LUCIANEzra was right.As we drove aimlessly, following a bond that was once so faint I could barely feel it, the connection started to strengthen.I could feel her—her soul screaming for me from a distance, and the closer we got, the louder it became.We tore through the forest path, the tires skidding as I slammed the car to a stop outside an old, abandoned house.I bolted from the car, shifting mid-step into my wolf form for speed before shifting back as I crashed through the front door with Ezra right behind me.And then I saw her.Collapsed on the floor, struggling to get up, her arms braced against a baby cot and my heart nearly stopped.She looked up, and our eyes met for the first time in months.Tears streamed down her cheeks, from relief, exhaustion, and pain pouring from her in waves.Her trembling hand lifted, pointing weakly toward the corridor. “He’s…” she tried to say. “Aiden is…”I didn’t want to hear it, I was already pulling her into my arms, holding her close, as if
INGRID"Kira... please," I whisper, voice trembling. "Come back to me."I’ve been calling her for hours—reaching, pleading—desperate to feel her presence in the back of my mind but it’s quiet. And that silence is starting to slowly kill me.Aiden left a few hours ago. His parting words still echoing in my head that when he returns, we’re leaving. No discussion.I shift against the cold wall, wincing as pain shoots through me, but I force myself to sit up, my eyes landing to the cot beside me.My baby girl.She’s asleep, her soft breaths rising and falling, peaceful in a way I no longer remember.“She doesn’t deserve this.” I think to myself, and my heart twists painfully.“You should be with your real father,” I murmur, leaning toward her. “With someone who would die to protect you.”The midwife rushes to my side, startled to see me awake and she helps me lie back down, her hands gentle but rushed.She lifts the sheet, her eyes narrowing as she checks my wound and then she freezes.“W
LUCIAN.The last three months have been hell. I’ve turned over every stone, hunted every whisper, chased every useless lead trying to find Ingrid and nothing.After that house turned out to be another dead end—just cold walls and the lingering scent of Ingrid and her child, I went back to Ezra.He suggested I reclaim my pack for stability and power, and at the time, it sounded like a good plan, so I did.I went back to the territory I left behind, back to the wolves I once ruled.At first it wasn’t easy, but eventually, they recognized I am their alpha and they bowed and swore their allegiance to me.They’ve been helping me track her ever since. Every scout, every warrior, every wolf in the region has been on the lookout. But no one has come close to finding her.It’s like she vanished into thin air.Her unborn child and I—we share a bond. One that formed the night I touched her and marked her.It's faint, like a song carried by the wind, but it's there. Some days I can barely feel it
Three Months LaterINGRID“Push!” The midwife’s voice cuts through the haze of agony like a distant echo, barely reaching me through the whirlwind of pain consuming my entire body.It claws through me, relentless and unyielding, as though something savage has taken hold of my insides, ripping me apart from within.Every contraction feels like a fresh wave of torment, and for what feels like hours—days, even—I’ve been trapped in this place between worlds, teetering on the edge of consciousness.“Push, Ingrid!” I hear her again, and this time, my throat is raw from screaming, my limbs weak and trembling from exertion.My legs have long since gone numb, my back soaked in sweat and pressed against the rough, moldy mattress of this forgotten place which smells like blood and decay.Everything about this house feels wrong—the broken windows, the creaking floors, the shadows that crawl across the walls. Everything.“I can’t,” I gasp, barely recognizing my own voice, my fingers digging into t
LUCIANLogan and I are finally on our way to get Ingrid.The journey is taking longer than expected. I feel impatience gnawing at every nerve of my body as I glance at the trees flying past the window, unfamiliar landscapes stretching endlessly.“How much further?” I ask, my voice clipped.“We’ll be there in a few. Calm down,” Logan replies, his eyes fixed on the road, barely sparing me a glance.I turn back to the window, frowning. “And where the hell are we? I don’t recognize this place.”“It’s far. Away from Shadow Ridge and from anywhere someone might recognize her.” He respond with a sigh, like he is tired of my questions.“He couldn’t risk Ingrid running into someone who might remind her of who she really is,” he adds quietly.I shoot him a sideways look, my hands curling into fists.“There’s nothing you could’ve done, Lucian, ” he adds, almost like he’s trying to soothe me.“You were here the whole time, Logan. Why didn’t you help her?” I ask, barely keeping my anger in check.
INGRID.The silence in the house is eerie as I sit on the edge of the couch, my fingers gripping the burner phones like they might disappear if I blink.My mind spins with questions, fragmented memories, and that one horrifying text I read over and over: “be careful Ingrid and stay put.”Then thud. I hear something.My breath catches in my throat and I freeze.A second later, another noise follows, a low, dragging sound, like something heavy is being pulled across the porch."What the hell is that?" I whisper to myself, springing to my feet.Carefully, I tiptoe toward the front door, every nerve in my body alert and I press my ear against the wood, barely daring to breathe.There's something out there, panting in muffled groans.I drop to my knees and peer through the narrow gap beneath the door.I see a figure lying slumped on the porch, half-conscious. His shirt looks shredded and his wrist glints with a familiar metal band.A Rolex watch."Fuuuck," my eyes widen, my hand flying to