FAZER LOGINI slowly opened my eyes and blinked several times, chasing away the last traces of sleep.
My face was still buried in the pillow, and that scent curled around me again—clean, warm, carrying a hint of forest night.
Fitch.
I knew perfectly well it was impossible, yet I still allowed myself to sink into it. The smell relaxed me like some conditioned re
I slowly opened my eyes and blinked several times, chasing away the last traces of sleep.My face was still buried in the pillow, and that scent curled around me again—clean, warm, carrying a hint of forest night.Fitch.I knew perfectly well it was impossible, yet I still allowed myself to sink into it. The smell relaxed me like some conditioned reflex. Maybe it was only my brain trying to comfort itself. Maybe it was just memory lingering in the air. Whatever it was, it had been enough to lull me to sleep.I had only meant to nap for a few hours. Sleep had always been the most effective way for me to deal with anxiety. But apparently, I had “over-treated” myself.When I glanced at the blinds, orange light seeped through the slats. For a moment, I couldn
I could hardly believe what I was seeing.The sentence repeated itself over and over in my mind, like a broken recorder stuck on the same line.I stood in the shadows at the edge of the cliff behind the backyard. Ethan stood quietly behind me. Wind rose from the slope below, carrying the scent of the pack—so familiar that it tightened something painfully in my chest.Four months.I had been gone for four months.And yet I returned today.Of all days—today.The day of his Alpha ceremony.On the stage, Fitch stood in a black suit, tall and coldly composed. His palm was pressed against Evelyn’s, their blood mixing, evaporating, forming the bond.
I did not actually oppose the condition Evelyn proposed.To be honest, I was even a little surprised that she had thought of it. But the more I considered it, the more grateful I became that she was the one who voiced it first.Sarah had blocked every one of our numbers. We had known that for a long time. Yet even so, we kept calling again and again—as if persistence alone might loosen the grip of fate.I called twice.Melissa, Evelyn, Alex—even my father. Everyone tried.No response.No rejection message.No voicemail.Nothing.It was as if she had truly vanished from the world.
After learning that three innocent children had been brutally murdered, I barely hesitated before deciding to see my father.In that moment, my conscience felt like it was being torn apart. The wolf inside me paced restlessly, rage and the thirst for revenge tangling with a guilt I could barely suppress.We were supposed to protect them.We were supposed to.So I went to the hospital.As usual, I bought a cup of bitter coffee from the machine at the end of the hallway—so bitter it made my tongue sting. As if that might somehow keep me alert.But the thing that truly made my hands tremble wasn’t the taste of the coffee.It was the truth I was about to speak aloud.As Alpha, my father&
I buried myself deep inside the down comforter.This bit of sleep was far too precious to waste.Sarah leaving, my father collapsing, the pack in turmoil, Caitlin’s shadow, the threat of the rogues—everything felt like ropes tightening around my throat. I hadn’t truly relaxed in a long time. Even an hour of real sleep was something I would cling to.My wolf had quieted too.Zara’s faint scent still lingered in the air.It seeped into the pillow, the sheets, the cracks in the wooden floor. Deep in my consciousness, my wolf inhaled it slowly, like a dying man grasping for one last breath of oxygen.—Remember it.—Don’t let it fade.Half-asleep, I rolled ov
My father lifted his hand slightly.Every whisper in the hospital room died instantly.“Raphael, speak.”Alex’s father slowly stood.I hadn’t even fully heard his first word when a sense of dread crept into my chest.“We need Fitch to become the new Alpha.”The air froze for a second.And then—The wolf inside me snapped awake.He had been waiting for this moment all along.I stared at Raphael, a low growl rumbling deep in my throat.He wasn’t stupid.He knew the rules ve
He cupped my face in both hands, his knuckles brushing my jaw with the warmth of faint calluses. Those green eyes were like a deep pool beneath dense summer shade—just looking into them was enough to make me feel as though I might drown.“You only need to watch from the sidelines,” his thumb gently
“Ada wasn’t like this before… was she?” Melissa asked softly.“She wasn’t,” I sighed.The three of us were crammed into my bedroom for the night—
The air in the great hall was thick as honey. As Fitch led me through the crowd, I counted my heartbeat—once, twice—matching the steady, almost unreal warmth flowing from his palm.Eva sat to the left of the stage, her skirt spread like a tide beneath the moon. The couple beside her turned their he
Fitch’s palm slid slowly along my spine. The soft rasp of a zipper followed, and cool air brushed my back—my dress loosened. I shivered, not from cold, but from the feather-light kiss he placed at my neck.I felt myself







