LOGINREIGN'S POVI slowly open my eyes to the sound of someone crying.Not just crying, full-on sobbing, the kind that shakes your whole body and makes breathing difficult.The acrid, sterile scent of antiseptic hits me, and it takes me a second to realize where I am.A hospital.I'm in a hospital.It takes me another second to realize it's Sonya.She's sitting in a chair beside my bed, her head in her hands, shoulders shaking with each sob. Her red hair is a mess, and she's still wearing the same clothes from last night, torn and bloodstained.The sight of her in pain hits me harder than any physical wound ever could."Little omega," I rasp, my throat dry as hell.Her head snaps up, her eyes red and swollen. "Reign?” For a moment, she just stares at me like she can't believe I'm real. Then she launches herself at me, careful to avoid the bandages wrapped around my chest, and buries her face in my neck."You asshole," she sobs against my skin. "You complete and total asshole.""Love you t
SONYA'S POVEverything inside me screams. The curse fragments pulse violently, responding to my terror and rage. I can feel them pushing against the bounds of the mate bond, trying to break free.But then I see a blur of movement from behind Melvanie.Phoebe emerges from the shadows, swinging a length of rusty pipe she must have grabbed from the hallway. Her face is set in grim determination, fear making her movements jerky but no less committed."How about neither, bitch!" she shouts.The pipe connects with Melvanie's skull with a wet crack.Melvanie pitches forward, the knife clattering from her hand. The spell holding me shatters like glass.I'm moving before I consciously decide to, dropping to my knees beside Reign and pressing both hands against the gaping wound on his chest. Blood pumps between my fingers, hot and slick."Stay with me," I sob, pressing harder. "Please, Reign, please stay with me. Don't you dare leave me. Don't you fucking dare...""Not... planning... to go any
SONYA'S POVThe room fractures around me instantly, my surroundings blurring at the edges, and I suddenly can't breathe."My real mother?" The words come out strangled, barely audible over the sudden ringing in my ears."Oh, did no one tell you?" Melvanie's smile widens, delighted by my shock. She circles closer, each step purposeful. "How unfortunate. Your father, Alpha Elon's, bloodline comes from a very special source. Your grandmother was cursed by me thirty-five years ago. Your mother inherited that curse. And now, it seems, you've inherited something even better. Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Secrets have a way of festering in families, don't they?""You're lying." But even as I say it, my voice wavers. "Am I?" She reaches into her pocket with slow, theatrical precision, pulling out an antique silver locket. The chain catches the low light as she opens it, revealing an old photograph. "Perhaps you should see for yourself.""Recognize her?" She holds it out, and I l
SONYA'S POVThe old packhouse looks like something from a horror movie.Crumbling stone walls. Broken windows. Vines crawling up the sides like the building is being slowly devoured by nature. It's been abandoned for years, ever since Alpha Garrick built the new packhouse closer to town."This place gives me the creeps,” Phoebe mutters, staying close to my side."Same."Reign's hand finds mine as we approach the main entrance. His warriors fan out around us, disappearing into the shadowed corners to take their positions."Remember," he says quietly, "stay close to me. If anything feels wrong, you run. Don't argue, don't hesitate, just run.""I'm not leaving you.""Sonya…""We're mates now, Reign. That means we face things together, remember?" I squeeze his hand. "Besides, I've got the curse fragments. That makes me kind of badass.""Kind of terrifying is more like it," Phoebe adds. "But also badass… you're badass-terrifying. Baddifying.""That's not a word, Phoebe.”"It is now."Despi
SONYA'S POVThe plan is simple, which probably means it's going to go horribly wrong.Reign and I will approach the old packhouse from the main entrance, acting like we're there for a peaceful meeting with Alpha Garrick. Meanwhile, warriors will be positioned at every exit, ready to intervene if things go south.Phoebe will stay with me the entire time, armed with a silver knife and a panic button that will alert Reign if we get separated."What about Derek?" I ask. "Are you going to just leave him in the holding cells?""For now." Reign's expression darkens. "I'll deal with him after we handle my father.""You mean after you decide whether to kill him or just disown him?""Both sound appealing."I can't exactly argue with that.Mrs. Wren appears with coffee and sandwiches, because apparently even during conspiracy planning, we need to eat. I grab a sandwich, suddenly realizing I haven't eaten since yesterday."So," Phoebe says, munching on her own sandwich, "what's this Collector per
SONYA'S POVReign spends the next few hours turning his estate into a war room.Maps are spread across the dining table. Warriors come and go, reporting on security measures and patrol routes. Landon calls from the hospital, still weak but alive, offering tactical advice that Reign scribbles down like his life depends on it.Which, let's be honest, it probably does.I'm sitting on the couch, watching this unfold, when Phoebe bursts through the door like a hurricane in designer jeans."Okay, what the actual fuck?" She spots me and rushes over. "You get kidnapped, mate-bonded, and nearly killed, and I have to hear about it from pack gossip? We need to have a serious talk about communication, babe.""It's been a busy twelve hours, Phoebe.""Clearly." She plops down beside me, eyeing the chaos around us. "So, you're mated to the scary Alpha now, huh? How's that working out?""Ask me when we're not planning to confront his father about a massive conspiracy.""Fair." She leans closer, lower
SONYA'S POVI'm in the shower when my phone rings.And of course it's Derek. Because the universe has a sick sense of humor.I wrap a towel around myself and answer, water still dripping from my hair. "Hello?""Finally." Derek sounds relieved. "I've been trying to reach you all day. Are you okay?"
SONYA'S POVReign's lips trail down my throat, between my breasts, over my stomach. He drops to his knees in front of me, and the sight of this powerful Alpha kneeling sends a thrill through me."These need to come off." He hooks his fingers in my black pants and panties, pulling them down together
SONYA'S POVLandon turns out to be surprisingly normal.He's funny, easy to talk to, and doesn't make me feel like prey the way Reign does. We run the trail at a comfortable pace, and he points out different landmarks, the pack training grounds, the northern border, the lake where they hold summer
SONYA'S POVI barely sleep.Every time I close my eyes, I see Reign. Feel his hands on my skin. Hear his voice in my ear saying things that should scare me but instead make heat pool between my thighs, my pussy aching for his touch.I'm so screwed.At five a.m., I give up on sleep and decide to exp







