LOGINBRONTË Alexander drives us himself, no beta, no guards, just the two of us in his car heading away from the pack house."Where are we going?" I ask."You'll see." He reaches over and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. "I wanted to spend some time alone with you before things get even more hectic with the ceremony preparations."I look out the window as the pack territory passes by, trees and trails I've started to recognize from my time here, and I try to remember the last time Alexander and I were alone like this, just us without pack business or ceremony planning or other people watching.I can't remember."You're quiet," he says."Just tired. I didn't sleep well.""Still having those bad dreams?""Something like that.""You should talk to the pack healer. She can give you something to help you sleep." He squeezes my hand. "I need you well-rested for all the preparations coming up."We drive for another twenty minutes until the trees open up and I see water sparkling in th
BRONTË The last thing I remember is Alexander walking me upstairs and kissing my forehead at my door.And then it's morning.Irina is already up, already dressed, already pulling my wardrobe open with the kind of energy that should be illegal before eight. She holds up two dresses, comparing them, completely unbothered by the fact that I'm sitting up in bed still wearing last night's clothes."You slept in your dress," she says without turning around."I noticed.""The zipper left a mark on your back." She hangs one dress back and lays the other across the chair. "Your mother is downstairs making enough food to feed both packs. She's already cried once and it's not even eight o'clock."I reach back to find the zipper. "Can you—"She's already there, undoing it with practiced fingers. "You're really leaving today.""That was always the plan.""I know." She helps me step out of the dress, hands me the one she picked. "I just didn't think it would feel like this.""Like what?"She looks
BRONTESebastian steps inside and closes the door most of the way, leaving it open just a crack."You're back early," I say."Patrol didn't take as long as Alexander thought." He stays near the door, covered in dirt and sweat. "We need to talk about last night.""What about it?""Don't do that. Don't pretend nothing happened.""Nothing did happen. Alexander interrupted before—""Before what?" He takes a step closer. "Before we did something we can't take back?""Sebastian—""I've been out on that border all day trying not to think about it. Trying not to think about how close we were. How close I came to kissing you." He runs his hand through his hair. "And I can't stop thinking about it.""We can't do this.""I know.""Alexander is already suspicious.""I know that too.""Then why are you here?""Because I can't stay away." He moves closer. "I've tried. You know I've tried. But every time I tell myself to keep my distance, I end up right back here.""This is dangerous.""Everything a
BRONTË I slip out of my room at 11:58.The pack house is quiet, just the usual night sounds of old wood settling and distant patrol footsteps outside.I move down the corridor as quietly as I can, taking the back stairs that servants use, avoiding the main hallways where pack members might still be awake.When I reach the library, the door is closed but there's light coming from underneath.I push it open.Sebastian is standing by the window, his back to me, still wearing the clothes from patrol though he's cleaned most of the dirt off."You came," he says without turning around."You knew I would.""I hoped." He turns to face me. "I wasn't sure."I close the door behind me and lock it. "We shouldn't be doing this.""I know.""If Alexander finds out—""He won't.""You don't know that. He's already suspicious. He came to my room right after you left asking if someone had been there.""What did you tell him?""That I was alone.""And he believed you?""I don't know. Maybe." I move furt
BRONTË "Voices?" I repeat, keeping my hand on the door so he can't see past me into the room. "I don't know what you mean.""I was walking past and I heard you talking to someone.""Oh, that." I force a small laugh. "I was on the phone with Irina. She wanted to check on me.""At this hour?""She couldn't sleep either."He looks at me carefully, his eyes searching my face. "Can I come in?""Now?""Yes, now.""I was about to go to bed.""Then I'll only stay a moment." He's already moving forward and I have no choice but to step back and let him in.He walks into my room and looks around slowly, taking in every detail. The wet footprints on the floor near the window. The slight disarray of my bed where I was sitting earlier. The closed bathroom door."It's messy in here," I say, trying to draw his attention away from the bathroom."It's fine." He moves toward the window. "Why is the floor wet?""I opened the window earlier. The rain came in.""And you didn't close it?""I did, but not b
LILYThe moment I realised this game took more work than is required was when I almost lost June to the Bridge."Move, June, move," I had barked out, but unfortunately that got June confused as she almost slipped, my breath caught in my throat as I forgot how to breath."June are you okay?" Panic twisted in my stomach, heat prickling up my neck."I'm fine," she groaned trying to find her feet again. "I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention," she added."No June, you are not to be blamed. I should have studied the patterns a bit more.""We don't have much time Lily. What's next." June’s words barely left her lips when another team plunged off the bridge, screams splashing into the roar of the waterfall. "What's that?" She asked, panic in her voice. "No... nothing," I jabbed, trying to get my head together."Now June, two steps forwards, then duck." I said, turning my head slightly at the time. I didn't even know which was terrible at this point losing due to time or falling off the bridg
NARAYA“Roger… where are you?” Melissa's voice drifted down the corridor. Her heels echoing closer.The aggressive heat in Roger's eyes melted into a cold panic. He dropped his hand from my shirt, stepping back just enough to break the intimate space between us.“Play along,” he whispered, his orbs
NARAYA“Daddy? Who is this woman?”A cold, unexplainable ache ripped through my chest as the little boy’s words echoed in my head for a few seconds.My Roger... Daddy?I stared at Roger, waiting for an explanation. A laugh. An indication that the pup was lying, joking, or even wrong.But his face w
“The hardest lies to escape are the ones we tell ourselves for love.”NARAYA“You do know I’m still against you doing this, don’t you?” Zilla growled, stomping up the stairs behind me. Her fingers tightened around the flower basket.My jaw tightened. I took the remaining stairs two at a time and sk
NARAYAMost wolves reluctantly settle for the option of a chosen mate only when they have completely exhausted all hopes of finding their fated mate after decades of waiting. Or perhaps when their true fated mate passes from this world—that’s also after years of emptiness and loneliness.But those







