LOGINRachael POVI woke up slowly, my head heavy and my mouth dry as if I’d been swallowing dust for hours. For a moment, the fog in my mind convinced me I was still in the hospital. I waited for the familiar hum of the monitors, I tried to move my legs, expecting the dull, aching pain from the treatment to flare up in my joints.Instead, the chair jerked under me.Reality hit me like a quickly. The seat was hard, splintering wood, and it rattled against a floor that felt like cold surface. When I tried to pull my arms forward, rough hemp rope bit deep into my wrists, the friction searing my skin. I gasped, a sharp, panicked sound that died in my throat. My arms wouldn’t budge an inch. I looked down or tried to, and realized my ankles were lashed to the legs of the chair so tightly that my feet had gone numb, vibrating with a dull, pins and needles tingle.“No—” I tried to say.The word was smothered. Nothing came out but a wet, muffled grunt.Panic slammed into my chest, making my ribs fe
Eryx POVI sit behind my desk, elbows resting on the wood, flipping through paper after paper. Territory disputes. Supply counts. Guard rotations. Names I recognize. Names I don’t. I sign where I need to, make short notes in the margins, push finished files to the side. The room is quiet except for the soft rustle of paper and the ticking clock on the wall.I check the time. My jaw tightens.I was beginning to miss Rachael. I flip another page. Close it then Open a new file. Read the first line and shove it aside without finishing. My fingers tap once on the desk before I stop myself. I had told her I would stay but she told me to go attend to pack matters. The door opens without a knock.I look up.Lincoln steps inside. His shirt is torn at the shoulder. There’s dried blood near his collar. His face is tight, eyes sharp.I’m on my feet before he closes the door.“What happened?”He swallows. “I was attacked. Just outside the pack hospital.”The room goes still.“Who?” I ask.“I did
Rachael POVThey rushed me through the pack hospital doors so fast my head spun.White lights passed over me. Voices came and went. Hands lifted me, settled me and pressed things against my skin. I tried to focus, but everything felt distant, like I was underwater. The smell of disinfectant filled my nose. Somewhere close, I heard Eryx’s voice.“I’m here,” he said. “I’m not leaving.”I turned my head slightly. He stood beside the bed, shoulders tight, jaw set. His eyes never left my face. Someone told him he needed to step back. He didn’t move.They treated me quietly. No rush in their movements, but no wasted time either. I felt fingers on my wrist, something wrapped around my arm, a cool cloth pressed to my forehead. My stomach still felt wrong, unsettled, but the dizziness slowly eased.“I’m fine,” I told him when he leaned closer. My voice came out softer than I expected. “You should go attend to the pack.”His eyes flicked to the doctor, then back to me. “I’m not going anywhere R
Eryx POVI unlock the cell just after sunrise.The lock clicks loud in the quiet hall. Eran is already on his feet, leaning against the bars like he knew I was coming. His face is calm. Too calm. That same smug look sits on his mouth, like he’s been entertained all night.“Get out,” I say.He steps forward, slow, chains dragging behind him. I undo them one by one. He watches my hands and not my face.“You’re free,” I tell him. “For now. You behave, or you’re right back here.”His lips twitch. A smirk. Of course.“And stay away from the females,” I add. My voice stays flat. “All of them.”That smirk widens like I’ve amused him. He straightens, rolls his shoulders once, then walks past me.He doesn’t say a word.I watch his back disappear down the corridor, my jaw tight. Lincoln is waiting outside the cell block. He takes one look at my face and doesn’t ask questions.The pack is already gathering in the yard when we step out. Wolves, shifters, all of them forming loose lines. The air f
Lincoln povThe scream cut through the hallway and I was already moving before my mind caught up.I took off down the corridor, boots hitting the floor hard. Behind me, I heard footsteps. Maya. Athena. Rachael. They didn’t slow down, didn’t ask questions. They just followed.I slammed into the door and burst inside.Two guards were in the room.They froze when they saw me. One stood too close to the bed. The other had his back half turned, like he’d been caught mid step.“What the hell are you doing here?” My voice came out loud, sharp, filling the room.Neither answered right away. Their wolves stirred, thick in the air. I could feel it pushing against mine.One of them swallowed. “We… we couldn’t resist,” he said. “The females—”“Get out,” I said.They didn’t move.I felt their wolves press forward, ugly and hungry. It pushed at them, at the door, at everything. They weren’t leaving on their own.I crossed the room in three strides and grabbed the nearest guard by the neck. My finge
Athena POVI walked back toward the room slowly, every step measured as though the wrong sound might draw attention I could not survive. The corridor felt longer than it had before. My skin still crawled, nerves buzzing as if I had escaped something that had left its imprint beneath my flesh.I was almost there.“Athena.”Lincoln’s voice cut through the quiet night.I stopped so abruptly my body forgot how to move. My heart slammed once. For a moment, I couldn’t even turn. I stood frozen, my back to him, the memory of rough hands and hot breath rising up so violently it made my vision blur.“Where are you coming from?” he asked.It was late. Too late for wandering. Too late for excuses.I forced myself to face him. My limbs felt wrong, heavy, as if they belonged to someone else. The image flashed through my mind without permission, Eran’s friend or guard blocking my path, his low growl vibrating against my spine as he circled me like prey. The way he’d leaned in, inhaling deeply, his







