LOGINThe knock came well past dark, unexpected enough that Silius nearly didn't hear it over the television.He opened the door to find his brother standing there, hair slightly mussed, eyes rimmed faintly red in a way he was clearly trying to hide behind a practiced smile."What's with the sudden visit?" Silius asked, leaning against the doorframe. "And at this time too?""Nothing," Mile said, waving a hand dismissively. "I just missed you." He smiled again, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "*Smile.*"Silius studied him for a long moment, unconvinced. "I've known you since the day you were born, brat," he said dryly. "Now why don't you tell me the real reason?""Come on," Mile said, forcing lightness into his voice. "Can't I just visit you guys? It's rare to see you since you moved out."Mathew had appeared in the hallway by then, drawn by the sound of voices. Silius glanced over his shoulder at him. "You're okay with that, right?" he asked."Of course," Mathew said easily. "He's yo
The moment Silius stepped into what he'd expected to be an empty bedroom, he found his mother already seated there instead, perched primly at the edge of the bed as though she'd been waiting for him."Stop being like this," she said without preamble, eyes tracking him as he crossed the room. "He marked you because he loves you that much."Silius exhaled slowly, already bracing himself for a conversation he had no interest in having. "Can we please talk about something else?" he asked, voice tight with the particular exhaustion that came from repeating himself."No," his mother said, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "Mathew called me here because he was getting worried about your behavior."Something in Silius's chest went cold and sharp all at once. He didn't answer her. Instead, he turned on his heel and walked straight out of the room, footsteps quick and hard against the floor, until he found Mathew standing not far down the hall."What's wrong?" Mathew asked, immediately alert
Micheal pulled away sharply, breaking the kiss before it could go any further, chest rising and falling with something closer to anger than desire. "You almost got me there," he muttered, more to himself than to Dan."It's okay, Micheal," Dan said, entirely unbothered, his voice smooth as silk. "Just give in." He wrapped his hands around Micheal's neck again, leaning in to peck his lips lightly, as though the rejection a moment ago had never happened at all."Stop trying to get inside my head," Micheal snapped, though he made no real effort to shove him off. "You're manipulating me again.""That's only happening," Dan said, voice dropping to something low and knowing, "because you still have feelings for me." A faint, satisfied smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "You still love me."Before Micheal could answer, the door swung open."The manager told me to give this file to y—" Mile's voice trailed off mid-sentence the moment his eyes landed on the scene in front of him: Dan perc
"What did I tell you about staying away from their life?" Micheal snapped, arms crossed, glaring at the man perched uninvited on the edge of his desk.Dan Melvicks only smiled, unbothered, his leg still swinging faintly where it had been resting against Micheal's lap moments before Micheal had shoved it away. "Come on now," he said, voice low and syrupy, utterly unfazed by the rejection. "We both know you didn't mean that.""I told you not to come and see me here," Micheal said again, sharper this time, though the warning did nothing to wipe the smirk off Dan's face.Dan simply leaned back, propping himself against the desk like he owned it, studying Micheal with half-lidded eyes. "Now," he said, tilting his head, "tell me where Mathew and that bitch went.""How the fuck should I know?" Micheal shot back, slapping Dan's leg away when it tried to creep back onto his lap. "And don't call him that.""Because you're his brother," Dan said simply, as though that explained everything — as t
For a long moment, Silius couldn't move. The words hung in the air between them, cold and final, and he found himself searching Mathew's face for some sign that he'd misheard, that this was some cruel joke his exhausted mind had conjured. But there was nothing there except a terrible, resigned calm — the look of a man who had already made peace with tearing something out of himself because he believed it was the only way to make things right."Turn around," Mathew said quietly, when Silius didn't move. "Look at me."Silius did, slowly, arms wrapped around himself as though bracing for another blow."I know I promised I'll never force anything on you without your consent again," Mathew said, voice low and steady in a way that somehow made it worse. "And I broke that promise. I know you don't want me to mark you. I don't know how it happened either. I wasn't in my right mind. I don't even remember most of what happened."He paused, jaw tightening, like each word cost him something to sa
"Everything was so perfect," Silius said, voice cracking as the memories came spilling out of him now that he'd started. "The time we spent on the tent, the hiking… everyone was so fucking perfect and now…" He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, trying to hold back another wave of tears. "Why do these kinds of things keep happening to me?"Rile didn't answer right away. He just sat there beside him, quiet for a long moment, clearly turning the whole tangled mess over in his mind before finally speaking."I don't think talking to me about this matter will solve anything," he said gently. "You should go and talk to Mathew."Silius let out a short, humorless laugh. "How can I do that? He left.""That's why he called me," Rile said. "He asked me to bring you back there."That gave Silius pause. He blinked, some of the fog of misery clearing just enough to let a fresh worry in. "Is he that mad at me that he doesn't even want to be in the same car as me?""I think it's the othe
THEODORE POV"slow down... Jason". I shouted. I ran behind him."catch me". he replied as he changed into his wolf in mid-air, he raced faster into the woods leaving dust, rotten leaves and twigs in his wake.I groaned as I watch him disappear into the woods ahead. I hated that I couldn't shift int
LAYLA POV The wind blew softly carrying with it the sweet smell of wet wood and lemon. I sniffed the air again and again as I drove closer to the pack house. I knew what the smell meant. my mate is close by. perhaps in the pack house ahead as the smell grew stronger. I fought against my wolf, shi
THEODORE POV I wheezed as I ran into the ridge forest. bad idea... my wolf said. I ignored her, running faster, jumping boulders, dodging vines and thorns of wild plants whilst moving deeper into the thick black forest. I could feel the air getting thicker as I moved. the thick trees had
I took few steps backwards as the men stepped forward steadily. Jason snarled. His arms dropped till he held one of my hands in a death grip. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. The nearest patrol point was miles from where we were. We had ventured deeper into the woods today. Not even a scream ca







