LOGINRileyThe massive iron gates of the Porter Estate clicked open slowly as I drove the dented truck through the security checkpoint, and the high-beam headlights of three guard vehicles immediately swiveled to track us as we moved up the long gravel driveway toward the main mansion. The pack warriors were standing on the stone steps with their rifles held ready because the news of the high-profile shootout at the university pavilion had already reached the central council, and I could feel Fantine shifting uncomfortably in the passenger seat beside me as she looked at the heavy security presence surrounding my family’s home."Your father’s men look like they are preparing for a full-scale invasion, Riley, so maybe dropping me off at a neutral motel downtown would have been a safer choice for everyone involved tonight," she said, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag where the stolen leather diary was still hidden away from view."A motel wouldn't protect you from your siste
FantineThe heat from the burning porch structure was hitting my back in waves, and the thick black smoke made it hard to draw a deep breath as I stepped through the shattered frame of the front door into the wet gravel yard. Selene was already standing up from the grass where the blast had thrown her, her face covered in dark soot and her black coat singed at the edges, and the moment she saw me empty-handed without my pistol, she dropped her own weapon onto the ground because she wanted to break me with her bare hands."You always thought you were special because you were the youngest, Fantine, but you're just a weak traitor who threw away our family name for a piece of wolf property!" she shouted, lunging forward with a fast left hook that I barely blocked with my good forearm."I didn't throw away anything, Selene, I just refused to let Dante turn me into a mindless drone like you, and I am not going to let you drag me back to that cellar!" I yelled back, ducking under her next sw
FantineThe door groaned as we jammed it across the front door, and the sound of truck engines climbing the steep gravel trail outside meant that Selene’s vanguard crew had finally caught up to our tracks. My shoulder was bound tight in a clean strip of cloth that Riley had torn from a blanket, and though the pain was still a dull throb, the physical presence of my mate standing right beside me with his claws extended gave me a strange kind of calm that I had never felt during any of my solo syndicate missions."They are going to try the side windows first because the front entry is too narrow for a coordinated breach, so take this spare magazine and keep your eyes on the tree line while I cover the kitchen entrance," Riley said, his voice deep and steady as he slid a heavy metal locker across the floorboards to block the weak glass panes."Selene doesn't use standard breach tactics when she is angry, Riley, she will send two men to draw our fire from the yard while she tries to find
RileyThe wooden door of the old cabin groaned as I shoved it closed, and the thick layer of dust on the floorboards kicked up around our boots while I guided Fantine toward a rusted metal chair near the cold fireplace. My hands were still shaking from the pure rage of finding out her real name, but my wolf was under my skin, pushing against my ribs and demanding that I take care of her bleeding shoulder before I started demanding answers about her father's syndicate."Sit down right there and let me see how bad that bullet grazed you, because if that silver-coated lead stayed inside your skin, it's going to start poisoning your bloodstream within the hour," I said, my voice sounding rough and deep in the quiet room while I reached into my back pocket for the basic first-aid kit I kept in my truck."The bullet didn't stay inside, it just tore right through the top muscle layer, so you don't need to look at me like I am about to collapse on your floor," she said, her teeth chattering s
FantineThe steering wheel felt slick under my palms as I kept my foot pressed hard against the gas pedal, the dark trees along the mountain road were rushing past us while the engine of Riley's truck roared louder with every steep hill we climbed. My left shoulder was burning from where a silver bullet had grazed the skin during that final alleyway shootout, and I could feel the warm blood soaking through my torn sleeve, but I didn't dare slow down because the memory of Selene’s cold face was still staring at me through the windshield."You're bleeding all over the console, Fantine, so let me take the wheel before you lose your grip and crash us into the ravine," Riley said, his voice deep and tight with a mixture of raw anger and pure panic as he kept checking the side mirrors for headlights."I can handle the driving for a few more miles, Riley, because you don't know the exact backroads that lead past the old checkpoint, and if your pack patrols see you driving a truck covered i
RileyThe gravel of the alleyway crunched under my boots as I pulled Fantine behind my back, and my eyes locked onto the tall woman standing by the dumpster with the silenced pistol pointed right at us while the shouting and breaking glass inside the pavilion grew louder by the second. My wolf was snarling inside my head because this stranger was threatening our mate, and I could feel the muscles in my arms tightening with the sudden urge to shift and tear her throat out right there on the pavement."Step away from her, wolf, because my business is with my little sister tonight and you're just a target that was supposed to be dead two hours ago," Selene said, her finger tightening on the trigger while her dark eyes stayed completely cold and steady in the dim light of the alley."You're standing on Hades Realm territory, and if you think you can just walk onto my campus and shoot my people, you're completely out of your mind," I growled, taking a step forward to block her line of sigh
FantineThe message from Mira came at dawn.Three words.Old place. Now.My stomach sank the moment I read it.Mira never called meetings unless it was important. Or dangerous. Or both.Ava stirred uneasily inside me.I don’t like this.“I don’t either,” I muttered under my breath as I slipped out
RileyI didn’t sleep.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photo again. The notes. The cold, methodical breakdown of my life written neatly in the margins.Practice times. Class schedules. My routines. My injuries. My weaknesses.I’d stared at that piece of paper for hours after finding it, turni
RileyI couldn’t stop smiling.It was ridiculous. I knew it was ridiculous. But every time my phone buzzed with another message from Fantine, my face betrayed me. Lit up like I’d just won something.Fantine: You’re telling me you’ve never seen Star Wars?Me: I’ve been busy. Hockey. School. Being al
FantineThe abandoned parking lot looked like something the world had forgotten. Cracked asphalt stretched out in every direction, the faded yellow lines barely visible beneath dirt and time. Weeds clawed their way through the concrete, stubborn and ugly. On three sides, the woods crept in close, s







