LOGINDamon didn’t say a word. He simply sat back down beside her and gently wrapped his arms around her.She stiffened for a moment, stunned by the gesture and how comforting it seemed to be…Then her body collapsed against his, her forehead pressed into his chest fully and the dam finally burst completely.Her tears soaked into his shirt. Her breath came in broken gasps. Her hands clutched desperately at the fabric on his arm, as if he was the only thing that was stopping her from falling apart entirely.Damon held her tighter.“It’s alright,” he whispered softly against her hair. “Let it out. I’m here.”For a long while, Elena cried…years of pain, months of loneliness, weeks of exhaustion…all pouring out into the night. Damon said nothing more, simply allowing her grief to pour out freely from her system. His hand moved slowly and gently up and down her back in soothing, protective strokes.
Night had swallowed the rogue camp in complete silence, and most of the wolves had settled into their shelters, leaving the crackling campfires to slowly die down into soft embers.Damon had searched every shadow, every tent, every corner of the hidden refuge, ignoring the curious looks thrown his way. His wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin, driven, frantic, refusing to calm until he found her. Elena had vanished the moment the congratulations died down, slipping away from the cheering rogues to be on her own.Now Damon walked with heavy steps through the isolated outskirts of the camp, following her scent…soft, familiar, and painfully precious. He found her sitting on a large fallen log at the edge of the woods, far from the others. Her silhouette was still, her hair stirring only slightly with the breeze, her eyes were fixed on the star lit sky above.She didn’t move when he approached. Didn’t even acknowledge his pre
Draco acted without hesitation, and his hand shot out to land a devastating slap on Nyla's cheek.A hot, controlled strike.The sound swept through the room like a gunshot and Nyla froze immediately. Though her hand was still lifted, and her body was still trembling with adrenaline as the blood from the servant’s wounds clung to her knuckles.She slowly turned toward Draco with stunned, wide eyes.He lowered his hand, breathing hard, and carrying a stern look on his face.“Nyla,” he said quietly, “that’s enough.”She didn’t speak.For the first time in years, she didn’t have a word.The servant lay unconscious beneath her, covered in blood.She stared at Draco in disbelief, with her chest rising and falling, and her claws slowly retracting.For a second, Draco only stood there, bare chested and furious, sweat still visible on his skin from the act she h
Nyla was not in the best of moods when she stormed into the main hall that morning. Every guard who saw her approaching pretended not to see her at all because her mood was a living storm that was vicious enough to consume anyone unfortunate enough to stray into her path.She had spent the whole morning dealing with one problem after another…guards complaining behind her back, scouts refusing their patrol orders, and servants gossiping about leaving Nightshade entirely. Draco was the Alpha on paper, but everyone knew she handled all the thinking, planning, threats, and punishments required to hold the pack together.She needed him alert, present, and working…not vanishing from their routine walk and missing for half the damn day.She reached his bedroom door and lifted a hand to knock, but then she paused.A strange sound was coming from the room. But there was something about the sound that really held her attention…A m
Lucia woke up with a violent gasp.Her heart pounded heavily against her ribs, and her fingers clawed desperately at the sheets. For a brief moment she couldn’t tell if she was alive or still trapped in the darkness that had swallowed her last. Her vision was blurry, with weird shapes bending and twisting in front of her like shadows underwater. She jerked upright, ready to defend herself…but then paused.She wasn’t in Nightshade.She wasn’t even in a forest.She was in a room…A clean, spacious, and surprisingly luxurious room with brilliantly polished floors, a table set with water and fruit, and curtains drawn just enough for sunlight to slip in. It was too neat, too calm, and too composed to be Nightshade…Not when Draco was in charge.Her confusion gradually began to make way for fear and uncertainty. This wasn’t her pack. This wasn’t anywhere she recognized. She remembered…
The breath completely left Elena’s lungs in a harsh, broken exhale. She staggered as if the seer had pushed her, and her entire body began trembling.Pregnant?She shook her head wildly. “No…no, that’s not… I’m not…”Damon’s eyes were locked on her the whole time, wide, stunned, and searching her face for answers she didn’t have.“Elena,” he whispered softly, “is this true?”Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her hands slowly, and unconsciously went to her stomach, and her pulse thundered loudly in her ears. Everything felt unreal…like the world had fallen off its axis.The seer made no move to pull away.“There is life,” she said simply. “I can feel it. You are carrying a child.”Mara choked on her drink and dropped the cup. Pascal’s jaw hit the ground, and Jason stared as if he had been struck speechless.Elena felt her knees weaken. The world spun around her, and her voice returned as a broken whisper.“That’s… impossible.”But the







