LOGINJill POV My heart drops, and my gaze shoots to Matthew. That’s the last thing I expected to come from the rogue’s mouth. Yet there it was. My truth, out in the open, revealed against my will and out of my control.He frowns slowly, not comprehending what Patrick is telling him. “Son? I don’t know what you mean.”I swallow. This isn’t how I wanted him to find out—and for them to threaten him with it.“I’ll admit,” Patrick says, standing. “It wasn’t easy figuring it out. We first noticed the way you interacted with your she-wolf.” He gestures at me, but Matthew’s eyes remain glued on him.“We started looking into your shared past. All we had to do was ask the right questions before the timeline started lining up. We traced Jill’s steps to the little town where she first took refuge before coming here. An old restaurant manager was all too eager to speak to someone she thought was a friend, reminiscing about ‘that brave girl.’ Your she-wolf became aware she was pregnant shortly after yo
Jill POV I lunge for the wolves around me. They circle me like vultures, searching for opportunities to strike. My teeth latch onto fur and bone, and I bite down. Hard.The yelp rings throughout the room and gives me morbid satisfaction as I bite down again.This time, the bone breaks. I release to see the rogue limping away. I don’t have time to relish in the victory as I hear a deafening roar. I glance in Matthew’s direction, hoping to see that he’s triumphing in some way, but my stomach rises to my throat as I notice him pinned to the ground. His dark coat is wet with blood, and the surrounding wolves have their jaws locked around him so that he can’t move.I can’t help but feel the gratitude that floods through me. He has no attachment to this boy or, honestly, even me, yet he’s risking his life for both of us. My anger towards him slowly seeps away as I realize how much he’s sacrificing by being here. He could’ve walked away. He could’ve made me deal with this on my own, but he
Jill POV Owen and I walk home to our apartment, the streets becoming darker as evening draws near.“Should we order food tonight?” I ask him as we walk up the stairs.“Sure,” he says enthusiastically.“Chinese?”“Yes, please!” he grins.“Fine, but only if you go straight and take a bath,” I tell him. He immediately drops his bag and races to the bathroom.I smile to myself as I pull up the website to order food. I hear the bath water begin to run, and I kick off my shoes, sliding into the chair in the living room with a sigh.Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door.I frown. I haven’t placed the order yet. Who could that be?Glancing at the bathroom, I move toward the door and peer through the peephole.It’s Matthew. What the fuck?I open the door, glaring at him.“There is no way even you dare to show up here,” I snap at him. “I thought I made myself clear.”“Jill, I need to speak with you,” he interrupts.I studied him for a moment. He looks exhausted. His hair and clothes are dishev
Matthew POV “Jill?”I shove open the bakery door, and the smell of blood hits me like a wave.“Shit,” I mumble as I take in the room. The pictures are shattered on the ground, blood splatters mark the wall, and there are scorch marks on the floor.I search for Jill and finally see her slumped on the floor near the counter.“Jill!”I rush toward her, lifting her up. Her head is covered in blood, yet there are no other major injuries on her body that I can see.I shake her gently until her eyes slowly open.“Hey, it’s me. I’m here.”“Matthew,” she mutters.I help her sit up. She sways slightly, grasping her head before she looks at me with wide eyes.“Owen?” she asks.I shake my head. “Tell me what happened here?”She scans the room, frowning like she can’t remember the details. Then her eyes land on the pooling blood just behind the counter.“Amanda,” she sobs, moving toward her friend.Amanda lays limp, claws and bite marks evident in her torn skin and a frozen mask of horror on her
Jill POV “Owen, hurry! We’re going to be late!”He comes racing into the living room, his hair messy as he grins at me.“Grab your bag,” I say as I hand him a pop tart, and we hurry to the bakery.I work on opening the shop and prepping the items as Owen settles at a table with a coloring book.The day passes quickly, routine taking over as I greet customers. I try not to watch the clock, eager to see Amanda.Anthony comes in around 10 a.m., and guilt sinks into my chest.“I’m so sorry,” I tell him. “I meant to text you! I don’t have an answer about Saturday yet.”He smiles sweetly at me.“That’s okay. I figured you were busy. Hi, buddy,” he says to Owen, who waves politely. He’s used to strangers greeting him while he’s here.Anthony pays for his meal and says, “See you later! Keep me updated.”I nod, still feeling bad about not texting him. I’ll have to turn him down. Even though it sounds fun, I can’t focus on a concert right now.Finally, Amanda steps through the door with a smil
Jill POV Owen and I walk home to our apartment, the streets becoming darker as evening draws near.“Should we order food tonight?” I ask him as we walk up the stairs.“Sure,” he says enthusiastically.“Chinese?”“Yes, please!” he grins.“Fine, but only if you go straight and take a bath,” I tell him.He immediately drops his bag and races to the bathroom.I smile to myself as I pull up the website to order food. I hear the bathwater begin to run, and I kick off my shoes, sliding into the chair in the living room with a sigh.Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door.I frown. I haven’t placed the order yet. Who could that be?Glancing at the bathroom, I move toward the door and peer through the peephole.It’s Matthew. What the fuck?I open the door, glaring at him.“There is no way even you dare to show up here,” I snap at him. “I thought I made myself clear.”“Jill, I need to speak with you,” Matthew says, interrupting me.I studied him for a moment. He looks exhausted. His hair and clo
Jill POV “Rogues,” my wolf urges as fear spikes through me. Was this the “Alpha business” Matthew had been talking about? Had he been hunting rogues in the city? And now, here I am, outnumbered by three vengeance-consumed ones. They look ragged, their clothes dirty and torn. Their hair looks dishe
Jill POV I roughly roll the dough into little balls before slapping them down onto the baking sheet.The nerve!My anger is setting me on fire as I continue to cook for tomorrow. Beneath my fury, I know I’m upset. I’m upset with Matthew but mostly with myself for falling for it again. How many mor
Matthew POV I watch her walk away with a dumbfounded look on my face. My wolf grows more agitated by the second, as do I when a realization truly hits me. She had a child with someone else.My chest squeezes in pain like my heart is splintering. How could she do that?I hadn’t taken her as the typ
Jill POV I stare at Matthew expectantly, not sure what else to say. What am I supposed to say to the mate who cruelly and publicly rejected me and then threw me out of his home with nowhere to go?Because of him, I’d suddenly found myself alone and pregnant with no one to help me. It was only beca







