LOGIN"Who smashed your vessel into driftwood, Maisie?" Baxter Hensley's rough bark shatters the dark quiet of the boathouse as he hangs his iron lantern onto the overhead beam.My heart hammers wildly against my ribs, my plush body trembling as I pull my knees up against my chest on the narrow bench. The thick, lingering scent of my mate bond—ozone, pine, and heavy male alpha musk—still clings to my skin, burning straight through my clothes to mock me. I drag my shaking hands through my tangled hair, trying to breathe past the tight knot in my throat."Sterling," I gasp, my voice cracking under the weight of the raw betrayal. "He tracked me to the bank of the Silvermoon River. He destroyed the Moon Lady with his bare hands. He tore the timber apart, smashed the cabin, and left my pack gear floating in the current."Baxter drops onto the bench beside me, his heavy jaw clenching as his wolf stirs in silent shock. "Alpha Sterling did that? He destroyed your only shelter?""He wanted to strip
The cool night breeze sweeps over the Silvermoon River, blowing through the shattered door of the cabin as Sterling stands over me.My heart hits my ribs like a caged beast, my breath catching in my dry throat as my plush, heavy body trembles under the weight of his icy gaze. The heat from where his thick knot filled me seconds ago still burns between my plump thighs, leaving my center swollen, dripping, and aching for the male who just claimed me. His dark wolf scent—ozone, winter pine, and heavy male musk—clings to my skin, suffocating every breath I take."You're leaving me like this, Sterling?" I ask, my voice cracking in the dim, shadow-drenched cabin.He doesn't stop strapping his dark leather trousers over his muscular, scarred thighs. He hauls his heavy wool tunic down over his broad chest, his massive shoulders completely blocking out the moonlit water behind him."Shouldn't you cover yourself, Maisie?" Sterling rasps, his grey eyes flashing with silver malice as he rakes his
Every other river house along the banks has smoke rising from its stone chimney. The smell of frying meat and warm bread drifts across the water, making my stomach twist in a violent, painful cramp.I stand there, looking at my reflection in the dark water. A heavy, plush-sized female with dark, swollen eyes, wild hair, and an Alpha's mark hidden beneath her collar. Despite the heavy gold pack ring weighing down my finger, I belong nowhere. My own brother, Rory Harcourt, threw me out of Harcourt Cottage. The Whitaker Pack views me as a murderer and a stray. And Sterling... Sterling used me to satisfy his hatred.The gnawing emptiness in my belly grows worse. My throat is dry and parched, burning for a sip of fresh water. There is no food on this boat, no fresh water, and no supplies. If I want to survive today, I have to go into the pack town of Frostwick.I step back into the tiny cabin, picking up my battered bag. I find an old wooden comb in the pocket and pull it through my thick,
"You're leaving me like this?" I whisper, my voice trembling as the frigid air hits my bare, warm flesh.Sterling doesn't answer right away. He stands towering in the narrow space of the cabin, the heavy buckles of his leather pants clanking shut in the quiet night. He pulls his dark wool tunic down over his thick, corded torso, blocking out the dim moonlight streaming through the shattered wooden door.My breath hitches, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. My plump body is still flushed, my skin burning everywhere his calloused hands and wet mouth touched. My swollen lips ache from his possessive bites, and between my heavy thighs, my center throbs with the undeniable, lingering ache of his thick knot."Shouldn't you cover yourself, Maisie?" he rasps, his grey eyes sweeping down my heavy curves with cold, razor-sharp indifference.I reach down, my hands shaking as I grab the edge of the thin blanket to cover my large breasts and soft, thick belly. The heat of emba
"You've got it all worked out, have you?" I spit, my hand trembling against the rough wooden frame of the cabin."No, but you have, and you can't refute it because you didn't deny one single statement Tamsin made," I challenge, my voice cracking as my breath hitches in my chest. "Deny it right now, Sterling. Deny that you intend to use my plump body just to produce your pack heirs.""I hereby confirm," Sterling states icily, his voice dropping an octave into a dark Alpha register that makes the narrow floorboards vibrate beneath us, "that I intend for you to carry my children. But," he takes a deliberate, predatory step closer, his grey eyes flashing with silver malice, "not yet, Maisie mine. Not until I've made your life a living hell. Isn't that what you said?"I want to shrink away, but I steel myself, my heart hammering against my ribs as my wolf whimpers inside my chest. There is an unyielding, terrifying resolve in his face that frightens me to my core. My wide, terrified eyes l
"No, no, we'll soon be home," Sterling says, his massive arm tightening around my full, heavy hips as we leave the tavern.Home. The word hangs in the cold night air between us, heavy and terrifying. I look up at my new Alpha, my dark eyes searching his hard, carved profile. Yes, he noticed the sudden hesitation in my step."Home," Sterling repeats, his deep voice carrying that absolute, unyielding dominance that makes my wolf shiver in surrender. "From now on, whatever belongs to the Whitaker Pack is yours to share. Remember that, Maisie mine.""It sounds like you're remembering me in your official pack will," I tease, trying to lighten the suffocating intensity, though my heart is hammering against my ribs.Sterling’s lip curls into a wicked smirk, and he swats my generous rear with a firm, possessive slap that sends a hot jolt straight down to my thighs. "Watch your mouth, little female."He pulls out his heavy iron key and unlocks the main entrance of the Whitaker River Estate. St







