the morning, and knowing Franklin was with him gave me some comfort. Still, none of it settled the unease in my chest. Maverick was missing, Isabella was about to risk herself for him, and I was growing weaker by the hour.Charlie drove while I sat in the passenger seat with my head against the window, trying to ignore the heat crawling through my body. I was grateful Dad had forced Isabella to go through proper channels instead of letting her rush into Desmond's te
Isabella POVI had never known helplessness could feel this physical. It sat in my chest and pressed against my ribs until breathing became work.Every minute without Maverick stretched the fear into panic. We still had no useful lead or demand for money. All we had were unanswered questions and the knowledge that someone had deliberately taken my child.And now the situation had become worse than a father taking his child.Maverick's father was connected to Meridian, the same organization that had poisoned Luna Lisa and left Wesley fighting a condition that had shaped his entire life. The bond between Wesley and me was supposed to help repair what Meridian had damaged in him, yet here I was, sitting in a security facility with my son missing because his father belonged to the very group that had caused so much suffering to the people I had come to love.The thought made me want to vomit.Was Maverick just leverage against me, or did Meridian have another reason for taking him?Iris s
Wesley POVWe stayed at the daycare well into the evening. By eight, the owner hovered near the reception desk, tears streaking her face, insisting nothing like this had ever happened under her watch. Fear coated her voice, and despite everything in me screaming for answers, I couldn't blame her for being terrified. She had a missing child in her building, the future Alpha standing in front of her, and a security team tearing her daycare apart. Every time she opened her mouth, she looked like she expected me to accuse her.My own body was becoming harder to ignore. Heat crawled beneath my skin, settling deeper into my muscles. My head throbbed, the familiar pressure behind my eyes building.My wolf reacted to the separation from Isabella.Not now.I forced my attention back to the screens as a security officer enlarged a section of footage. It wasn't clear enough to show the girl's face, but it showed enough of her clothes and movements. A gray hoodie covered most of her body, and she
Isabella POV By the time my father arrived, the house had filled with people who seemed to know what to do, except me. Security officers moved between the rooms, speaking into their radios and checking their phones, while Iris sat on the edge of a chair with her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles had gone pale.He came through the door in work clothes, looked at me, then at his wife, then at the officer speaking to me."What happened?""Someone took my son from his daycare."He stared at me as if the words had stopped making sense."Isabella, I swear to you, I know nothing about this. Barbara and I don't even speak."His hands lifted in front of him, palms open, as though he needed everyone in the room to see he had nothing to hide.Gwen turned on him. "Why would you say that? You're making it sound as though Barbara has something to do with this.""I'm telling them what I know," Dad snapped, though his voice carried more fear than anger.That answer mattered to me. Dad wasn't def
Isabella POV By the time I reached the daycare, my legs trembled so badly I had to force myself to keep walking. The daycare had already descended into chaos. Teachers stood near the entrance, parents who had come to collect their children lingered with curious faces, and the owner wrung her hands as though she could squeeze an explanation out of them."I don't understand how this happened," she said, her voice shaking. "We have strict procedures for picking up the children. Nobody should have been allowed to take Maverick without being identified and recorded.""Then where is my son?" I asked.The question came out harsh, but I couldn't soften it. I wasn't about to sit quietly and admire the efficiency of a system that had let my four-year-old disappear."We're checking everything. There must have been a mix-up somewhere. Please, Ms Isabella, try to remain calm. I'm certain we'll find him.""Stop telling me to calm down."Her lips parted, but nothing came out.Maverick had never spe
Isabella POVSleep had finally found me at the chapter house, and when I woke, my mind felt clearer than it had in days. The few hours of rest had given my thoughts enough space to settle, even if they had not made any of them disappear. I got out of bed and walked toward the railing overlooking the lower floor, resting my hands against the wood as I watched the Daughters move through the house.There was something strange about seeing them like this. Some had cases connected to Meridian, some had been brought here because of things they had survived, and others simply lived within the community. Their stories were not written across their faces, yet sometimes a person carried enough grief in the way they moved that you found yourself wondering what had happened to them. Near one of the pillars, a woman sat with her head bowed, crying quietly into her hands. No one approached her or asked questions. Perhaps the Daughters had learned that sometimes people needed company without convers
CAMERON POVRage tightened in my ribs, making breathing feel like an effort. I turned away from my sister and mate and leaned against the wall. "I won't do it. I have no interest in this absurd contract, and nothing you say will change my mind."Nadia stepped closer and placed her hand between my sh
The wooden floor of the community center felt cold beneath my sandals.“I’ll volunteer.”A girl in the back row let out a loud snort. Beside me, Sasha’s hand clamped onto my wrist, her fingers digging into my skin to pull me back down. I did not look at her. I knew that if I met her eyes, the logic
My father was screwing his secretary when I pushed his office door open. Wet slaps and grunts filled the room as he drove into her against the desk.My mother had spent three hours over the stove, squinting at a recipe she had memorized years ago. She packed my father's lunch and made me promise to
Lisa“What’s wrong with him?” I whispered to my mom as we watched Alpha Kieran stare into the distance from the terrace.“I don’t know. He’s been this way since he returned. Perhaps he received bad news.”My heart skipped. “You know you don’t have to hide anything from me. If this is about Cameron,







