LOGINElena’s POVThe morning sun came through the bedroom and I just sat on the edge of the bed, wearing an old grey wool sweater over my leggings. On the dresser across the room, the emerald dress lay folded in a dark plastic bag, the red wine stain had dried on it and was now stiff and ugly against the beautiful dress. I decided to go downstairs, I had kept to myself for long enough. When I walked downstairs, the smell of fresh coffee filled the kitchen. Colin was sitting at the counter, with an open notebook in front of him and his phone pressed to his ear. He looked up as my boots hit the floor, gesturing for me to wait."Yeah, Officer. Incident report 402-B," Colin said into the phone, his deep voice calm and measured. "My mother was at the restaurant. I just need to verify the details... Right. Understood. Thank you."He set the phone down and looked at me. "I called the police.""Colin, you didn't have to—""I did," Colin interrupted softly. "I took the incident number Nathan shou
Elena’s POVThe cold air hit my face like a slap, but it didn't stop the burning heat of the tears on my cheeks. I ran down the wooden dock, my heels clicking loudly against the planks, and the hem of my ruined green dress was heavy and damp against my shins."Elena! Wait! Please!"Nathan’s voice came from behind me, accompanied by the heavy, hurried sound of his boots. I didn't look back, I couldn't. I got to my car, my hands were shaking so hard that I dropped my keys. I scrambled to pick them up, gasping for air that wouldn't seem to go into my lungs."Elena, talk to me," Nathan said, his hand catching the top of the driver's side door just as I got it open. He was panting, his face was pale under the orange lights, and his green eyes were wide with panic. "You can't just run away. I don't know who that woman was. I have never seen her before in my life.""Get your hand off my car, Nathan," I said, my voice shaking. I got behind the wheel, staring straight ahead at the dark windsh
Elena’s POV“I’d like to take you out,” Those words from Nathan lingered in my mind all day long, I could barely hide my excitement.I kept my chin tucked into my coat collar as I walked down the street after my shift at the clinic. My shoulders ached from a long day of charting, and my fingers still felt stiff from the scrub sink, but my mind was entirely somewhere else.I stopped in front of the small boutique on the corner of Elm Street.A single mannequin stood behind the glass, wearing a simple, deep forest-green dress. I stared at it for a long minute. My mind kept trying to tell me that it was just a dinner; a friendly cup of coffee that had somehow turned into an invitation for a meal. I didn't need a new dress, I tried to convince myself. I had plenty of sensible trousers and neat sweaters in my closet at home.But there was a smaller, quieter voice inside me; one I hadn't listened to in a while that wanted to look beautiful tonight… For him.I pushed the glass door open, th
Elena’s POVA few days later…The morning of the coronation, Julian's office in the villa smelled of old paper, strong black coffee, and furniture polish.I found him standing by the window, staring out at the grand courtyard where the pack was already beginning to gather. He had his heavy wool coat off, wearing a simple black button-down shirt that looked a little too loose around his shoulders, and oddly, he looked pale."I don't know about this, Elena," he said, not turning around as my boots clicked on the floor. "I'm a tracker. I spent my whole life looking for things people lost in the swamp. I don't know how to be the person everyone looks to when they need protection.""You already are everything they need," I said, walking up beside him. I reached out, and adjusted the collar of his shirt. "You're the one who brought this pack back to life. They don't need a warrior, Julian. They need someone who knows how to survive, and that's you."Julian let out a dry, quiet breath, as h
Elena’s POVThe villa’s courtyard was completely silent as four hundred pairs of eyes were fixed on us, cold.Beside me, Colin struggled to breathe. His chest rose and fell in quick, shaky breaths, and I could feel the heat coming off his body.The weight of everyone’s gaze seemed to pull him back into that dark basement and his knees began to give way.Before he could collapse, a cool breeze swept across the brick courtyard. It was soft and carried the faint scent of salt and the sea. Somehow, it seemed to lift the heavy silence hanging over the villa.Then Cindy stepped forward, and somehow, she no longer looked like the frightened teenager she used to be.She walked over to Colin and gently took his shaking wrist.The moment she held him, the tension in his body slowly eased. His breathing became steadier, as though her touch was calming the storm inside him.Then Caleb also stepped forward. Slowly, he rolled up the sleeve of his green hoodie and raised his left arm for everyone to
Elena’s POVThe moment we crossed the border into the Silver-Crest territory, I realized my brother had not been idle.The decaying, muddy roads I remembered from our escape were gone. It was replaced by clean gravel roads, paved pathways ran through the lower valley, and solar-powered streetlights stood like quiet guardians along the treeline.Even the old cabins that belonged to the pack had been repaired. Their roofs had been patched, their walls cleaned, and they no longer looked like they were falling apart. Julian had dragged this place into the modern world in less than six months.Julian was waiting for us at the border gate, leaning against a clean black pickup truck. He wore a heavy wool coat, his hair was cut short and neat; different from the long hair he was forced to keep when he was still under his father’s command. Though he looked tired, his green eyes were sharp and clear.He quickly escorted our SUV up to the main pack building; the Alpha’s villa. It was a massive,
Elena’s POVThe surgery took six hours. By the time I stepped out of the operating theater, my back was aching and my hands were stiff, but Elder Thomas was stable. I had removed the blackened tissue around his heart. The tissue hadn't just been rotting, but was literally saturated with a dark, oi
Elena’s POVThe interior of the SUV felt like a trap. Outside, the city lights blurred into long, neon streaks as Zack pushed the car to its limits, but inside, the air was stifling.I sat in the passenger seat with my hands folded in my lap. I looked like a calm, professional doctor, but my heart
Elena’s POVThe air in my small front garden felt like it had been sucked out of the world.Zack stood like a statue, his fierce energy, the desperate Alpha who had come to save his dying elder, vanished; it was now replaced by a silence so heavy it made my ears ring. His gaze was no longer on me.
Elena’s POVLife in the West-Wash pack house as "Dr. Willow" was a constant test of my nerves.By day, I was the expert everyone bowed to. It was a bizarre, bitter shift. Warriors who used to shove me aside in the hallways now stopped and dipped their heads as I passed. They were desperate. Their







