LOGINKNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.The sound echoed through Maya's apartment like a warning.She sat upright in bed, breathing hard from the nightmare. Sweat dampened her shirt. Her pulse raced so fast she could hear blood rushing through her ears.The knocking came again.Louder.More urgent.Maya glanced toward the clock beside her bed.11:47 p.m.Who would be visiting this late?A cold knot formed in her stomach.James?No.After what happened, she never wanted to see him again.The knocking continued.Maya slowly climbed out of bed and grabbed the small baseball bat she kept beside the closet. Living alone had taught her to be careful.She moved quietly through the apartment.Another knock.Then silence.Whoever stood outside was waiting.Watching.Her heart hammered.The strange heightened senses she had developed over the past week suddenly sharpened.She could hear breathing outside the door.One person.Male.Large.Very large.Maya swallowed hard.That wasn't normal.How could she possibly
Maya stared at Kai.The words hung heavily in the air between them.You're coming home with me.Home.The idea sounded absurd.She barely knew this man.One week ago, she hadn't even known he existed.Now he was standing in her apartment, surrounded by broken furniture and splintered wood, telling her she needed to leave her entire life behind and follow him into a world she still wasn't convinced was real.Werewolves.Packs.Alpha bloodlines.Council laws.It all sounded like something from a fantasy novel.Yet the shattered front door behind him was very real.The terror she'd felt when those men broke into her apartment had been real too.Most of all, the child growing inside her was real.Maya swallowed hard."I'm not going anywhere."Marcus groaned.Kai remained completely still."You're stubborn.""I'm practical."A faint smile almost appeared on Kai's face.Almost.Then it disappeared."Twelve trackers are coming.""Then call the police."Neither Kai nor Marcus said anything.T
Maya stared at Kai.The apartment seemed impossibly quiet now that the intruders were gone.Only minutes ago, three strange men had broken into her home.Men whose eyes glowed gold.Men who claimed they had come for her.And somehow the most unbelievable part wasn't them.It was the man standing in front of her.Kai.The stranger she had spent one unforgettable night with.The father of her child.The werewolf Alpha."Our baby."The words echoed inside Maya's head.Neither of them spoke.Neither seemed to know what to say next.Finally, Maya broke the silence."You disappeared."Kai's jaw tightened.The accusation clearly hit its target."You left without a word."His silver eyes lowered briefly."I know.""You didn't leave a number."Silence."You didn't leave an address."More silence."You didn't even leave your last name."A flicker of guilt crossed his face.For the first time, Maya realized the powerful Alpha wasn't as unaffected as he appeared.He looked exhausted.Haunted.Lik
KNOCK.KNOCK.KNOCK.The sound echoed through Maya's apartment.She sat upright on the couch, her heart pounding so hard it hurt.For a moment she thought she was still dreaming.The nightmare had felt too real.The hand around her throat.The suffocating darkness.The terrifying sense that someone was hunting her.Then the knocking came again.Louder.More impatient.Maya glanced toward the clock on the wall.11:47 PM.Who would visit her at this hour?A knot formed in her stomach.Ever since the doctor's strange diagnosis, nothing felt normal anymore.Five days.Five impossible days.Five days since she had spent one reckless night with a stranger.Five days since her entire life had fallen apart.And now she was supposedly carrying a werewolf Alpha's child.The idea still sounded insane.Yet every strange symptom made it harder to deny.The nosebleeds.The heightened hearing.The vivid dreams.The strange warmth spreading through her body whenever she thought about the baby's fathe
Kai Blackwood stood motionless in the center of his pack's grand hall, every muscle coiled tight as the priestess's words echoed off the stone walls."The Alpha has impregnated a human." Her voice was thin, ancient, condemning. "An abomination. The human and the pup must be eliminated before the next full moon, or the Alpha will forfeit his claim to the Alpha King position."Silence.Fifty pack members watched him, waiting for his response. Waiting for their Alpha to do what tradition demanded.Kai's wolf snarled inside him, fighting for dominance. Mine. Protect. Kill anyone who threatens her.He forced his expression to remain blank. Emotionless. "How long?""Six days until the full moon." The priestess's milky eyes fixed on him. "Six days to find her and kill her and the pup, or you lose everything. The Council will strip your title. Another Alpha will take your place."His Beta, Marcus, stepped forward. "We'll mobilize immediately. Track her scent from wherever you…""No." Kai's vo
Day two, this has never happened before.When the bleeding finally stopped, Maya looked up at her reflection and froze.Something was different. Her face looked... sharper somehow. Her eyes brighter. Her skin is almost glowing despite the dark circles underneath.A wave of nausea hit her hard. She barely made it to the toilet before she was retching, her stomach heaving even though she hadn't eaten anything.When it passed, Maya sat on the cold tile floor, trembling.Day five, this wasn't normal.She dressed up, she was on her way to hospital. Two hours later, Maya sat in an examination room at a different hospital across town. No way was she going back to her workplace. Not after James.The doctor, an older woman frowned as she reviewed the results. "The blood test confirms it. You're pregnant."Maya's world tilted. "That's impossible. It's only been five days since…""Five days?" The doctor frowned. "That's not possible. You'd need at least…"A sound cut through the room. Low. Prim
She checked his pulse. Thready. Skin clammy. He needed help.But she couldn't go back inside. Couldn't face that hospital again."Come on." She hooked her arms under his shoulders, straining against his weight. He was tall, muscular, dead weight in her arms. "Walk with me."Step by painful step, sh
The voice drifted through the hospital corridor, breathy and raw with pleasure.Maya's sneakers squeaked against the polished floor as she stopped mid-step. Her hands tightened around the plastic bags she carried. Protein bars. Fresh clothes. The expensive dark chocolate James loved.Room 304. Jame







