LOGINFantineThe damp air of the cellar felt thick and freezing against my skin, and the dull throb in my bandaged shoulder was getting worse because the heavy bars of the cage were coated in a thick layer of solid silver that made my wolf Ava whine with a deep, sickening pain inside my chest. Every time I accidentally leaned too close to the metal framework, a sharp wave of nausea washed over me and made my fingers twitch with weakness, but I kept my arms wrapped tightly around my knees and stayed in the exact center of the stone floor so the guards outside wouldn't see how much the confinement was actually affecting my strength."You can pace around all you want, girl, but those bars aren't going to budge an inch, and your alpha boyfriend is currently locked in a shouting match with the senior council upstairs so nobody is coming to unlock that padlock anytime soon," the younger guard muttered from his wooden stool by the stairwell, his hand resting casually on the butt of his sidearm as
RileyThe 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
DanteThe burner phone on my desk vibrated against the wood, and I didn't hesitate to pick it up because the reports from my southern territory were getting worse by the hour. My enforcers were losing ground to the rival syndicates, our bank accounts were being frozen by the federal task force, and
FantineThe morning after the hospital incident felt like walking through a minefield because Riley didn't let me out of his sight for a single hour, and instead of taking me to the PR office or the student lounge, he dragged me straight to the private athletic training facility at the back of the
Riley The sterile white ceiling of the campus infirmary was the first thing that drifted into my blurry vision, and the harsh smell of antiseptic hit my nose so fast it made my head throb with a dull, heavy ache. I tried to sit up but a sharp tug on my left arm stopped me, and I looked down to see
FantineI watched from the player's bench as Riley skated a hard lap around the perimeter of the ice rink, but halfway through his stride his posture collapsed and his skates lost their edge, causing him to crash violently into the padded boards before sliding face-first onto the cold surface. The







