LOGINGideon’s jaw tightened. “I looked at the stars every night. Wondering if you were alive. If you were safe. If you ever thought about me.”“I never stopped thinking about you,” I admitted. My voice came out rougher than I would have liked, but it felt good to be honest for once. “Even when I hated yo
Avery’s POVI grabbed my jacket from the chair and followed Gideon down the stairs and out the back door. The night air was cool against my skin, and I took a deep breath, shutting my eyes for a moment as the smell seeped into my lungs.“Smells good, doesn’t it?” Gideon’s voice was low, and when I o
Avery’s POVThe drive to Nightwolf took three hours. Bjorn fell asleep in the back seat halfway through, his head lolling against the window. I watched him in the side mirror, his chest rising and falling in slow, shallow breaths.Gideon didn’t say much. He kept his eyes on the road, hands steady on
“Avery, you hurt me, too,” Gideon cut me off.I snapped my mouth shut.“You kept my son from me for ten years,” he said. “You lied to me, ran from me, and made me believe I’d never have the family I wanted. So trust me when I say the feeling is mutual.”The words stung, but I deserved them. I knew I
Avery’s POVI pushed myself up from the bed as soon as I heard Bjorn’s voice. Gideon moved over to me and offered me his arm. I looked at it for a moment, then up at his face, set firm and yet threaded with a tenderness that I couldn’t ignore. Finally, I took it and let him guide me out of the room.
I looked away. I didn’t answer; I couldn’t. My throat felt too choked up, not just from my injuries, but from all of it.“Why did you keep him from me?” Gideon’s voice was barely above a whisper. “All these years, and my son was right here. Why did you lie to me?”I opened my mouth, then closed it a
Avery’s POVI ran like the wind, but he was always on my heels. That great black wolf with its amber gaze. Great teeth like knives. I felt his hot breath at my heels and knew I could never escape him. Never ever. The rogues were on my tail as I took off running for the village. With Gideon protect
Avery’s POVThe fever finally left my body but it took the last of my strength with it. I was weak as a kitten and spent much of the next few days sleeping deeply, only rousing myself to drink water and use the bathroom. My friends, Ian, Madelyn, and Melody, came to visit in those first few days. T
Avery’s POVFor the next few days, I kept up my training with Ian, but neither Jessica nor Gideon attended. Instead, Ian’s sister Melody offered to be my same-size training partner. With their help, I continued to work on my strength and stamina. I did receive a note from Gideon’s Beta, Tegan, info
As nighttime fell, I snuck the girls into my room quietly, pressing one finger to my lips. “This is a secret project,” I whispered, “We must work silently, so no one else knows.”Giggling, the other girls nodded, eyes shining. “It’ll be like a game, Luna,” Melody smiled. Madelyn’s sister, Ariadne,







