PerrinThe hours seemed to pass faster than either of us wanted them to.The sunrise had greeted us as she let me worship her body, breaking through the windows as she exploded into pieces the last time. Since then, Lo had fallen asleep. She now slept soundly, tucked in my arm, her breath light and warm on my chest as she dozed. I stroked her hair, caught in my own state of blissful reverie before we broke the spell around us.A baby. Goddess. Lo was pregnant.It was a blessing. A surprise, of course, but a welcome one. Given my history with Jesamine, I had never let myself ponder the idea of having a family of my own. Adopted? Maybe. But Jesamine had put the brakes on that before the wheels ever started to turn. Goddess, that seemed like such a long time ago.But seeing Lo again this past year. Getting to know her. Falling in love with her? It had been easier than falling asleep; slowly, then, before I knew it: all at once.I could sense it now, even swear I could hear the heartbeat

PerrinPresent DayIt had taken me several years to understand what had happened that night. To understand what my parents endured, saying goodbye before his life had even begun, and burying my sibling out by the temple. I wished that I had been there, or had at least seen his face one time. I’ve spent years imagining what he would look like, haunted by the unknown. Would he look more like my mother? My father? Would he have looked like me? Nobody had talked about it back then. Mistra and Kyle had told Ethan not to say anything to me, so we didn’t talk about it either.One one hand, I felt a little grateful that I had never known him. It would have been horrible to have him taken away after I had grown to know him and love him. But the problem is that I had loved him. Loved him before I knew him. Loved him as a big brother should. And while I mourned as a child for the baby brother I never had, I mourned now with a deeper understanding of what it all meant. A parent should never b

PerrinCharlie drove us to the infirmary. I shared a knowing look with Lo at the thought of what may happen if the two of us were left alone with a car again. For some reason, Charlie smirked at me as we slid in the backseat. He couldn’t know, could he? Lo agreed to come with me before meeting with Jennivah, insisting that her encounter with Jesamine had been brief, if not hijacked, by Justin. We had discussed it, and in addition to getting an appointment with Jennivah to ensure everything was progressing smoothly, we knew it would be important for Jesamine to be aware of ours news before anyone else. Not that she had a right to it, but given the modern family that would result, it was the right thing to do. We had wanted to tell my father. Deidre, Ethan and Kira and Gia–but when we had talked about telling her mother, Lo became dismissive. Not that I could blame her. Her mother had gotten engaged, let alone engaged to an Alpha. What that said about her childhood and the relationshi

Kira I really didn’t want to go this morning. Not because I had anything to hide. I didn’t. I haven’t drank since the incident at the infirmary, but Goddess knows I didn’t want to talk about that. Fuck. Just thinking about last night makes my blood boil. I had gone to fucking apologize. And I had no idea how that had happened. He had been… almost… almost sweet. He covered for me with Perrin when I was crying in the car. Had been a perfect gentleman. He had even wiped my tears… he’d been some combination of friend and… and… And what? No. Nothing. It must have been all in my head. Maybe I was still hungover. Fuck. And then I showed up like some desperate, crazy psycho girl outside of the Archives in the middle of the night and seeking what… approval and forgiveness for something that I didn’t do? No. This was all insane. I should never have gone. Besides, I walked in on whatever type of booty call he was conducting in the archives. Fuck. If Mark or Marge got wind that he was entert

KiraI feel… good.In control. Lighter than I’ve felt in weeks.My time flew by with the Luna–Deidre– and I can’t believe it. I make my way to the Lodge, ready to kick some serious ass. Galpin is there warming up with Seth and greets me with a smile. “Ready to get your ass kicked?”Riding my high, I welcome the challenge. “Game on.”I’ve already beaten Galpin in the way that matters, earning his respect as a member from the Alpha Guard. And the fact that he’ll warm up with me is a good sign. I still have about half of the Alpha Guard to work through, but progress is progress.We spar for nearly a half hour. I can feel my muscles getting stronger, finally matching the endurance I feel when I run. But Galpin’s been at it for a few hours before I even got there. “How about you hit the treadmill?” he says, taking a break for water. “You seem to be slowing down a bit.”I know he’s just messing with me, but I do it anyway. Ever since I started running to help with my addiction and give me