LOGINMatthew POVWhen daylight finally peeks through the windows, I watch in silence as the rogues reemerge. Owen wakes up slowly, his eyes crusty with tears. He looks at his mother, fear filling his expression before he glances at me. Does he understand I hold the outcome of his life in my hands? Patrick wastes no time in approaching us; his lips lifted in a cocky smirk. “Have you made your decision?” he asks. I glare up at him, my voice steadier than I feel as I answer him. “I’ll agree to your terms, but no harm is to come to the boy.” Owen watches me, his expression frozen with innocence. I’m not sure he understands, but I offer him a small smile of reassurance. Jill’s mouth hangs slightly open, but she shuts it quickly, staring at me. Is she that shocked at my answer? “Excellent!” Patrick gloats. “We will arrange the paperwork.” He turns to bark an order over his shoulder as my blood runs cold. If I sign something, it will be an official contract. One that I won’t be ab
Matthew POVI stare at the boy as he curls into a ball on the floor and closes his eyes. My heart clenches. It can’t be true, can it? Although, as I stare at him, I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. His eyes are the same color as mine, along with the shape of his face. The timing lines up perfectly after we— My heart sinks. I rejected the mother of my child and threw her out to fend for herself. I’d been nothing but cruel and heartless toward her. My eyes turn to Jill, sadness and anger filling me. I’m not angry at her but at myself. Would this have happened if I hadn’t been so consumed with revenge? “It’s true, isn’t it?” I ask her quietly. Jill turns to look at me. I can’t tell what she’s thinking, and I find myself desperately wanting to know. There’s a moment of silence before she finally nods. “When did you know?” She sighs sadly, and the sound makes my chest clench. “After you,” she pauses before continuing, like the next words are sour in her mouth, “re
Jill 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
Caleb POVWe waited until dusk to implement the strategy. That’s when the guards changed over, and darkness would give us the best cover. James was supposed to be on watch that evening, giving us the perfect opportunity to slip into the commune. Getting in would be easy. It was the rest that worrie
Josephine POVGrief and anger flashed across Jules’s face. Desiree gasped in shock, and James clenched his fists. None of them rose to Elijah’s defense.Frankie cleared his throat, his eyes downcast. “I ran when I should have stayed and fought—when I should have told the rest of the pack what Elija
Josephine POVIt was strange being back in Kisatchie National Forest. So much had changed in five years, but the forest remained the same. I still found it beautiful and peaceful despite knowing it harbored my kidnapped son. That wasn’t the forest’s fault, though.Jules waited for us just off the r
Josephine POVI paced the length of the shop, gripping my fleur-de-lis pendant. It protected the user from psychic intrusions and physical harm, but only if they wore it. Yesterday’s slip-up—when Theo lost it in the sand for an hour or two—could have been enough to put him in danger. And today, the







