MasukTHIRD-PARTY POV Katarina turned slowly, and the woman standing behind her barely looked like Cyra anymore. She had healed, but the healing had been incomplete and ugly. Large chunks of flesh were missing from her face and neck, leaving deep, uneven scars that pulled her skin taut in places and left it sagging in others. One side of her jaw sat slightly lower than the other. Her left eye was cloudy, and the skin around it had the stretched, shiny look of poorly regenerated tissue. She looked botched, as if someone had tried to put her back together with pieces that no longer fit.Katarina’s mouth opened. “What is this? Why is my aunt—”But she didn't finish as a muffled scream cut her off. Her aunt thrashed on the bed, eyes wild, trying desperately to warn her through the gag to run. Cyra lunged with a snarl at that moment, claws already half-shifted. Katarina barely got her arms up before Cyra slammed into her. The force threw her backward into the dresser. Wood cracked, and pain e
KATARINAThe evening had fallen over the stronghold like a heavy blanket, and I had just changed into my softest pajamas when a knock came on my bedroom door. I paused, brush still in my hand, and looked at my reflection for a second before responding."It's me," Greyson said through the wood. I turned toward the door, wondering what he wanted. Just because we lived in the same house didn't mean he had to try to talk to me every time he entered. I was about to say it when he spoke. “I have to step out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”Again, I told myself I didn't want to know. But I didn't say that. Instead, I said fine. The trust between us was gone, and his movements felt irrelevant now. He lingered for a moment, as if waiting for something more, but when I stayed silent, his footsteps eventually retreated down the hall.I took a shaky breath and crossed to the small pile of items I'd brought back from Alexander's suite. My fingers brushed the book I'd taken. I went back there after I
KATARINAThe moment Greyson mentioned he was heading to meet with the elders and then the office, I made my decision. I couldn’t stay in our suite any longer, trapped with the heavy silence and memories that pressed in from every corner. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, I slipped out, my footsteps silent down the familiar corridor to Alexander’s suite.My heart pounded harder with every step, part of me knowing this was foolish but I couldn’t stop myself. I needed to be close to him, even if it was only through the remnants he had left behind. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.The suite smelled like him, that clean, masculine scent mixed with the faint hint of the cologne he favored. I stood there in the middle of the living area, barely holding back the tears that burned at the corners of my eyes. The room felt lived-in yet abandoned, as if he had stepped out for a moment and never returned. I spotted one of his shirts lying carelessly over the back of the sofa.
KATARINAThe walk back to our suite seemed endless, as each step echoed with the weight of what had just happened in the hall, the stares, the tears, and my decision to stay. Greyson spoke as soon as we stepped inside and the door closed behind us.“Thank you for staying, Katarina. I—”I cut him off before he finished. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you for what you did. Or that I ever will.”He fell silent, and I continued, my voice calm despite my heart's turmoil. “I chose to stay for my unborn child. This is his home, his legacy, and I won’t take that away from him.”Greyson nodded slowly, his expression both painful and accepting. “I’m still grateful. Whether you forgive me or not, I promise I will never hurt you again. Not intentionally, anyway.”I didn't respond, instead saying, "I'm going to move my belongings to the second bedroom, where I'll sleep."I began walking towards the bedroom, but Greyson's voice stopped me. "I'll move out. You can stay in the main bedroom.”I paused i
KATARINAI stared at Greyson, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat as silence after my question stretched on.“Yes,” he admitted quietly. “I lied to the elders.”The words dropped like stones into still water, sending ripples of dread through me. But he wasn’t finished and dropped the real bomb next.“Alexander left the pack.”For a moment, I couldn’t process what he’d said as my mind refused to accept it. I blinked, shaking my head slowly. “What do you mean, Alexander left?”Greyson rubbed a hand over his face, looking exhausted. “He left the pack, Katarina.”I still didn’t understand because the words didn’t make sense. Alexander would never leave the pack. This was his home. His birthright. He had fought for it, bled for it, stood beside his brother through everything. How could he just… leave?“He would never do that,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “This pack is his home. How would he just walk away?”Greyson’s shoulders slumped. “I know. That’s why I didn’t t
GREYSONHer words hit me like a silver blade to the heart. 'You’ll have to kill me to stop me.' And I stood there, blocking the door, staring at her as my mind raced.I could see the tremor in her hands, the way her entire body shook with defiance and pain, and it squeezed my chest so tightly I could barely breathe. I could never kill her. I could never hurt her again. But she didn’t believe that anymore, and how could she, after everything I had done?Forcing her to stay would only make things worse. She needed to give birth at the stronghold so the elders could bless our child and set him upon the Alpha path. That was his destiny. But if I kept her here by force, I would lose her forever.So I would let her go. Not forever. Just long enough for me to start over. I would use the months before our son was born to woo her the way I should have from the beginning. I would win her heart properly, not as a replacement, not through duty or politics, but as a man who truly loved her. And wh







