MasukLouis’s POVThe field is still there when I open my eyes again.Silver grass ripples under a wind that doesn’t feel like air but like memory. The sky glows softly, not with a sun or a moon but with something gentler—I’m not back by the lake.I’m still here.And for reasons I can’t explain, relief fills me before fear ever has the chance to.“Good,” Damien’s voice says behind me. “You didn’t disappear this time.”I turn.He’s sitting on the grass now, his legs stretched out, hands braced behind him, watching the shifting sky like it’s a familiar old friend. He looks younger here somehow. Not in age—but in spirit. Lighter. Less burdened.I drop beside him without thinking.“What happens if I stay too long?” I ask.He tilts his head, considering. “You might start to believe this is the only place you’re safe.”The honesty in his voice is disarming.“I already believe that,” I admit quietly.He doesn’t look pleased by that. His gaze sharpens, just slightly.“This place isn’t meant to rep
Louis’s POV……The forest was quiet and getting dark, my throat hurt from where damien had choked me.Damien walked beside me, his steps slower than usual, his shoulders tense beneath the weight of everything he wasn’t saying. I remember his loss of control, my fear, the bite I’d used to stop him, the look in his eyes when the darkness left him.Regret. Shame. And something deeper than both.We didn’t touch each other as we walked, not even accidentally, yet I felt him as if there were threads tying us together. Invisible and pulling us together.Ahead, the lights of Aria’s pack glowed warmly through the trees.Home.Or something like it.Kaelen was the first to notice us when we entered the clearing. He straightened immediately, his sharp gaze sweeping over Damien before flicking to me.Aria appeared immeyHer presence was like sunlight. Gentle. Steady. Powerful in a way that didn’t need to announce itself.“Louis,” she said softly.I didn’t realize how tightly my chest had been lock
Louis’s POV….. I bolted through the dense forest, each step tearing through the undergrowth, leaves snapping beneath my boots. My chest heaved, tears stinging my eyes, and my hands shook—not from fear, but from the anger and betrayal that burned hotter than any fire.I had to get away. I had to feel something other than the weight of Damien’s confession—the truth that he had been using me, manipulating me all along for his own gain.The clearing ahead opened into a wide field bathed in silver moonlight. I stumbled into it, my wolf instincts flaring. Here, there was space to think, space to breathe. But the moonlight only made me feel smaller, exposed, vulnerable.“Damien,” I muttered, voice shaking, tasting bitter in my throat. “How could you?”My chest tightened as if the words themselves were iron chains. Every step away from him should have felt freeing, but instead, I could feel his presence behind me, like a shadow trailing my movements. My wolf snarled low in my chest, senses s
Damien’s POV….I paced the small clearing near Aria’s room,my hands clenching and unclenching, my voice low as I spoke to the only person I could trust with the truth.“Aria,” I said, my tone tense, “I don’t understand. This darkness… it’s stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. I can barely control it. Sometimes I feel like I’m losing myself—like the wolf inside me is trying to take over completely.”Aria’s calm presence was a sharp contrast to the turmoil inside me. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly, as though weighing every word I spoke. “And yet you’ve avoided mating with her.”I froze, my hands gripping my hair. “What are you talking about?”“You know exactly what I mean,” she said, voice steady but firm. “Louis. Your mate. You’ve had the chance, Damien, and you’ve held back.”I let out a frustrated growl. “It’s not that simple! You don’t understand the darkness… the way it claws at me, the way it twists my thoughts. If I let it take over… if I mate with her now…”Aria
Aria’s POV…. The morning sun spilled golden across the nursery, catching the gentle sweep of Caelum’s tiny hands as he reached toward the dangling toys above his crib. His soft coos were like music, threading warmth straight through my chest. I leaned closer, brushing a fine curl from his forehead. “Eat well, little one,” I murmured, lifting the bottle. He wriggled, eager and insistent, and I laughed softly. It was a sound I hadn’t realized I’d missed so much—peaceful and safe. Kaelen sat across the room on the floor, his back propped against the wall. He was quietly watching us, a rare softness in his usually guarded expression. The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement as Caelum’s tiny fists batted at the bottle. “Looks like he’s got your stubborn streak,” Kaelen said quietly, voice low and gentle. I chuckled. “Let’s hope he has more of my patience than yours.” He shook his head, grinning. “I doubt it. He’s got your eyes; he’ll get exactly what he wants.” The baby g
Damien’s POV…… It started as a whisper. Not a voice. Not words. Just… pressure. Like something coiled tightly around my spine, watching, waiting, patient in a way that made my skin crawl. I stood at the edge of the training field, arms folded, pretending everything was normal. The wolves didn’t notice. Louis didn’t notice. Not yet. But I felt it. Every heartbeat. Every breath. Every moment she was near. The darker part of me stirred more violently around her. As though her presence was both a balm and a provocation. Mine. Protect her. Take her. Bind her. Claim her. Keep her safe even if you must break the world. I clenched my jaw. Shut up. The voice didn’t leave. It never truly did. The day after we spent together felt… different. Not because Louis had changed. She was still careful, Still guarded__ Still proud. But softer. More open. She looked at me when she thought I wasn’t watching. She smiled more easily. She stood closer. And







