The morning sun bled through the tinted glass windows of my office, casting an eerie glow over the sleek black furniture. I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming against the desk as I skimmed through reports. The city skyline stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, but my mind was elsewhere.Nevaeh.She had been in my home for a week now, yet every time I looked at her, something inside me twisted. The mate bond was a curse, tightening its grip with every breath she took within my territory. She didn’t belong here. A rogue. An outsider.And yet… I hadn’t let her go.My jaw clenched.I shoved the papers aside just as Eldric waltzed in like he owned the place, throwing himself into the chair across from my desk."What's up, Cuz?" he said, propping his feet up on my table."Get your fucking feet off my desk" I shot him a glare.Eldric grinned but made no move to obey. "Relax. Your desk is already ugly. My boots are an upgrade.""Are you that eager to die?" I snarled.He sighed
IANI sat across from my father, watching him lounge in his chair like a king on a damn throne, swirling his whiskey as if the world outside these walls wasn’t crumbling. As if his own daughter wasn’t being held captive.The sheer indifference on his face made my blood boil. I clenched my fists, forcing my voice to stay steady.“How the hell can you sit there drinking while your eldest daughter is being held captive?”He didn’t even bother to look at me at first. Just took another slow sip and exhaled.“Why should I be worried about a liability?” he questioned in a bored tone.A liability.Something inside me snapped.Before I knew it, I was on my feet, my hands fisting the front of his shirt. I yanked him out of his chair so fast the glass tumbled from his grip, shattering on the floor. The air reeked of whiskey and something bitter—probably my own rage.His eyes widened slightly, but there was no fear, just that usual condescending smirk.“You bastard!” I snarled, pulling back my fis
NEVAEH The aroma of freshly brewed tea and warm pastries fills the spacious dining hall. The morning sun filters through the grand windows, casting golden streaks across the dark mahogany table where Kane and I sit. My plate is stacked high with eggs, toast, and crispy bacon, while Kane’s remains almost untouched—except for his steaming cup of tea, which he occasionally sips from, watching me with mild amusement. I ignore his stare and focus on my food. The warmth of the eggs, the crunch of the toast—it grounds me, gives me something to focus on besides the strange, brooding man across from me. Kane sets his cup down with a quiet clink. "How old are you?" he asks smoothly. I swallow a bite of toast before answering. “Twenty.” He hums, his expression unreadable.“Do you have siblings?” My hand pauses over my plate, surprised by the question. “Yes. An older brother and a younger sister.” “Your parents?” Kane raises a brow. “They’re alive.” I hesitate. “At least, the last time
ELDRICI should keep walking.I tell myself that the moment I catch her scent—warm strawberries and something sharper underneath, like cinnamon and lightning. The kind of smell that makes my wolf stir, lifting his head for the first time in weeks.I slow down, steps light, blending into the crowd. I have no business being here. No mission. No blood to spill.And yet… there she is.Standing in front of a fruit stall, arguing with a vendor like the world isn’t full of monsters in human skin. Her coat hangs off one shoulder, a stray strand of hair falling into her face as she waves a coin in the air, clearly unimpressed with the price.Something about her posture—the fire in her stance, the curve of her mouth when she smirks—shifts the air.Mine.The word shoots through me before I can strangle it.What the hell?My wolf huffs, tail twitching like a pup. The bastard’s excited. Over her?I step closer, not realizing how near I’ve gotten until she stiffens and turns around.Brown eyes. No—
NEVAEHThe bed is too soft. Too warm. My sheets tangle around me like they’re trying to trap me in this restless sleep I can’t escape. I roll onto my side again, toss the pillow beneath my head, and stare at the ceiling, unable to corral my thoughts. Every time I close my eyes, the same nightmares return—whispers in the woods, shadows chasing me, a voice pulling at something deep inside me.With a frustrated sigh, I swing my legs off the bed. The cool floor brings brief relief. I stand, pace the room for a moment, then head for the door. The hallway is dim, lit by a soft orange glow flickering from distant sconces. As I step out, I freeze.He’s there.Just a few feet away, Kane stands against the shadows, his presence as dark and untouchable as the night itself. He doesn’t notice me right away, his focus fixed on the hallway ahead. My throat tightens. My mind blanks. That look on his face—the coldness in his eyes—it never fades. Not even when he’s near.I clear my throat, the sound sl
KANEMeetings. Calls. Endless reports. But my eyes keep drifting.She sits in the corner of my office—quiet, efficient—working through the files I hand her like she has something to prove. And maybe she does. That fire of hers hasn’t dimmed since the moment she walked into this place—and every damn second, I feel the heat of it on my skin.She doesn’t once ask for help. Doesn’t complain. Doesn’t try to get under my skin like she usually does.That’s what gets to me the most.I’m used to her bite.Not this... focus.By the time the clock hits four, I’ve nearly forgotten she’s here—until she stands in front of my desk and lays the completed paperwork down.“All done” she says, tone flat. No smug smile. No sass. Just a simple statement.I look at the files, flipping through them.Clean. Accurate. Organized as hell.I pause, narrowing my gaze at her.“You finished all of this?”“Didn’t stutter” she replies.“You read and compiled everything yourself?” I arch a brow.Her jaw tightens like
NEVAEH The instant the pack house door shut behind me, I ran through the hallway, ignoring the curious glances from the omegas cleaning near the stairway. I didn’t slow down. I didn’t care. Not about them, not about the fact that I was probably trembling, not even about Kane’s Beta’s voice behind me calling my name.I reached my room.Slammed the door.And collapsed against it.My back hit the wood with a dull thud, and I slid down to the floor like every bone in my body had finally given up. My knees folded to my chest. My arms wrapped around them. And then the tears came—fast, hot, and furious.Gods, I had wanted to run. I’d wanted to tear that door open and throw myself into Ian’s arms the moment the car pulled up. And I had. For a second. For that one second, I had hope.But Kane’s hand had caught my wrist before I could move. Tight. Unrelenting. His words still echoed in my head:“Make one move to follow him, and your family will pay for it. You know I don’t bluff, Nevaeh.”His
The tension is oppressive.She keeps staring at me like she’s already made peace with leaving. There’s a quiet strength in her, in the way she stands, unmoving, bracing herself. And that look? That damn look she’s giving me—like she’s already accepted it, like she’s already chosen to walk away, and all that’s left is for me to say the words.It pushes something inside me dangerously close to the edge. Something deep, something I can’t control. The desire to shake her, to make her understand what this bond means.She lifts her chin then, those silver eyes locking on mine like she’s daring me to speak, daring me to give her what she wants. She’s braced for the blow, expecting me to shatter her heart with the words that will set her free. I wish it were that simple. I wish she could just walk away from this and never look back.But that’s not how this works. Not for me. Not for us.“You want me to what?” I ask, my voice quieter than I expect. It’s not calm. It’s not cold. It’s just... st
I stagger back from the mirror, chest heaving. That voice—low and dark, like smoke curling around my thoughts—echoes in my skull.“H-hello?” I whisper aloud, but my lips feel numb, disconnected. “Are you… my wolf?”A beat of silence.Then, the voice answers again, a little softer this time. “Yes.”My knees buckle, and I fall onto the stool in front of the dressing table. My fingers tremble as I press them to my temples, grounding myself.“Where have you been? Why now?” I ask.“You weren’t ready” she murmurs, the words coiling gently around my mind. “You still aren’t. But the clock ticks, and I can’t stay quiet anymore.”I swallow thickly. “That’s not fair. Most wolves speak to their humans by eighteen. They shift. They bond. I turned twenty months ago. I’ve spent two years thinking something was wrong with me.”“You are not broken” she utters firmly. “You are bound.”I blink. “Bound? To what?”No response.“Why didn’t we shift on my birthday? Why have you stayed silent all this time?”
The tension is oppressive.She keeps staring at me like she’s already made peace with leaving. There’s a quiet strength in her, in the way she stands, unmoving, bracing herself. And that look? That damn look she’s giving me—like she’s already accepted it, like she’s already chosen to walk away, and all that’s left is for me to say the words.It pushes something inside me dangerously close to the edge. Something deep, something I can’t control. The desire to shake her, to make her understand what this bond means.She lifts her chin then, those silver eyes locking on mine like she’s daring me to speak, daring me to give her what she wants. She’s braced for the blow, expecting me to shatter her heart with the words that will set her free. I wish it were that simple. I wish she could just walk away from this and never look back.But that’s not how this works. Not for me. Not for us.“You want me to what?” I ask, my voice quieter than I expect. It’s not calm. It’s not cold. It’s just... st
NEVAEH The instant the pack house door shut behind me, I ran through the hallway, ignoring the curious glances from the omegas cleaning near the stairway. I didn’t slow down. I didn’t care. Not about them, not about the fact that I was probably trembling, not even about Kane’s Beta’s voice behind me calling my name.I reached my room.Slammed the door.And collapsed against it.My back hit the wood with a dull thud, and I slid down to the floor like every bone in my body had finally given up. My knees folded to my chest. My arms wrapped around them. And then the tears came—fast, hot, and furious.Gods, I had wanted to run. I’d wanted to tear that door open and throw myself into Ian’s arms the moment the car pulled up. And I had. For a second. For that one second, I had hope.But Kane’s hand had caught my wrist before I could move. Tight. Unrelenting. His words still echoed in my head:“Make one move to follow him, and your family will pay for it. You know I don’t bluff, Nevaeh.”His
KANEMeetings. Calls. Endless reports. But my eyes keep drifting.She sits in the corner of my office—quiet, efficient—working through the files I hand her like she has something to prove. And maybe she does. That fire of hers hasn’t dimmed since the moment she walked into this place—and every damn second, I feel the heat of it on my skin.She doesn’t once ask for help. Doesn’t complain. Doesn’t try to get under my skin like she usually does.That’s what gets to me the most.I’m used to her bite.Not this... focus.By the time the clock hits four, I’ve nearly forgotten she’s here—until she stands in front of my desk and lays the completed paperwork down.“All done” she says, tone flat. No smug smile. No sass. Just a simple statement.I look at the files, flipping through them.Clean. Accurate. Organized as hell.I pause, narrowing my gaze at her.“You finished all of this?”“Didn’t stutter” she replies.“You read and compiled everything yourself?” I arch a brow.Her jaw tightens like
NEVAEHThe bed is too soft. Too warm. My sheets tangle around me like they’re trying to trap me in this restless sleep I can’t escape. I roll onto my side again, toss the pillow beneath my head, and stare at the ceiling, unable to corral my thoughts. Every time I close my eyes, the same nightmares return—whispers in the woods, shadows chasing me, a voice pulling at something deep inside me.With a frustrated sigh, I swing my legs off the bed. The cool floor brings brief relief. I stand, pace the room for a moment, then head for the door. The hallway is dim, lit by a soft orange glow flickering from distant sconces. As I step out, I freeze.He’s there.Just a few feet away, Kane stands against the shadows, his presence as dark and untouchable as the night itself. He doesn’t notice me right away, his focus fixed on the hallway ahead. My throat tightens. My mind blanks. That look on his face—the coldness in his eyes—it never fades. Not even when he’s near.I clear my throat, the sound sl
ELDRICI should keep walking.I tell myself that the moment I catch her scent—warm strawberries and something sharper underneath, like cinnamon and lightning. The kind of smell that makes my wolf stir, lifting his head for the first time in weeks.I slow down, steps light, blending into the crowd. I have no business being here. No mission. No blood to spill.And yet… there she is.Standing in front of a fruit stall, arguing with a vendor like the world isn’t full of monsters in human skin. Her coat hangs off one shoulder, a stray strand of hair falling into her face as she waves a coin in the air, clearly unimpressed with the price.Something about her posture—the fire in her stance, the curve of her mouth when she smirks—shifts the air.Mine.The word shoots through me before I can strangle it.What the hell?My wolf huffs, tail twitching like a pup. The bastard’s excited. Over her?I step closer, not realizing how near I’ve gotten until she stiffens and turns around.Brown eyes. No—
NEVAEH The aroma of freshly brewed tea and warm pastries fills the spacious dining hall. The morning sun filters through the grand windows, casting golden streaks across the dark mahogany table where Kane and I sit. My plate is stacked high with eggs, toast, and crispy bacon, while Kane’s remains almost untouched—except for his steaming cup of tea, which he occasionally sips from, watching me with mild amusement. I ignore his stare and focus on my food. The warmth of the eggs, the crunch of the toast—it grounds me, gives me something to focus on besides the strange, brooding man across from me. Kane sets his cup down with a quiet clink. "How old are you?" he asks smoothly. I swallow a bite of toast before answering. “Twenty.” He hums, his expression unreadable.“Do you have siblings?” My hand pauses over my plate, surprised by the question. “Yes. An older brother and a younger sister.” “Your parents?” Kane raises a brow. “They’re alive.” I hesitate. “At least, the last time
IANI sat across from my father, watching him lounge in his chair like a king on a damn throne, swirling his whiskey as if the world outside these walls wasn’t crumbling. As if his own daughter wasn’t being held captive.The sheer indifference on his face made my blood boil. I clenched my fists, forcing my voice to stay steady.“How the hell can you sit there drinking while your eldest daughter is being held captive?”He didn’t even bother to look at me at first. Just took another slow sip and exhaled.“Why should I be worried about a liability?” he questioned in a bored tone.A liability.Something inside me snapped.Before I knew it, I was on my feet, my hands fisting the front of his shirt. I yanked him out of his chair so fast the glass tumbled from his grip, shattering on the floor. The air reeked of whiskey and something bitter—probably my own rage.His eyes widened slightly, but there was no fear, just that usual condescending smirk.“You bastard!” I snarled, pulling back my fis
The morning sun bled through the tinted glass windows of my office, casting an eerie glow over the sleek black furniture. I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming against the desk as I skimmed through reports. The city skyline stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, but my mind was elsewhere.Nevaeh.She had been in my home for a week now, yet every time I looked at her, something inside me twisted. The mate bond was a curse, tightening its grip with every breath she took within my territory. She didn’t belong here. A rogue. An outsider.And yet… I hadn’t let her go.My jaw clenched.I shoved the papers aside just as Eldric waltzed in like he owned the place, throwing himself into the chair across from my desk."What's up, Cuz?" he said, propping his feet up on my table."Get your fucking feet off my desk" I shot him a glare.Eldric grinned but made no move to obey. "Relax. Your desk is already ugly. My boots are an upgrade.""Are you that eager to die?" I snarled.He sighed