Mag-log in“So, what’s first?” Roman asked, a hint of mischief sparkling in his eyes. “Pizza or questions?”Ellie tilted her head, pretending to consider it. “Pizza first. I make better decisions when I’m fed.”A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he pulled out his phone, thumbs flying. “One meat lovers, one veggie supreme. Thirty minutes.”She blinked, surprised. “You remembered my order.”“I remember everything about you,” he replied casually, as if it were no big deal.The simplicity of his words hit her harder than any grand declaration. Ellie tucked her legs beneath her, leaning back against the pillows, leaving just enough space between them—not distance, but room to think clearly.“So,” she said after a moment, brushing her hands together, “while we wait… what did you actually want to talk about?”Roman hesitated, leaning back slightly as he stared at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts. When he looked at her again, the humor had vanished.“Can you ever really forgive me?” he asked
The drive home was quiet at first. Ellie leaned against the passenger window, watching the silhouettes of trees blur into a dark smudge against the dusk. Her phone was a steady, warm weight in her palm; she’d reread their conversation three times now, each pass sending a fresh jolt of restless electricity through her veins. Beside her, Lucy drove with one hand draped over the wheel, her voice steady as she cataloged pack logistics. Ellie nodded and hummed in all the right places, but her mind was miles away. It was back in the bedroom she’d just left. It was caught on the low, resonant memory of Roman’s voice—a sound that made it feel like he already knew how this story ended. "—and Alpha expects the full assembly by Friday," Lucy said, then paused. "Ellie? You still on this planet?" Ellie blinked, the cabin of the car snapping back into focus. "Sorry. Friday. Right. What about it?" Lucy’s brow arched. "You’ve been gone all day, and you’ve been 'somewhere else' for the last twe
Ellie — Later That DayIt didn't happen all at once. There was no dramatic moment. No single thought that tipped her over the edge. Ellie had been sitting on the edge of the bed, sunlight spilling through the window in long, lazy streaks, Lucy somewhere in the kitchen on the phone. The house felt too quiet for the middle of the afternoon. Too still. She'd done all the right things. Drank water. Ate toast. Took a shower she'd mostly just stood under, letting the warmth hit her shoulders until her thoughts finally slowed. And then—out of nowhere—her body woke up. Not hunger. Not anxiety. Something lower. Warmer. Restless.She shifted where she sat, frowning at the unfamiliar sensation, pressing her thighs together instinctively like that might stop it. It didn't. Her skin felt sensitive, almost humming. Her thoughts drifted—not to the ceremony, not to the pack, not even to the mess of feelings she'd been unpacking for days—but to Roman. Roman's hands. Roman's mouth. The way he'd looked
Ellie — Morning After Ellie woke up with her face stuck to the couch cushion and a headache that felt like someone had wedged a heartbeat behind her eyes. She groaned and rolled onto her back. Mistake. The ceiling spun. “Oh no,” she whispered. “No, no, no…” A soft snort came from the armchair. “Good morning, sunshine.” Ellie cracked one eye open. Lucy sat cross-legged, hair in a messy bun, sipping coffee like she hadn’t been up half the night dealing with a disaster. Ellie covered her face with both hands. “Tell me I didn’t call him.” Lucy took a slow sip. “I could tell you that.” Ellie peeked through her fingers. “But it would be a lie.” “Correct.” Ellie let out a strangled noise. “Oh my god.” Lucy set her mug down. “To be fair, you didn’t call him. You dialed him. Then you yelled. Then you cried. Then you yelled again.” Ellie groaned louder. “Stop.” “And then,” Lucy continued, far too calmly, “you confessed your undying love, your lifelong pining, and the fact that y
**Ellie — After Dinner**By the time Ellie and Lucy made it back to the cabin, Ellie felt wrung out. Dinner had been… tolerable. Not good. Not awful. Just something she survived.Lucy kicked the door shut with her heel. “Okay. Clothes off, pajamas on, emotional triage begins.”Ellie let out a weak laugh. “You’re bossy.”“You’re fragile,” Lucy said, tossing her a pair of soft shorts. “I win.”Ellie changed slowly, her body heavy with exhaustion and something deeper — something that pulsed under her skin like a bruise.Lucy rummaged in her bag and pulled out a bottle of wine.Ellie blinked. “You brought alcohol?”Lucy shrugged. “I know you. And I know heartbreak. And I know you’re not going to talk unless you’re a little loose.”Ellie hesitated.Lucy softened. “You don’t have to drink. I just… brought options.”Ellie stared at the bottle for a long moment.Then she whispered, “Pour it.”Lucy did.---# **Two Glasses Later**Ellie wasn’t sloppy. She wasn’t slurring. But she was defin
Ellie was just starting to convince herself she could stay exactly where she was when Mora appeared in the doorway.Fully dressed. Shoes on. Hair pulled back.Which meant this wasn’t a suggestion.“You’re coming to the pack dinner,” Mora said.Ellie didn’t open her eyes. She rolled onto her side and tugged the blanket higher. “I’m not hungry.”“That’s not what I said.”Ellie groaned. “I don’t feel good.”“I know.”Ellie cracked one eye open. “Then why are you doing this to me?”Mora leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. She didn’t answer right away — which meant she was choosing her words instead of blurting out the first thing that came to mind.“Because if you don’t go,” Mora said finally, “you’re going to sit in here and think about it. And when you *have* to show up later, it’ll feel worse.”Ellie stared at the couch cushion. Her chest felt tight — not panic tight, just heavy, like everything inside her was tired.“I don’t want people looking at me,” she muttered.“They’ll l







