FAZER LOGINJax's POV The sound was what hit me first, a guttural roar not of an engine, but of hungry fire. One minute we were locked in a standoff with the Hellhounds, bullets zinging past, and the next, a wall inside the church crumpled inward. Flames, like angry fists, shot out. Smoke, thick and black, billowed.“Move! Move!” Silas screamed, his voice raw above the popping and crackling.We fell back, dodging not just bullets now, but chunks of burning debris. The Hellhounds, surprised as us, faltered, their line breaking. It bought us seconds, just enough to see the full horror. The clubhouse, our church, was an inferno.“Maddie!” Someone yelled, maybe Dare, maybe Rook.The fight vanished. The Hellhounds, the bullets, it all faded into background noise. My eyes darted, searching faces, counting heads. Silas, Rook, Dare. All here. But…“Where’s Maddie?” I shouted, the words tearing from my throat.Silas grabbed my arm, his face streaked with soot already. “She wasn’t behind me! I thought she
Madeleine's POV The soft organ music swelled, a gentle wave carrying me forward. Each step I took down the aisle felt lighter than the last, the white lace of my dress brushing against my ankles. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, painting the nave in vibrant, hopeful hues. My heart hammered, a happy rhythm against my ribs. I saw his face, waiting at the altar, a soft smile playing on his lips. This was it. Everything I’d dreamed of.Then, a harsh whisper cut through the air, sharp enough to sever the delicate thread of my happiness.“Madeleine!”It wasn't his voice. It was rough, laced with desperation. I flinched, my head turning automatically towards the sound, even as my feet instinctively hesitated.*BANG!*The sound ripped through the tranquil church, deafening and brutal, like a hammer striking an anvil. A collective gasp rose from the pews. My spine went rigid. Time seemed to lurch, then slow to a crawl. My gaze snapped to the source of the gunshot.They wer
Madeleine's POV The clanging of metal outside the barred window was a constant reminder of my predicament. It was dark, damp, and smelled of stale blood and desperation. I traced the grimy outlines of the cells oppositemine, each one empty except for a lone figure slumped in the corner furthest from the light – Emilia. We had, in the strange way of captives, formed a silent alliance over the past few days. A shared glance, a nod of understanding, a quiet comfort in mutual misery.Outside, the Hellhounds howled, their drunken laughter echoing through the thick stone walls. They were celebrating again. Another ‘successful’ raid, another territory claimed, another group of innocents terrorized. I pressed my forehead against the cold stone, a silent prayer forming on my lips. Jax, Silas, Rook, Dare. Please, just find me. Find my trail. Follow it to this hellhole. My escape plan was flimsy, reliant on luck and a moment of inattention from my captors. But with them here, with my pack, i
Maddie's POVA dull ache pounded behind my eyes. My body felt stiff, heavy, and cold. The familiar scent of pine and rich earth was gone, replaced by something metallic and sterile. I lay still, trying to sift through the fog in my brain. The kidnapping flooded back, a torrent of fear washing over me. The black bag. The struggle. The rough hands.I tested my surroundings. My hands were still bound, but no longer behind me. They were cuffed together, in front of me, allowing a little movement, but nowhere near enough to free myself. My feet were bare and cold, and I was lying on something hard, like concrete, but with a thin, scratchy blanket over me.I pushed myself up, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my neck. My head still swam, but the immediate fog had begun to lift. The bag was gone. I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to the dim light. I was in a room. A small, sterile room. Bare concrete walls, one small window high up near the ceiling, covered with thick bars. A single, fl
Jax's POVThe bike sputtered, finally dying as we pulled into the lot. My stomach dropped like a lead weight. Nothing. No Madeleine. My eyes darted around, searching the familiar, grimy exterior of the clubhouse. Silas cut his engine, Rook and Dare right behind him. We all knew before anyone spoke a word.“She’s not here.” Silas’s voice was rough, a tight wire.Dare was already off his bike, strides long toward the front door. “The hell she isn’t.”“She better be.” Rook’s hand instinctively went to the knife at his hip. The air thickened with unspoken dread.We pushed inside. Emptiness echoed. The silence was deafening, a stark contrast to the usual roar and clatter. Plates still sat on the kitchen counter, half-eaten. A forgotten mug. Her mug. My throat tightened.“No note.” Dare ran a hand through his hair, frustration warring with rising panic. “No nothing.”My eyes scanned the floor. There was a drag mark, faint but undeniable, leading right to the back door. Not Madeline’s carefu
Madeleine’s POVMy finger trembled on the trigger, the metal cold against my skin.There, in the dim light of the training ground, stood the target. I squeezed, the shot echoing, slicing through the air, and then… nothing. A clean miss. The bullet embedded itself in the wall, nowhere near where it was supposed to land.A chorus of soft chuckles met my ears. I lowered the pistol, a flush creeping up my neck.Jax. Rook. Dare. Silas.They stood there, every single one of them, a slow, predatory smile spreading across their faces. They started walking towards me, a silent, unified front. Each step they took ratcheted up the heat in the room, or maybe it was just inside me. My skin felt taut, a burning awareness spreading from my toes to the roots of my hair.Jax reached me first, his hands settling on my waist, pulling me close. The rough fabric of his shirt grazed my cheek, and the scent of him, pine and something distinctly masculine, filled my senses.His brothers fanned out around us,
Madeleine POV The soft mattress barely registered beneath me. My eyes were wide open, fixed on the ceiling, a canvas for the replay of yesterday’s humiliation. Every word, every sneer, every disgusted glance from the pack elders flashed behind my eyelids. I was worthless. Unmated. A broken echo of
Madeleine's POV The walls of this place felt like they were shrinking, inch by inch, every time I took a breath. I spent the morning counting exits. Kitchen door, back mudroom, the heavy reinforced front entrance—three ways out, all of them locked. My pulse hummed in my throat, a rhythmic, frantic
Madeleine's POV The second time I woke, it wasn’t to the damp chill of the forest floor, nor the metallic tang of my own blood. This time, a warm, savory scent filled my nostrils – something cooked, something real. My stomach grumbled, a deep, hollow ache reminding me of the cold, scavenged scraps
Madeleine’s POVIt was almost time.I heaved a deep breath, clasping my palms around the sides of my head to reduce the noise coming from the Grand Mating Ceremony Hall.Everyone was anticipating the full glow of the moon. The hall was packed with stars. Several Alphas sat at the high tables, wavin







