LOGINJax’s POVThe fire roared, a living beast around us, its breath hot and suffocating. Ash rained down, thick and grey, coating everything in a macabre shroud. My lungs burned with every shallow breath I took, the acrid smoke clawing at my throat.Maddie lay limp in my arms, her face pale, a wisp of dark hair splayed against my charred vest. She coughed, a wet, rattling sound, and then her eyes fluttered, glassy and unfocused.“Maddie? Can you hear me?” I whispered, my voice rough.She moaned, a tiny, pained sound, and then her eyes drifted shut again.Smoke inhalation.Damn it.We had to get out.“Any ideas, Silas?” I yelled over the crackle and roar, my gaze sweeping frantically around the burning chancel. The main entrance was definitely gone, a mountain of fiery rubble.Silas, always the calmest under pressure, wiped sweat and soot from his brow with the back of a black-gloved hand.“North wall,” he said. “There’s a sacristy door. Might lead to a basement.”His voice was strained bu
Madeleine's POVWarmth, a strange, suffocating kind of warmth, pressed into me. My head throbbed, a dull, insistent ache behind my eyes. I coughed, a dry, rattling sound, as a bitter taste filled my mouth. Smoke. Thick, acrid smoke clawed at my throat, each breath a struggle. My lungs burned, searing with every intake. I squeezed my eyes shut, then forced them open. Blurry shapes swam before me, vague outlines of splintered wood and flickering orange light. The heat was immense, radiating from all sides, pressing in closer, threatening to consume me.*“Madeleine!”*The shout was distant, distorted, but unmistakably Jax’s voice. Another, rougher, called my name. Rook? Or Silas? They were out there. They were looking for me.*“Madeleine! Answer us!”*I tried. I really did. I opened my mouth, a desperate gasp for air, and tried to push a sound out, but only a pathetic, choked cough escaped. It tore at my throat, leaving me gasping for more air that wasn’t there, just more smoke. My h
Jax'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
Madeleine's POVDust gathered on my face as a heavy object rolled me down the street. I heard the distant sound of vehicles and how closely they moved past me, but my eyes did not open.It felt like a dream. It seemed like I was in the middle of nowhere, with my hands and eyes tied up by my captor,
Madeleine’s POVI stared up at the tall oak trees before me, glaring at the beauty of the skies. I noticed the gradual disappearance of the full moon. The deed had been done.I'd been rejected by my mate. I'd been cast out by the same pack that I'd served for twenty-four years. The same guards who
Madeleine's POVI ran quickly towards the stage, hoping the guards wouldn't block me from getting there. No one had stood up to present themselves as the Alpha's mate. Was that not enough proof that I belonged to him?“Step back. Calm down. Have you forgotten who Damon is?” I said in my mind, but m
Madeleine POVThe wind kept tearing at my face, flinging grit and dust against my skin until my cheeks burned raw. Every gust felt intentional, like the night itself was trying to keep me awake, trying to make sure I did not escape into darkness. I did not fight it. I refused to close my eyes. If I







