ELIZABETH'S POVThe kitchen smelled like rosemary and roasted chicken. My mother moved quickly from counter to stove, her hair pinned in its usual neat bun, not a strand out of place. I stood by the sink, chopping vegetables like she asked, but my mind wasn’t on the knife or the carrots in front of me. It was on the way Phillip’s eyes had kept finding me in the stands after the game. It was on the strange, restless energy in my chest every time I thought of him.“Keep them even, Elizabeth,” Mother reminded me without looking at me. “Presentation matters when we serve at a pack meeting. It reflects the family.”“Yes, Mother,” I said, though my slices were uneven no matter how hard I tried.The house buzzed louder than usual. A meeting tonight meant our Alpha and many others would gather in the hall, and our home, being one of the closest, always turned into a staging ground. I didn’t mind most nights. But tonight, I hated the way my mother’s voice carried, the way she spoke to the ot
Last Updated : 2025-10-13 Read more