LOGIN"Seraphina.""Kael."They spoke almost simultaneously."It's not what you think," Kael said.What the hell?I looked between them.With him?Ewww.I wouldn't sleep with that man in a million years.Why would he even assume that?Before I could give him a piece of my mind, Lyra explained that Gavin had gotten into trouble with a girl at school. Apparently, the school wanted both parents to attend a meeting.Wonderful.Another family problem.I was about to return my attention to the very important business of getting out of that ridiculous hospital gown when my phone rang beside me.I practically lunged for it.Maeve.Thank Goddes no."Where are you?" she demanded the moment I answered."I'm in a hospital, resting.""Don't give me that nonsense, Aurelia."I closed my eyes."Nala...""I don't want to hear about Nala!"Her voice was so sharp that I pulled the phone away from my ear."I know you were with Kael."I sighed.She was still angry with me after everything that had happened at t
Aurelia's POVWhere was I?Why was everything so blurry?Pain.Painful.All I could feel was pain.It was everywhere. My back, my legs, my shoulders. Even my fingers hurt when I tried to move them.I'd never experienced this much physical pain since...Since I gave birth to Nova and Nala awakened.Nova.My eyes widened.Nova!I hadn't called her.She must be worried sick. She had never spent a night without me. Not once. Even when I had important meetings or business trips, I'd always made arrangements to speak with her before she went to bed.And now I'd disappeared for an entire night.I pushed myself upright.A sharp pain shot through my spine, forcing a groan from my lips."Careful."I froze.That voice.I knew that voice.Slowly, I turned my head.Kael.He was sitting in an armchair beside the window, one leg crossed over the other, lazily reading a newspaper.For a moment, I simply stared at him.Then I looked around.The room was spacious, with pale walls and large windows over
Kael's POVWolves.We hated each other.The Moon Goddess had cursed us.We weren't blessed.It was a curse.When your wolf wanted to come out, you felt it beneath your skin. The irritation. The restlessness. The growing urge to tear free of the body holding it captive.Every full moon, it happened.You either learned to control it…Or, when you couldn't control it—You snapped.Seraphina had snapped.And now she was lying on the ground in front of me, trembling.For a moment, I couldn't move.A wolf.A fully shifted wolf.Her coat was beautiful, a mixture of colours that shimmered beneath the moonlight, but her body told a different story. She was curled in on herself, her sides heaving with every breath. Her legs trembled as she struggled to lift her head.There was blood on her fur.My stomach tightened."Easy," I murmured, lowering myself into a crouch.Her head snapped toward me.A vicious growl tore from her throat.I stopped moving."Okay. I won't come any closer."Her lips pull
The first thing that broke was my knee.A sharp crack tore through the room.I screamed.My leg buckled beneath me, and I hit the floor hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. Before I could drag in another breath, pain ripped through my other leg. My bones shifted beneath my skin, grinding against one another as though something inside me were trying to rearrange my entire body.No.No, no, no.Not like this.I clawed at the floor, my fingernails scraping against the tiles. My fingers curled involuntarily. One moment, they were fingers. The next, my knuckles were swelling, my nails darkening and lengthening into claws.I stared at my hands.A strangled sob escaped me."Stop! Please, stop!"But my body wasn't listening.My spine arched so violently that my chest lifted off the floor. Something twisted deep in my back. I felt every vertebra shift, one after another, an unbearable pressure building beneath my skin before the bones snapped into a new alignment.I couldn't breathe.I
I stepped out of the SUV, pulling my coat closer as the cool air brushed against my skin. The first thing I noticed was the children. They were gathered near a small playground, their laughter carrying across the grounds. Some were chasing one another around the swings, while others sat on brightly painted benches, sharing snacks and arguing over a ball. A little girl in a yellow dress ran past me, her braids bouncing as she hurried towards a woman standing beside one of the newly constructed houses. "Mummy! Mummy, look what I got!" She held up a small toy with such excitement that the woman laughed and bent to kiss her forehead. I watched them longer than I intended. There had been a time when children in Blood Moon had wandered the streets with empty stomachs, their clothes too thin for the cold and their faces too tired for their age. Some had lost their parents to rogue attacks. Others had been abandoned by families who could barely feed themselves. I remembered pas
"Since when?""Since this morning, ma'am."I stared at her."This morning?""Yes, ma'am.""And you're telling me now?""I'm sorry, Miss Moretti. The schedule was changed, and I—""And you forgot to tell me."She lowered her head.I took a deep breath.I was seriously considering firing her."Where is the site?""Blood Moon territory, ma'am."Blood Moon.Naturally.Of all the places I had to visit, it had to be the one place I would rather avoid."And who's attending?""Alpha Kael. His team, the construction manager, and you.""Wonderful."I said it without an ounce of enthusiasm."Is there anything else you've forgotten to tell me?""No, ma'am."I picked up my bag."Make sure of that."She hurried ahead to open the door for me.I followed her out, already regretting agreeing to this merger.Blood Moon was proving to be just as troublesome as I remembered.And I hadn't even arrived yet.I entered the SUV and sighed.Nala had been even more restless these past few days. She wouldn't sto







