LOGINSophie woke that morning to the golden light falling through the east wing windows and lay still, listening to the ordinary sounds of a house fully alive around her."You're awake early again," Dominic murmured beside her, not yet opening his eyes."I like waking up before everyone else, sometimes," Sophie said. "Just to listen to the house before it's busy.""What do you hear?" Dominic asked, genuinely curious despite his sleepiness.Sophie cataloged the familiar sounds drifting through the walls: Miriam preparing coffee in the kitchen, and Marcus fussing down the hall in the particular way he did when he wanted to be held."And the quiet underneath all of it," Dominic said, opening his eyes. "That's the part I notice most these days. How settled the quiet feels, even with all the noise layered over it."They made their way downstairs together, finding the kitchen filling with its usual morning chaos as Elena and Ethan debated breakfast options while Rowan tried to keep Marcus off th
Vivienne stood at the edge of the garden, watching the whole family gather slowly for what had become, without anyone quite deciding it formally, their regular Sunday evening together, and found herself, counting the faces one by one, genuinely struck by how full this particular gathering had grown to be."You're counting again," Miriam observed, joining her with a tray of something fresh from the oven. "I've noticed you do that lately.""I like to," Vivienne admitted. "I think I spent so many years of my life at tables that felt emptier than they looked; I've developed a habit of properly appreciating when they're not."They watched together as Rowan chased Marcus across the lawn, the toddler shrieking with delighted laughter, Lena close behind with Nora balanced on her hip, considerably more confident in her own mobility these days, and Elena directing the whole chaotic scene with the particular bossy authority of an older cousin thoroughly enjoying her role."Careful with him," Ele
Sophie sat with Dominic and Ethan a moment longer in the quiet intimacy of the sitting room, the phone still glowing softly against her palm. The amber light of the hearth flickered across the screen before she finally opened the full message properly rather than simply reading the preview line that had frozen her heart just seconds earlier."Let me call her," Sophie said, her voice steady as she already began dialing the familiar digits with her thumb. "I'd rather hear it directly from her than sit with half a sentence all night wondering what shadow is coming back to knock on our door."Dominic shifted closer on the couch, his arm resting protectively behind her shoulders, while Ethan leaned forward, his dark eyes locked onto the screen.Vera answered on the second ring, her voice carrying none of the old careful guardedness that used to define their interactions during the height of the regional turmoil. It was simply straightforward, calm, and grounded."I'm sorry to reach out thi
Sophie noticed the particular quiet of the house the moment she walked in from the studio, no small footsteps thundering down the hallway, no babies fussing somewhere in the distance, and found herself standing in the entrance hall, struck by how rare this exact stillness had become."It's strange," Sophie said, finding Dominic in the kitchen. "I don't think I've heard the house this quiet in years.""Elena's at Tessa's for the night," Dominic reminded her. "And I believe Rowan took the twins over to Miriam's quarters for the evening, giving Lena a proper break.""So it's just us," Sophie said, something warm settling in her chest at the realization. "And Ethan, I suppose, unless he's out.""He's here," Dominic confirmed. "Up in the studio, last I checked."They found him there a while later, considerably taller now than the small boy who'd once first claimed that corner desk, working through something in his notebook with quiet concentration."We thought we'd see if you wanted to do
Rowan found Sophie and Dominic in the warm sitting room that evening, the visiting heir's formal file glowing softly on the screen of his tablet. There was something remarkably warm rather than concerning in his expression as he sat down to explain the specific detail that had first caught his attention."I flagged it because it seemed worth sharing properly," Rowan said, settling comfortably into the high-backed chair across from them. "The young wolf coming for the season, his own territory, specifically requested Ethan by name, not simply the training program generally."Sophie looked up from the sketch she had been reviewing, her eyebrows rising in quiet surprise. "Why specifically Ethan?" she asked, her voice carrying a blend of curiosity and instinctive maternal protectiveness rather than alarm. "Most territories request our general curriculum or ask for Dominic to oversee placements.""Because of his own history," Rowan said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Th
Ethan sat at the breakfast table, turning his spoon slowly through his cereal, considerably more distracted than his usual sharp attention, and it was Sophie who finally noticed enough to ask."You're somewhere else this morning," Sophie said. "What's on your mind?""I had the dream again," Ethan admitted. "The one from before. I haven't had it in years, and then last night it came back, almost the same as always."The table quieted, and Dominic set down his own coffee, giving his son his full attention. "The building dream. The one you had before the drawing, all those years ago.""The same one," Ethan confirmed. "A building, quiet and sort of sad, with a water tower beside it. Except this time, it felt different at the end. Not scary. Just like I finally understood what it was actually showing me.""Tell us," Sophie said gently.Ethan considered how to explain it properly, the way he considered everything that actually mattered. "In the dream, I'm standing outside the building, the
Sophie Steele POVWith a jolt I wake.The first thing that registers is disappointment. I'm no longer in my bedroom in the Steel mansion seven years ago. I'm currently in my luxury loft studio in the heart of Los Angeles surrounded by art, supplies and the kind of serenity that cannot
Sophie Steele POV.“Oh! Oh! Ohmmmm, yes. Fuck me. Please."Who knew things would spiral this fast? Well it's another Friday night and I'm in my home, the weight of not having a functional social life crushing on me like a wave that doesn't quite know what to do with itself. At ninete
Sophie Steele POV.I step in.The water is hot and the pressure remains exactly as I remember it. I feel my shoulders come down gradually. I raise my face to the water and allow it to soak me while I am breathing in and out. The steam thickens around me. The rest of the house
Sophie Steele POV.Evening comes fast like the clock is running a race it refuses to lose. The guests begin to thin out and I am finally directed to my old room. I am so exhausted, like the world has been placed on my body, and this has nothing to do with the flight.One thi







