LOGINLILLIAN POVThe hospital was my sanctuary. Here, I was just Dr. Lillian. The beeping monitors and patient charts did not care about pack politics.I was finishing notes when a nurse, Maya, approached me. She looked uneasy.Dr. Lillian? There is a patient waiting for you. In your office.”I paused. “In my office? They should be in an exam room.”“The patient insisted. You were asked for by name.”A cold feeling settled in my stomach. “Is it a man or a woman?”“A woman,” Maya said.Not Baron, I thought with quick relief. But the relief did not last. “Thank you, Maya. I will go now.”I finished up quickly, with my mind uneasy, and walked to my office. The door was closed. I turned the handle and stepped inside.Sharon sat in my chair behind my desk.She looked calm and neat, with her hands folded. She looked like she owned the place.My blood ran cold. “Get out.”She did not move. She smiled nastily. “Is that how you greet patients, Doctor? ‘Get out’ ? I thought healers helped people.”“
DRAKE POVThe morning sun was bright on the training grounds. For the first time in weeks, I was holding a bow, felling the familiar pull of the string, with Andre and Lucas standing nearby, checking over some new training swords.The air felt clean. With Elara gone, a heavy, sour pressure had lifted from the pack. “Remember,” Lucas was saying to Andre with a huge grin on his face, “that summer when we were sixteen? You tried to impress that she wolf from the River Pack by showing off your archery skills?”Andre groaned and rubbed his face. “Do not remind me. I missed the target completely. The arrow flew over the fence and almost hit the Alpha’s favorite horse.”“And Drake,” Lucas continued, his eyes sparkling, “covered for you. Told the Alpha it was a stray arrow from target practice miles away.”I shook my head, and smiled genuinely. “You were both hopeless. But you were my hopeless Betas.” It felt good to remember easier times.We were all laughing, which was a rare, occurrence w
LILLIAN POVLydia and I were in the mansion’s big kitchen. It was a quiet morning. I was stirring honey into my tea, while Lydia was slicing bread. The peace felt delicate, but real.Then, the kitchen door flew open.Salome burst in, with her eyes wide and bright, and with an excited smile on her face. She was practically skipping.Lydia and I stared at her. Then we looked at each other with shocked expressions on our faces. Salome was always so calm and steady. I had never seen her like this.“What is it?” I asked anxiously as I set down my spoon. “Did you win a prize.”Salome shook her head, still wearing that huge grin on her face. “Guess.”Lydia put down her knife on the table. “Did Lucas send you something special?”Salome laughed. “We are almost there! But not quite. Guess again!”“Did you find a lost puppy?” I tried, smiling at her joy.“No! Better!” She was practically bouncing in her heels.Lydia tapped her chin. “Did you get a promotion at work?”Salome waved a hand dismissi
ANDRE POVI closed Drake’s chamber doors gently and turned towards Elara who was being led out through the corridors, even though she was walking steadily, her body was shook with shock and anger.“Take her downstairs. Straight to the car.”We had only gone a few steps when she suddenly pulled against the guards holding her, and turned her head towards me in anger. The hurt and shame of earlier had been burned away, leaving behind a cold glare.“You are a fool, Andre,” she spat out in a low venomous hiss.I stopped walking. The guards paused and looked at me for instructions.“Oh am I?” I asked flatly.“You do not see it,” she said with a nasty smile on her lips. “I was the only wall standing between Drake and that…that slimy little Doctor. The only thing keeping him from falling right back onto her pathetic arms. Now that I am gone, what do you think will happen? He will lean on her again. He will look for her. And where will that leave you, Beta? Pushed aside once more, watching you
DRAKE POVI was in a deep, dreamless sleep, which was my first good rest in my own bed for a long time. The mountain’s peace was still in my bones.Then, the silence broke.My doors burst open suddenly with a loud bang.I was on my feet in a flash, with my wolf rising to the surface. Elara stood in the doorway, shaking violently with anger. Her hair was wild, while her night dress was messy.“You!” She screamed and stormed into the room. “You came back in the night and think you can throw me out like thrash?”I was filled with rage. “How dare you come into my room?” I growled angrily. “GUARDS!”Two guards ran in, with a pale look on their faces and knelt down.“Alpha, we are sorry!” One said. “She ran past us! We yelled for her to stop, but we could not touch her. She is guest and your—” he stopped. “My what?” I demanded.“Your mate!” Elara screamed at the guards. “You hear him! He wants you to hurt his mate! Is this your pack’s honor?”Andre came in behind them, breathing heavily as
LILLIAN POVThe evening in the mansion sitting room was quiet and warm. A fire crackled in the fire place, which pushed back the cold air, making every where warm. Salome, Lydia, Willow, and I were curled on the sofas with mugs of herbal tea in our hands. For a moment, the world outside felt very far away.Salome was telling us about her clash with Sharon in the pack house dining hall for the third time. Her cheeks were flushed, not with anger now, but with a kind of bewildered pride.“….and the words just came out,” she said and gestured around with her hands. “I did not plan them. I did not even think. I saw her smirking at Lucas, saw how tired he was and something in me just….snapped. I called her a bottom-feeder. A scavenger.” She covered her face in her hands briefly. “By the Moon, I sounded so harsh.”Lydia set her teacup down with a loud clink. “Harsh? Salome, you were nice. If it had been me, I would not have stopped at words. I would have beaten her until her own mother would







