LOGINThere was nothing in my head except a heavy, unexplainable confusion. So many questions and unanswered mysteries crowded my mind, especially surrounding this strange woman who had come to the house. My thoughts were too tangled for me to focus on anything except what they kept telling me; that if I wanted to protect myself, I needed to join another sect. It was all too much to process.I stood in the hallway, facing the huge floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the landscaped garden, where a hummingbird hovered outside. The tiny bird stayed suspended in front of a red hibiscus, its wings blurring gray while its beak jabbed into the center of the flower. My mind swirled with doubts and questions. Why would Alpha Kieran even want me to join something like that? And why did the solution have to revolve around me instead of Cameron himself?I tried to understand it. The baby was involved, and there was also the possibility that Cameron might be my mate, which was insane to even consider. B
Cassidy POV "How much does she know?" I asked, pointing at Lisa and ignoring her mother entirely.Kieran nodded. "Can we all just sit?"Lisa and Susan moved toward the sofa near the fireplace, keeping as much distance as possible between us."We've reached the point where partial explanations are no longer useful," Kieran said, his eyes staying on Lisa until she finally looked back at him. She had handed him her trust already. That much was obvious."This is Cassidy," Kieran told her, his hand reaching toward my side of the room. "The woman I told you about. The one connected to the people who helped me survive Meridian conditioning years ago.”Lisa's eyes flicked to my face, lingered there, then dropped back to her lap as though she couldn't stand the sharpness in my expression."As we all know, the Meridian used conditioning to control Cameron's mind," Kieran continued, his voice dropping into that steady register he used when trying to keep a room from breaking apart. "And they've
Cassidy POVGeorge watched my hands through the rearview mirror as I kept them pinned flat against my knees. He had just cleared us through the checkpoint at the outer perimeter. The heavy gates took their time grinding along the track, and the delay made the air inside the sedan feel thick. I pushed the passenger door open, my boots hitting the gravel, and stood under the afternoon sun to look at Kieran's mansion.The building was massive, white stone pillars rising three stories to meet a flat tiled roof. Four armed guards in identical dark jackets stood by the main archway."All clear," a voice rasped from the radio on the lead guard's hip.George leaned across the console, motioning with a jerk of his chin for me to get back inside. I stayed on the gravel a little longer. My cousin knew as well as I did that this drive would either end with a clean conversation or a complete mess.Ever since Kieran had turned up on my porch, his presence had felt like an insult. It sat in my ches
Lisa POVThe afternoon passed quietly. Because of the sleep I had missed the night before, I kept drifting off on the living room sofa, my head falling against the cushions. I had a feeling Harry had mixed something into my tea to keep me calm.When I finally woke up, I walked down the garden’s gravel path to clear the fog from my head. By the time I came back through the glass terrace doors, my dad had arrived.My mother, Alpha Kieran, and James were gathered in the living room. My father stood near James, his hands gesturing wildly. When his eyes found me by the door, he stopped, crossed the distance, and grabbed my shoulders before pulling me into a hug that smelled of cold wind and tobacco.“I heard everything. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”I opened my mouth to speak, but he already seemed furious.“I told you not to do it. I told you it wasn’t worth it.”“Richard,” my mother warned.My dad spun around.“This is all your fault. If you hadn’t been drowning in medical bills, Lisa wou
Lisa POVThe translucent gel Harry squeezed onto my stomach was cold, making the muscles across my abdomen tighten. He pressed the transducer against my skin, moving it in small circles over my lower belly. The monitor displayed gray, shifting shapes that blurred whenever I took a breath.After Cameron left, the crying clogged my throat until my mom turned from the window and snapped that I was going to make myself sick if I didn’t get a grip.“What if he had done worse?” I kept saying, my knuckles digging into the edge of the mattress. “What if he had a knife or something dangerous? What if he killed me?”“Well, he didn’t,” she said. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a tube of wintergreen ointment, and began rubbing the thick cream into my palms to warm them. Harry kept his eyes fixed on the gray screen, moving the probe without a word.I blinked, clearing the moisture from my eyelashes. “But why? Why would they send him to hurt me?”My mother stopped rubbing my hands. Her mout
Cameron POVMy fingers tightened around the steering wheel as one of the guards climbed into the passenger seat. The headlights of the van behind us came alive across the gravel as I pulled onto the dark road.The drive home barely registered. Time kept vanishing. One moment I was staring at the white lane markings, the next the Alpha estate gates were opening in front of me.The guard beside me kept glancing toward my face, his boots shifting nervously against the floor mat, but I ignored him.I slammed the car door and walked into the mansion. I hadn’t even reached the staircase before Evangeline stepped out.She wore a dark fitted dress, her hair pinned tightly despite the late hour.Her eyes narrowed when she saw me. The pain behind my forehead throbbed harder.“Please,” I muttered, lifting a hand. “Not now.”“What did you do?” she asked sharply. “I can smell her on you.”“Eva, I have a headache.”“Do you have any idea how much you’re hurting me?”She stood rigidly near the stairs
Lisa POVThe cars started arriving around noon.Cameron’s jeep pulled up first. He stepped out and walked around to the passenger side. When he opened the door, Evangeline emerged slowly.She wore a soft cream-colored dress that made her platinum hair glow against the sunlight. Even from my second-f
Lisa POVI didn’t even get the chance to tell anyone my period had started. No sign of Franklin or Nadia all day.Franklin finally knocked on my door the following afternoon.“Come in,” I called, pushing off the bed.He opened the door but stayed in the hallway, one hand resting on the frame as if h
Lisa POVSleep never really came.The sky outside my window stayed dark for hours, the grounds below quiet and empty. I stayed in my room until mid-morning, but eventually the walls began to press in on me. Sitting there any longer felt impossible.I left the room and wandered through the mansion, t
Lisa POVMy phone buzzed.Mom: Sweetheart, how are you? I miss you so much. Call me when you can. We moved out of the house. Luna Catherine moved us into welfare housing. It’s just one bedroom and a little sitting room, nothing fancy, but at least we have somewhere to sleep now. The street is noisy







