M I K H A I LThe first thing that strikes me is disbelief and denial. In my head, I was already discounting everything that happened here. I think to myself that hey, perhaps I’m just being weird and stupid about it, because the whole thing is strange already. I mean, the thing I’m experiencing at the moment is probably just paranoia.I look at Evan and he’s also sniffing the air, frowning with a thoughtful expression. Seeing this on his face makes my heart jump. Is he going to look up at me and tell me that he can indeed smell Yana and confirm my worst fears? Or is he just smelling something else that he’s still trying tp figure out.The denial in me is working too damn hard. As I stop in my tracks and look around, I keep thinking to myself that he won’t say anything. In fact, I’m silently begging him not to say anything.But of course my illusion shatters when our eyes meet and he just says, “Can you smell that?”I only nod, waiting for him to supply the rest of the information and

M I K H A I L“Are you sure you’re alright?” Evan asks as we start to walk toward the car. “Not going to lie, boss, you’re starting to look pretty rough.”I shake him off, but this simple motion almost sends me face-first into the ground. My equilibrium is being tipped over, I can tell, but I’m not about to let Evan see this and take me somewhere I don’t want to be, which is some sort of treatment facility that will inevitably inform my parents.Or worse, tell everyone that I’m in grave danger.That will surely rouse the Lycan world and make some idiots think they have a shot on the throne.So even though I feel like I will hurl and end up coughing out my stomach, I force myself to walk and head to the passenger seat of the car. Evan gets into the driver’s seat and looks at me again.“Boss,” he begins, “Are you okay?”“Evan.” I match his tone and give him a stern look. “Please just drive so we can get the fuck out of here.”“Okay, okay!” he mutters, flooring the accelerator until we’r

M I K H A I LI stare at Brody, and immediately my body goes into overdrive. Energy is humming in my veins, and I can tell that it’s Kingsley doing his best to provide me his power without breaking our form and shifting in front of all these humans.However, their scent and my hate is making me feel strange. I’m eager to tear them into pieces, and I’m basically just hungry for blood at this point, which is a primitive sensation that I never felt before.But I still control myself.“I’m getting them ready,” I say, which is a total lie, but my voice sounds believable enough that Brody falters a bit. “They’re going to be freed and handed over to you once I make sure that Yana is well.”He grins, but I can see his lips shaking. “Sure. She’s right over there, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”He starts to point vaguely in the distance, and that makes my temper flare.“I don’t see her,” I say in a low voice. “I have to see her.”“You will later,” he says dismissively, taking a ste

M I K H A I L Slowly, I can feel the presence of the Lycans waking in my head. I reach out to all of them, asking them for help as I continue to run along the road. I know there’s only a certain point for me here because of the risk of getting seen by Humans, but surprisingly, I find myself not really caring about that. The idea of being exposed as something completely different and dangerous pales in comparison to the idea of Yana not being able to make it. I would rather get punished for being what I am than living with myself if something happened to her. Kingsley is trying to push me farther, and I’m letting him, even though I can see the familiar light of civilization in the distance and it meant seeing Humans. However, before I can get too close, two figures appear in front of me and block my way. Instantly, my instincts spring into action and I poise myself to fight. I keep Yana steady on my back, waiting for the figures to attack. But when they get close enough, I see tha

Y A N AI freeze in my spot. Suddenly all the pain from my injuries come back in a huge wave, and I’m just sitting there like a sack looking up at Sofia.She doesn’t seem too bothered by my lack of response. In fact, she just stares back at me with a small, almost pleasant smile that makes me think that maybe she’s not entirely horrible and this is just a way for her to protect her son. Ultimately, I can respect that.But that doesn’t mean I won’t get the same sinking feeling as I did when she and her husband first talked to me.However, I still brace myself and face her. “I don’t know what you wanted me to do last time exactly.”She gives me an exasperated look. “Well then, at that point, I just think that you’re doing it on purpose, not leaving my son alone. You almost put his life in danger too, you know.”“I didn’t want to,” I say in a low voice.“What we want doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things,” she says. “What matters is what happened despite what we wanted, and