FAZER LOGINPhoebe's POV I adjusted the heavy fabric sling across my chest, feeling the warm, steady weight of six-week-old Zoe resting against my heart.She made a tiny snuffling sound in her sleep, her rosebud mouth twitching against my cotton shirt. I smoothed down the lapel of my worn gray blazer, took a deep breath, and slid the wooden door open.Mr. Henderson sat behind a cluttered desk piled high with ledger books, rolls of dried herbs, and metal crates. He was a thick-set human merchant who ran the main trade post in this border town, a man who had built his business by buying cheap supplies from single mothers and selling them at double the price to traveling caravans.He looked up from his papers, his gray eyebrows pulling together as his eyes dragged over my faded jeans, my simple canvas bag, and the sleeping baby strapped to my chest."You're twenty minutes late, Miss Beckett," he said, not bothering to offer me a chair. "And this isn't a daycare. If that kid starts screaming, the de
Phoebe's POV Another wave of pain squeezed my belly, so hard it pulled the air right out of my mouth. I gasped, digging my fingernails into the armrest of the small, second-hand armchair. The little clock on the wall made a slow, steady ticking sound—three o'clock in the morning.For six months, I had lived in this tiny, quiet apartment on the top floor of an old brick building. No mahogany stairs, no guards standing at the door, and no pack elders watching me with cold, disappointed eyes. Just white painted walls, a small gas stove, and a hand-knitted baby blanket sitting on the bed. But right now, the silence felt huge and terrifying."Just breathe," I whispered to myself, my teeth clicking together as a fresh shiver ran down my spine. "Breathe, Phoebe. You can do this."In the Edison Pack, childbirth was simple. Warm towels, high-ranking healers holding hands over the mother's stomach, and the heavy power of a wolf spirit soothing the pain away. Alpha blood healed torn skin in min
Phoebe's POV My boots crunched over the frozen gravel as I crossed the rusted iron marker at the edge of the Edison Pack territory. Behind me lay the shadow of the tall pine trees, the towering stone castle, and five years of quiet torture.Ahead lay the human highway, a long black line cutting through the gray morning fog under streetlights that flickered with a faint electric buzz. I didn't look back. I couldn't.My chest burned with every breath of icy air I pulled in, my throat raw from the hours spent locked in the dark room without a single drop of water. But as my second foot stepped past the border marker, the heavy, suffocating pressure of the pack's aura vanished. It felt as if a thick iron collar had been unlocked from around my neck.A lone yellow bus rumbled to a halt by the gravel shoulder, its doors folding open with a sharp hiss of air. The human driver didn't look at me with disgust. He didn't check to see if I had a wolf spirit sleeping under my skin, nor did he bow
Kendrix's POVMy palm slammed onto the oak war table, rattling the brass maps and heavy iron inkwells."We've been staring at this same rogue border report for four hours, Marcus," I barked, glaring across the flickering candles at the Beta. "The scout is dead, the letter is burnt at the edges, and we have no proof Garrick signed anything. I am done talking in circles tonight."The Beta leaned back, folding his thick arms across his chest. "The elders are nervous, Kendrix. A rogue seal inside our own walls isn't something you brush under the rug because you're eager to get back to your quarters."A sharp, restless twitch tugged at my shoulder. My wolf was pacing beneath my skin, clawing at my ribs with a sudden, unexplainable itch. Something felt wrong. The air in the castle felt too thin, too quiet."The border watch is doubled," I said, shoving my chair back so hard it screeched against the stone floor. "Garrick, take the morning patrol. Marcus, send the scouts out at dawn. I'm goin
Phoebe's POV The heavy iron lock clicked shut from the outside. The sound rang through the dark bedroom like a gunshot, sharp and final."Kendrix!" I shouted, rushing forward and slamming my flat palms against the thick oak wood. "Kendrix, open this door!""By the Alpha's order, ma'am," a guard’s heavy voice called out from the hallway. "You are to stay inside until the border investigation is settled. For your own safety.""I need food! I need water!" My voice cracked against the silent walls. "You can't lock me in here!"No one answered. The heavy boots of the guard shifted once on the stone floor, then went still.I backed away from the door, my chest heaving, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. The room was cold. The fireplace had died down to grey ashes hours ago, and the chill of the mountain evening was creeping through the tall glass windows.Hours passed in suffocating silence. The shadows on the floor stretched long and dark, swallowing the room whole.
Phoebe's POV His heavy fingers clamped around my wrist, stopping me right at the top of the stone stairs."Phoebe, stop walking," Kendrix said. His chest heaved, his warm breath hitting my shoulder as he pulled me back into the quiet hallway, away from the stripped nursery door. "You’re acting like I just threw you out of the house. We're just moving rooms. Why are you making this so hard?"I turned to face him, yanking my arm back, but his grip was like iron. "She called herself the Luna, Kendrix. The servants are already bowing to her. She told them to burn my crib.""She’s excited," he said, rubbing his face with his free hand. He looked so exhausted, but there was a defensive edge in his tone that cut deeper than any blade. "She’s carrying a wolf pup. Her hormones are everywhere, and the whole pack is crowding her. You have to be the bigger person here. You’re my wife.""I am your wife," I whispered, my voice breaking. "So why do I feel like a guest who stayed too long?""Don't d







