LOGINLiora's POV "Isn't that Ella?" I leaned forward, squinting through the passenger window.The afternoon sun was blinding, hitting the empty road at a sharp angle. We were driving down a quiet, two-lane highway surrounded by overgrown fields. Not many cars came this way. A woman was standing by the road, waving her arms to flag down anyone passing by.As we rolled closer, the heat waves baking off the tarmac blurred her figure, but the sharp, confident posture was unmistakable. It was Ella. She was standing next to a small, midnight-blue car with its bonnet propped wide open. A thick, steady plume of white steam was flowing out into the dry air."Who's Ella?" Elias asked. He took his foot off the accelerator, gently bringing our car to a halt a few yards behind her packed vehicle."You don't remember?" I muttered, watching her face light up through the windscreen as she recognized us. "The girl who saved our ass when Lena and I went to that local market the first time we got to this ci
"Oh, hi, Jax. You are finally back," Isolde said, a bright smile on her face as she stepped out from a doorway.Jax stopped in the middle of the hallway. He was holding a small, faded black backpack by its top handle. He had left it in his car earlier because he didn't want to carry it up to his private meeting on Ronan’s balcony, but he had just gone back down to the garage to grab it. It was the only bag he had taken down south to Lockwood, it was just a simple, portable backpack with a few changes of clothes.He was almost to his room when Isolde blocked his path. The smile on her face felt completely wrong, and it instantly put him on edge. He never felt comfortable around her. Even though he was always polite and respectful because she was his Luna, she always made him feel like he had to watch his back. He honestly wondered how Serena could stand being so close to her."Luna," Jax said, giving her a quick nod."So, how did Lockwood go?" she asked.Jax kept his face completely bl
"You went to see the Alpha?" Ella asked, a little smile touching her lips as she closed the distance between them.Jax leaned his shoulder against the cool stone pillar, watching her approach. She didn’t look like she was on duty anymore. The standard dark warrior tunic was gone. Instead, she wore a casual blue denim jacket over a plain white shirt and dark jeans. Her hair was tied back loosely."I mean, why else would I be coming out of his quarters?" he joked, offering a small shrug."How'd the proposal go?" she asked, leaning in slightly. "Was it accepted?""Ooh, that..." Jax paused, rubbing the back of his neck. The hallway grew quiet for a second, save for the distant sound of wind blowing through the open windows at the end of the corridor. "I have to go back. Damien wants Ronan to come down here himself."He tried his best to keep his voice flat, trying not to sound disappointed. But Ella caught it anyway. Her smile dropped."Bummer," she said, looking down at the polished floo
"You don't know the whole story, Ella," Damien said, his voice dropping to a low, quiet murmur. He stared down at his desk, his long fingers tracing the edge of the mahogany wood.Ella shifted her weight on the edge of the desk, the heavy green wool of her cloak rustling against the stack of crisp paper beside her. "Then tell me. Why hide it from everyone? Why hide it from me?""Because it is not a happy royal tale," Damien replied, letting out a short, bitter chuckle that lacked any real humor. He finally looked up, his dark eyes catching the amber glow of the desk lamp. "My mother met Maxwell, Ronan’s father long before he ever became the Alpha of the Voss Pack. They were young. They loved each other. But the pack elders had already arranged a political marriage for him with Ronan’s mother to secure their borders.""And she didn't know?" Ella asked softly, leaning in slightly. The room was so quiet that the faint scent of coffee beans and old leather seemed to grow stronger between
The door to the private study clicked shut, cutting off the cool breeze from the hallway as Ella stepped in. Inside, the room felt warm. The air carried a strong smell of rich coffee and fresh ink. A small desk lamp cast a warm, yellow glow over the polished surface of a dark mahogany desk. Tall shelves lined the walls, tightly packed with thick journals and old leather books.Alpha Damien sat back in his large chair, holding a thick pen. He was looking through the white paper proposal that Jax had delivered earlier that afternoon. A small, knowing smirk played on his lips as his eyes moved across the lines of neat handwriting."Since when did you start getting interested in visitors?" Damien asked immediately. He did not even look up as Ella walked into the room.Ella stopped just a few steps inside, leaning her shoulder against the wooden frame of the door. She crossed her arms tightly over her green cloak, feeling the cool fabric against her skin. "Why am I not surprised?" she mutt
Ella looked down at her boots, then looked up into the darkness. "I had my reasons," she said softly."Hmm, still mysterious as I remember.” Jax commented. He kept his arms crossed over his chest as he continued walking slowly beside her."Mysterious. That has a nice ring to it." She looked up a bit to meet Jax's eyes. A second later, she looked back down at the dirt path.“So, you go around choking everyone you come across?” Jax asked teasingly.She cleared her throat. "Yeah, that. Sorry about earlier. I was just... just being cautious. You never can be too careful these days.""True," Jax agreed with a slight nod. "No offense taken. You have a very solid grip."“I try my best.” She shrugged."So Jax," Ella said, shifting her weight. She slowly started walking forward, guiding him deeper into the quiet paths of the garden. "What brings you all the way to the Lockwood Pack?""I came to see Alpha Damien," Jax replied, adjusting his pace to match hers.She tilted her head, her green clo
Liora's POV "Is that how blind you all are, or do you just choose to be?!" She continued.She looked around at the onlookers, and several of them shifted uncomfortably."How can you easily judge people without finding out the whole truth?" she asked loudly. "Just because these people seem new, or
The heavy silence on the other end of the phone line was suffocating. Theo stared at the phone in Gage’s hand, his chest tightening with every passing second."Liora? Are you there?" Gage called out, his voice dropping into a deeper, more urgent tone."I'm coming home right now," Liora’s voice fina
The next day, I was up before the sun. The cabin was quiet, except for Serena’s soft breathing in the next room. I got ready in the dark. It was cold, so I put on my black pants and a green shirt that matched the trees. I laced my boots tight and crept out so I wouldn't wake anyone. The village w
LIORA'S POV I woke to the sound of laughter, Serena’s high-pitched, melodic chirp followed by Mom’s softer, amused chuckle. It was the sound of a "real" family starting their day. I lay still under my worn wool blanket, staring up at the cracked, flaking white paint of the ceiling. Another morning







