“Elena,” Asher’s voice drifted from the front entryway, a low murmur wrapped in warmth and longing.Elena’s head snapped up, her heart reacting before her feet did. She barely registered Jacob’s chuckle behind her as she moved—first a step, then a full sprint across the hardwood floor, propelled not by urgency but by pure instinct.“Asher,” she breathed, her voice catching with emotion as she flung herself into his arms.He caught her effortlessly, arms wrapping tight around her waist, holding her like she might disappear. His head buried in her neck, breath warm against her skin, he murmured, “I felt your laugh from the driveway. Couldn’t stay away.”Elena let out a shaky laugh, gripping the back of his shirt as if grounding herself. “I missed you,” she whispered, the words vulnerable, real.He pulled back just enough to press a kiss to her forehead, then another to her nose, and finally, her lips—slow and searching. “I missed you more.”“You always say that.”“Because it’s always tr
“Aunt Elena, watch me spin! ” Dawn’s voice rang out, filled with pure joy as she twirled in the center of the living room, her laughter echoing off the walls.“You’re going to make yourself dizzy, little star, ” Elena chuckled, her eyes following the blur of the child’s movement.“That’s the point! ” Dawn giggled, stumbling slightly before regaining her balance.Jacob leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, a soft smile playing on his lips. “She gets that from her mother. ”“Hey!” Genevieve called from the kitchen, feigning offense. “I heard that! ”“Just stating facts, love, ” Jacob replied, his grin widening.Elena watched the exchange, warmth blooming in her chest. The room was bathed in the golden hues of late afternoon sunlight, casting a serene glow over the cozy space. The scent of freshly baked cookies wafted in from the kitchen, mingling with the soft hum of a lullaby playing in the background.Dawn, now slightly out of breath, ran over to Elena, wrapping her small arms aro
The air remained heavy, thick with the silence of unresolved emotions and cautious relief.The guards began their escort. Vivian stumbled as her hands were yanked forward. Connor limped, head lowered but jaw clenched, blood still crusted along his lip from Asher’s earlier punishment. Emerson kept glancing over his shoulder, perhaps wondering if he’d find sympathy where there was none.Then came the tremor.It started small. A growl that didn’t belong to any of the rogues.Jacob.Before anyone could blink, he moved—an eruption of fury, fists clenched, eyes wild. He launched toward Connor with the unrelenting power of someone who had held back far too long.“You don’t get to walk away,” Jacob snarled, crashing into Connor with a sickening thud.The crowd gasped as the two bodies collided and tumbled to the ground. Fists flew—rapid, brutal, relentless. Connor barely had a second to react before blood spattered the dirt. Jacob’s elbow slammed down into his jaw, sending a crunch through th
The last echoes of footsteps faded as the guards led Vivian away. The crowd began to disperse, some in silence, others in murmured conversation, the weight of the ceremony pressing down like mist thick with judgment.Elena barely had time to exhale when another name cut through the air like a knife.“Harris.”The air tightened again.He was the last. The one who hadn't spoken a word since his imprisonment. The one Elena couldn’t quite place—was he more wolf than man, or simply a coward hiding behind a beast?Two guards escorted him forward.But as his boots met the blood-stained stone, Harris twisted.“I need to speak to her!” he shouted, breaking free of one of the guards’ grips, stumbling toward the platform.Grayson’s hand was instantly on his weapon. Asher’s body snapped to full alert, stepping slightly in front of Elena.“Hold him!” Asher growled, his voice pure command.The guards pinned Harris to his knees before he could come close, but he strained forward regardless, eyes loc
"Are you awake, my love? " Asher's voice was a gentle murmur against Elena's ear, his breath warm as he nestled closer. "Mmm, barely, " Elena replied, her voice thick with sleep, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Good, because I need to remind you how much I love you before the world intrudes. " His fingers traced lazy circles on her back, each touch igniting a trail of warmth. "You’re incorrigible, " she teased, turning to face him, their noses nearly touching. "Only for you, " he whispered, capturing her lips in a tender kiss that deepened, their connection reaffirmed in the quiet intimacy of the morning. The sun filtered through the curtains, casting a golden glow over their entwined forms. The world outside was momentarily forgotten, their shared warmth a sanctuary. "Today is important, " Asher said, pulling back slightly to look into her eyes. "The unlinking ceremony, " Elena nodded, the weight of the day settling over her. "We'll face it together, " he assured her, his
Elena stayed in Asher’s arms long after the silence settled over the room, her breaths shallow and uneven against his chest. His shirt was damp from her tears, her trembling fingers still curled in the fabric like a child clinging to the last thread of safety.Asher didn’t speak.Not yet.He just held her.One arm wrapped firmly around her back, the other cradling her head, stroking slow, soothing lines down her spine. Leo was quiet inside him now—no longer snarling, no longer threatening to rip Jacob apart. The wolf had retreated, subdued not by logic, but by the pure, aching vulnerability radiating from the girl in his lap.Not Alpha. Not protector. Just her mate.Her anchor.Her home.Elena let out a hiccuping breath, and he felt it—a tiny shift. Her fingers uncurled slightly, the tension bleeding out of her limbs as she sagged against him. He gently brushed her hair behind her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple, then leaned back just enough to look down at her face.Her eyes were p
Grayson followed Asher in silence, but the second they approached the house, a low, guttural growl broke the quiet.Asher stopped cold.The sound rumbled from within him—deep, primal. Leo was awake. And furious.“Mine.”The single word echoed through Asher’s bones like a warning bell. His wolf, ever quiet unless provoked, was no longer hiding behind reason.Grayson blinked, his foot mid-step. “Did your wolf just—?”“Yeah,” Asher muttered, breath tightening. “Leo doesn’t like the idea of you seeing Elena.”Grayson raised both brows. “I wasn’t going to touch her, damn.”Leo snarled again, louder this time, vibrating through Asher’s chest and fists. His nails elongated briefly before retracting as he forced himself to breathe.“Ours. No one sees her but us.”“Okay, okay, message received,” Grayson said, holding up his hands with a crooked smile. “I’ll stay far enough not to get my face bitten off.”Asher didn’t laugh. He couldn’t. Leo was pressing harder than ever, pacing beneath his ski
Asher didn’t return to the house right away.The quiet outside offered a stillness his mind couldn’t replicate, no matter how much he tried. With each step away from the prison cells, the weight of his rage clung to him like damp fog. The cold night air kissed his skin, but did nothing to ease the fire in his chest. Every breath felt tight. Controlled. Deliberate.He should’ve felt satisfied.Connor’s swollen eye, the tremble in Vivian’s voice, the blood on the wall—those were the marks of vengeance served. He’d made them feel a fraction of what Elena had endured under their reign. He’d stripped them of their dignity, made them bleed, and banished them to the life of rogues—exiled to the wild, where survival was a game of luck and brute strength.But vengeance wasn’t justice. Not entirely.And as he stood alone beneath the canopy of stars, his jaw clenched tighter with the realization that satisfaction was fleeting. Their cries didn’t heal the fractures in Elena’s soul. Their punishme
Dinner was laid out across the long table Asher had dragged from the lodge’s storage—Margot’s stew steaming in bowls, Genevieve’s bread basket nestled beside it, and pitchers of spiced cider passed down in quiet gratitude. Plates clinked. Conversations remained low, fragile like glass recovering from a storm.Elena sat beside Asher, her fingers occasionally brushing his thigh beneath the table, grounding him when his shoulders tensed or his jaw locked from old ghosts. Across from them sat Lena, who was halfway through her third bowl of stew and humming in appreciation like it was a five-star meal.But one thing kept tugging at Elena’s awareness like a thorn stuck under skin.Jacob.He sat at the far end of the table, between Genevieve and a shy pack healer, making no effort to disguise it—his gaze locked on Elena with an intensity that no longer felt polite or admiring.She tried to ignore it at first. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe he didn’t mean anything by it. But every time she lif