Se connecterThe moment the photograph slid onto the desk, dread pooled in my stomach, cold and heavy, the kind that warned of danger before your mind could fully understand it. For several seconds, neither of us moved. The photograph lay between us like a threat. Kane was running through the forest in his wolf form while Selena chased after him with tiny fists full of leaves. Both of them were smiling, laughing, completely unaware that someone had been watching them. The photograph wasn’t old. It wasn’t months old. It wasn’t even weeks old. I recognized the yellow dress Selena wore instantly. Camellia had gifted it to her barely two weeks ago.My fingers immediately started trembling. Cassius noticed. Without taking his eyes off the picture, he reached for my hand and squeezed it hard enough to ground me. But through the mate bond, I could feel everything he was trying to hide—fear, rage, confusion—and somehow that terrified me more because Cassius rarely looked shaken. Slowly, he pulled the fold
A year.Moon Goddess, an entire year had passed. Sometimes I still woke up in the middle of the night and stared at the woman sleeping beside me, wondering how I had gotten this lucky. How life had gone from constantly surviving to finally living. A year ago, fear had ruled every decision I made. Fear of losing Sienna. Fear of losing my children. Fear of failing my pack. But somewhere along the way, without me realizing it, life had quietly settled into place.The pack had changed too. Nothing changed overnight. But Sienna and I had put in hard work, dedication, faith, and all our efforts in making this pack our family. The same way we never let anything slip as parents or a couple. We tried our best to be a good partner, good parents and great leaders. Both of us were patient, forgiving of each other, forgiving of each other’s mistakes, decisions and every other thing that we needed. The territory had expanded. New businesses had opened. Trade routes had strengthened. More jobs had
The strange thing about fear was that it never disappeared the moment danger left. It lingered. It hid in quiet moments and whispered when life became peaceful again. For the next few days, things slowly returned to normal, or at least as normal as they could be after everything that had happened. Kane resumed terrorizing the kitchen every morning in search of pancakes while Selena followed him around with whichever toy had become her favorite that week. Their laughter once again filled the house. Their tiny footsteps echoed through hallways. Their endless questions exhausted every adult around them. And somehow, that helped. It was impossible to remain trapped inside fear when two tiny wolves were arguing about whether dinosaurs would have liked cookies.The house slowly began breathing again. The warriors relaxed. Patrols returned to their normal schedules. The tension hanging over the pack eased little by little. But Cassius remained different. Nobody else noticed it. I did. Becaus
I did not sleep that night.Even after I carried Sienna back home. Even after she finally stopped crying and fell asleep in my arms. Even after I tucked her into our bed and stayed beside her until her breathing evened out. I simply lay there staring at the ceiling while she slept curled against my chest.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Eloise.Not the screaming. Not the threats. Not even the hatred.I saw the look on her face when she learned about Kane and Selena.The moment she realized Sienna and I had children.That was the moment something inside her truly broke.By the time dawn arrived, I was already walking through the underground holding chambers beneath the pack prison. The corridors were cold and damp, lit only by dim lanterns fixed to the walls. My footsteps echoed through the silence as warriors stepped aside and opened the final gate for me.Inside sat Dashiell and Portia.For the first time since I had known them, neither looked proud nor arrogant. They looked tired
The moment those words left Eloise’s mouth, every instinct inside me snapped.Not fear.Not panic.Murderous rage.Pure Alpha instinct exploded through my body so violently that Zayn nearly tore free right there. Every single thing inside me locked onto one horrifying detail alone — her eyes. The way she looked at Sienna after mentioning our family. Our children. There was no jealousy left there anymore. No heartbreak. No desperation. Just obsession twisted into something dangerous enough to destroy anything standing in its way.And the moment I realized that... I stopped seeing Eloise as someone broken.I saw her as a threat.“Sienna,” I said quietly without taking my eyes off Eloise.My mate immediately understood.Slowly, I felt her move slightly behind me while Jackson and Hugo shifted positions around the clearing almost invisibly. Warriors moved too. Quietly. Carefully. Eloise noticed none of it because she kept staring directly at Sienna like she couldn't bear looking away.“Yo
Cassius still held me against his chest while I tried to steady my breathing. One of his hands rested protectively at the back of my head while the other remained wrapped tightly around my waist, almost like he was afraid I would break apart if he loosened his grip even slightly. Through the mate bond, I could feel him hurting too. Rage. Pain. Heartbreak. Love. Too much love. And somehow that only made my chest ache harder because for years, I had carried every wound alone. Now whenever I cried, he bled with me too. Slowly, I pulled away from him and wiped my face with trembling fingers before looking back toward Eloise. She stood near the edge of the clearing, silent beneath the darkness of the trees, but something about her looked wrong now. Not angry. Not jealous. Unstable. Like every emotion inside her had tangled together into something ugly and dangerous. Still, despite everything, I inhaled shakily and spoke softly. “Please stop this.” Silence followed immediately. “Please, Elo
I stared at the well-built wolf in front of me.He stood with the easy authority of someone who did not need to announce his rank. Broad shoulders. Controlled stance. Calm eyes that are measured before reacting. If I kn
Something in me broke the moment she left me standing at the corner of the street. Maybe everything broke in me. Realisation came crashing down on me that I couldn’t bear to stand on my own two feet. Tears clouded my vision and my wolf screamed to be let out.I couldn’t. Not here. Not where my kids
“He is their father.” Austin’s voice made me freeze. I turned to look at him. “He is right?”“What?”“I see the way you two are. The Mate bond comes to life when you stand beside him. And Kane resembles him in every possible way.” As if I didn’t know that.“What difference does it make?” I asked Au
I agreed to one day. Just one. It should have felt simple. Instead, it felt like the beginning of an ending. But the joy and relief on Alessio’s face was invaluable. I stood in my bedroom staring at the half-open wardrobe, my fingers hovering over neatly fold







