ログイン"JB!" Janette's screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice bouncing off the high, expensive ceilings of the hallway, sharp and utterly shameless, the kind of scream that rattled picture frames and startled sleeping cats twenty yards away.Jebediah didn't even flinch. "I did not see your moon-ring. Go throw your weight around somewhere else, for the love of —""Damnit, JB!" Janette cried out.Anna pressed a hand over her mouth to hide a giggle. The back-and-forth between the siblings was like a tennis match of insults.Janette appeared in the doorway a second later, slightly breathless, her eyes bright with the particular energy of someone who had convinced herself she was the victim of a conspiracy. She took one look at Anna and her entire face shifted, warm and delighted, like the sun deciding to come out from behind a cloud. "Oh, hey there, sweetie." She tilted her head, looking Anna over with open admiration. "You are absolutely glowing this fine morning. Honestly, you're so al
The silence in Anna’s apartment became so thick that the rapid thumping of her own heart felt like drumbeats. She stared at the phone on the small wooden table, her fingers trembling as she pressed the speaker button."What? Puppy? Is that really you?" Lauretta’s voice came through, thin and wavering, as if she were speaking from another world.Anna closed her eyes, a single tear escaping and rolling down her cheek. "Yes, Mama. It’s me.""Oh my goodness!" Lauretta gasped, a choked-back scream echoing through the line. "Puppy! Unbelievable. How are you, baby girl? I thought... we all thought the worst. The stories they told... I thought I had buried my heart when you disappeared.""I’m fine, Mama," Anna whispered, sniffing back more tears. "It was hectic. It was a nightmare I thought I’d never wake up from, but I’m good now. Truly, how are you? How is your health?""I feel better now that I hear your voice," Lauretta breathed. The sound of her deep, shaky exhale filled the room. "I c
"Easy there, Segan," Anna whispered.She patted the great black stallion’s neck. The horse shifted, his heavy hooves echoing against the flagstone floor. Anna had woken before the world, moving through the soft predawn light with a sense of peace that had been foreign to her for months. She felt light, the crushing weight of the secrets she had hidden—her true fate, her past, the erratic nature of her journey—had finally been shared with Jebediah. She had braced herself for judgment, for the cold snap of rejection, or perhaps even hate. Instead, Jebediah had chosen kindness, after he had gone quiet for a long, agonizing minute, his face unreadable. He suddenly waved it off casually, the way he did to almost everything, wrapping her in a warm, protective hug and what seemed like a lifetime epistle of reassurance. He went ahead to treating her to a meal at a five-star café, as if she were the most delicate thing in his world. The Ozeths were, without a doubt, built differently.The mo
Deimon knew he had stirred the hornets' nest with his acts, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Word spread like wildfire, every pack and clan whispered in dismay. The son of Ashworth had not just broken a rule; he had desecrated the Law of the Crescent in front of the high council. It was more than defiance—it was an invitation to war. By evening, the outrage had reached his own clan, and the air was thick with it."Son, what fresh hell have you dragged to our doorstep?"Octavia stood in the driveway, her face a mask of pale fury. Deimon pulled his McLaren to a stop, the engine’s dying down, releasing a soft growl into the evening air . "Mother, should I take that as an evening compliment?" Deimon smiled as he pulled himself out of his McLaren. He stepped closer and affectionately fondled his mother's cheek. "What troubles you, Mama? Your face doesn't suit that frown.""Adolphus Grimmwald sent a message," she hissed, ignoring his charm. "The Council is in an uproar. What d
The engine of the McLaren died with a satisfied roar, echoing silently in the mountain air. Deimon stepped out, the gravel crunching beneath his shoes. His black silk shirt was unbuttoned halfway down his chest, exposing the skin of his torso . He didn't care about the dress code of the High Council. Rules were for those who feared the consequences.Something new was bubbling inside him—a dark, intoxicating heat that felt like liquid gold in his veins. It was power, raw and defiant. He felt invincible, possessing a predatory aura that seemed to make the very air ofthe Gathering Grounds come to a deadly halt.Jabari was waiting by the towering stone doors of the fortress. He was pacing, checking his watch with a face full of shadows and worry."You’re forty minutes late, Master Ashworth," Jabari whispered with a tight tone. He struggled to match Deimon’s long, arrogant strides as they moved toward the entrance."Chief Adolphus will be foaming at the mouth right now . The Elders ar
At the Silverwood manor, Deimon sat deep in his penthouse, emersing himself on his favorite cushion. The room was a tomb of velvet and shadow, the air thick with the sweet, heavy scent of cherry tobacco. A disco ball spun slowly in the corner, throwing tiny rays of golden and purple light across his bare, muscular chest. He looked like a king in a dark palace. He wore only silk shorts, the fabric barely clinging to his hips.In his left hand, he held a golden hookah pipe. He took a long, slow pull, the water bubbling softly. When he exhaled, thick, white cloud hid his face before swirling into the aromatic mist filling the room. A glass of dark wine sat on his right hand, catching the dim light. He sipped it, letting the alcohol burn a path down his throat, as he savoured it's flavors.Deimon stretched, his muscles rippling like a predator’s. His mind was a mess. The uprising within his clan, the new threats hiding in the dark, news about Anna. But tonight, he didn’
---"I think the situation just got worse, JB. This is really, really bad." Emmett kept pestering Jebediah, who stayed quiet and seemed to ignore him with deliberate, practiced ease. "You don't get it, do you? A pregnant Luna is a game changer. Everything changes, everything."They were far fro
The bell's resonant peal rolled through Mooncrest Estate like a living thing—ancient bronze struck by ancient ritual, the sound carried on wolf-sense as much as air. It vibrated in Anna's bones, a call that bypassed human hearing and spoke directly to the beast within.Dinner.Anna was on her feet
The tunnel terminated in darkness and desperation.Anna stared upward at the exit latch, her chest heaving with exertion. Ten feet above her head, maybe more. The vertical shaft mocked her exhaustion, but the faint scent of open air beyond gave her hope—her first real hope in days. Soon they'll dis
Later, after the meal had finally wound down and the pack had dispersed in various directions—Anna found herself on a stone balcony overlooking the eastern grounds.The moon hung heavy and bright, three days past full but still commanding. Cold air bit at her skin, carrying the scent of pine and di







