LOGINPOV: SAINT"Should I tell you a horror story?" Evelyn asked. Her voice was quiet, almost wry, though there was nothing light in the way her eyes had gone distant, fixed somewhere past the walls of the room. Then she proceeded. "When I was seventeen, I felt both nervous and excited about finding a mate. Almost every day, I prayed for a kind and loving partner. I dreamed of having lots of pups running around the house while I yelled at them to stop making a mess. That was what I wanted." She looked at Blake, gently brushing his hair, even though it wasn't dirty, her fingers moving through it with the kind of absent, practiced tenderness that only comes from years of doing it.I stayed quiet, sensing that whatever she was about to tell me had been sitting inside her for a long time, waiting for someone willing to listen. There was something almost ceremonial in the way she'd asked the question, as if she'd rehearsed this moment in her head more than once, imagining who she might eventual
POV: SAINTMy eyes felt itchy as I struggled to open them. My body was heavy and painful, every joint aching as though I'd been dragged over gravel for miles. Did Sam drag me across the ground? I couldn't scratch my itchy eyes and quickly realized my hands were tied behind my back, the rope biting into my wrists, though my legs were free. With the little strength I had left, I groaned, sat up, and tried to steady myself, the room tilting unpleasantly around me before slowly settling."Why are my eyes so itchy? Ugh!" I groaned again, raising my legs to attempt to rub my eyes on my lap. After several tries, I succeeded. I blinked rapidly, struggling to fully open my eyes, but eventually, I managed, the dim light of the room swimming into something almost recognizable.I found myself in a small room lit only by a lamp, its weak glow casting long shadows against walls I didn't recognize. The place was a mess, with dirty plates and clothes scattered everywhere, the smell of stale food and
POV: JACKSON"What's happening?" I asked a warrior as I walked up to him. He was sitting by himself under a tree, which puzzled me. They were supposed to be in groups, and the sight of him alone, legs stretched out and posture relaxed, set off a small warning bell in the back of my mind before I'd even reached him.He nodded slightly before responding, "I decided to take a break before moving on." He stood up as he spoke, brushing dirt and leaves from his pants, looking slightly embarrassed to be caught resting."Where are the others? Why are you by yourself?""He told us to spread out when we arrived, so the others have gone pretty far," he explained. Looking closely, I realized he seemed more like one of the younger warriors and not someone who was well-trained, his frame still lean with youth, lacking the hardened bulk of the veterans I usually sent on serious patrols."What group are you in?""Under 17," he answered, and something in my chest tightened at that. Children. Sam had s
POV: SAINT "What? When did this happen?" I asked, quickening my pace down the stairs. How could she be missing? "Last night," he replied, his voice tense. "I only noticed it this morning when I saw that some of her things were gone. I never thought she would run away like this." "Run away? Why would she want to do that?" Jackson asked, frowning deeply. "She mentioned wanting to visit a friend in another pack, and I initially agreed. But when I saw the plane tickets, I started to doubt it was just a casual visit. So I confronted her, and she claimed her friend had moved to another country. I didn't believe her, so I guess that's why she felt the need to run away." That explanation didn’t sit right with me. "Why would she lie to you in the first place?" "It's—" he hesitated, then continued, "she's been acting strangely lately. She keeps Blake hidden from me and won’t let him leave his room. It’s like she’s isolating him from the rest of the world." Was she treating Sam the same w
POV: JACKSON"I'm not entirely sure yet, but I suspect Evelyn is involved too. She acted really strangely when we visited Blake the other day. I genuinely believe she knows that Blake was the small whisperer," Saint said to Chris and I as we sat in my study, the late afternoon light slanting through the windows and doing little to lighten the mood in the room.He recounted what Tom had shared with him about Blake being the child in his head, as well as Mateo's suspicions regarding Sam. He also mentioned Mateo claiming to have seen Sam hiding behind the trees the day Ava attacked him. This only reinforced what Owen had said: Sam is behind all this chaos. One of my trusted friends. The words settled over me like a stone dropped into still water, rippling outward until they touched every memory I had of him.But why?Sam, Chris, Lyn, Samantha, and I all grew up together. During our teenage years, we spent a lot of time together, even though he and Samantha were a few years older than us.
POV: SAINT "That'll do," Jackson said, standing up and leading Chris out the door. We were in Jackson's study. I had knocked to speak with him when I unexpectedly found Chris there. As I sat in the room, I reflected on the events of the past week, which had been quite… pleasurable. I felt much better now that my heat had subsided and everything had returned to normal. Thinking back to how desperately I had pleaded with Jackson for his touch and affection, I couldn't help but feel shy and embarrassed around him. For days after waking up, I struggled to maintain eye contact and would blush and stammer whenever he spoke to me. I was that mortified. But then I didn't regret any of it.However, I felt a sense of disappointment that we hadn't mated. I had hoped he would take that step with me, but it seemed he wasn’t ready. This made me insecure, leaving me to wonder if he would ever truly accept me as his mate. The fact that he still hadn’t marked me, even after he was tempted when he sa







