Chapter: Morning, and What It CostShe woke before him, in the grey hour, with his arm heavy across her and the thread humming quiet in her chest, and she lay still and let herself understand, fully and without flinching, exactly what she had done and exactly how much harder it had made everything.She did not regret it. That surprised her. She examined it carefully, the way she examined a wound for infection, and found no regret in it, only the clean ache of a thing chosen and done. She had wanted it. She had taken it. It was hers.But she was not fool enough to think it was free.The bond was the problem. Tonight had been hers to choose, but the bond was not a choice, the bond was a fact now, a live thing between them, and a live bond changed the arithmetic of everything that was coming. Because a bonded pair was not two people using each other. A bonded pair was a mate-claim, in the old law, the very law Bram was riding nine days south to invoke, and a reforged bond between the Alpha and the mother of the heir was e
Last Updated: 2026-09-22
Chapter: The Space BetweenHe rode out at dawn to meet the council's riders, and he was gone four days, and Maren spent all four of them discovering that she had made a mistake she had not planned for.She missed him.Not the man who had broken her. She was not such a fool as that, and she watched herself carefully for it, the way she'd watched for years for any sign of the old softness. It was not that. It was that for four days there had been someone on her side of the thing, someone who did the sum as fast as she did and chose the child every time and asked nothing back, and then he was gone up the river into danger on her behalf, and the town felt thinner without him in it, and she caught herself, twice, three times, turning toward where his attention should have been and finding only empty air.She did not tell anyone that. She barely told herself.He came back on the fourth night, and she felt him before she saw him, the thread of him coming down the river road in the dark, and she was at her window befor
Last Updated: 2026-09-21
Chapter: The Council Sends a RiderThe pack found out on a Thursday, and it was not Sera who told them.Maren learned it the way she learned everything, on the low channels, from a bargeman who traded downstream and heard things and knew, without knowing why, that the grey healer two streets back from the harbour would pay in remedies for news out of the north. He came to her door at dusk with a poultice-worth of gossip and did not understand a word of what he carried.An Alpha out of the northern territories, he said. Been asking up and down the river these five years after a woman, everyone knew that, it was an old story. But now there was a second lot asking. Come down hard and fast in the last week. Not asking after a woman. Asking after a child.Maren paid him double and bolted the door and stood with her back against it in the dark, and for the first time since the lane she was afraid in the old, clean, simple way, the way she had not been afraid since before Dorian turned up on her side of it.The council knew.
Last Updated: 2026-09-21
Chapter: What He BecameHe was waiting where she'd said, in the dead-end lane behind the ropewalk, when she came to hear his account of the watching.She had left Wren with the chandler's wife, bolted in, and she had come alone in the last grey of the afternoon, and she found him standing very still against the wall with his hands loose at his sides and his face wrecked in a way he had not bothered to hide from her.He had been crying. Not now. But not long ago. She knew the signs of it in a face the way she knew the signs of fever, and Dorian Vale, Alpha of the Hollow, the coldest man she had ever known, had stood in a lane behind a ropewalk in a human town and wept, and had not scrubbed all the evidence of it away before she came, and she understood that this too was a kind of message. He was letting her see it. He, who let no one see anything."She counts eggs by the size of the yolk," he said, before Maren could speak. His voice was not steady. "She told the egg woman a small egg is less egg. Unless the
Last Updated: 2026-09-21
Chapter: The WatchingShe chose the fish market, because it was the most crowded place in Greywater and the hardest place in the world to watch one man watching one child.She thought it through the whole night. Where Sera might stand, what Sera might see, how a woman like that read a crowd. And in the morning she took Wren down to the market by the harbour with a basket on her arm, as she did two or three times a week, nothing in the world more ordinary, and she put Dorian where the smoked-fish stalls threw a long shadow and a man could stand in the press of bodies and be no one at all."You do not move from that shadow," she'd told him, at dawn, in a doorway two streets up. "You do not follow us through the market. You stand, and you look, and when we leave you count to two hundred and then you go the other way. If Sera is watching, she sees a woman and her child buying fish, and a stranger who never once looked at them twice.""And if Sera is not watching?""Then you have still lost nothing but a mornin
Last Updated: 2026-09-21
Chapter: Terms of War"You want to help me," Maren said. "Then you do it my way, or you do not do it at all."Dorian had got up off the floor of the rented room, and something had changed in him when he did. The grief was still there, she could see it sitting behind his eyes like a stone at the bottom of clear water, but he had put a lid on it, the way he put a lid on everything, and turned the cold working part of himself toward the problem she'd handed him. It was the thing she'd once loved to watch and had learned, too late, to fear. Now she was going to have to use it."Tell me the way," he said."You do not take her." She said it first because it was the thing that mattered most and because she wanted to watch his face while she said it. "Whatever happens with Sera, whatever the law says, whatever your council would tell you. You do not lay a claim on my daughter. You do not speak the old law over her. Not to Sera, not to me, not to anyone. If I hear that you have, I take her and I am gone, and this t
Last Updated: 2026-09-21
Chapter: Chapter 137The quarry appeared suddenly—a gaping wound in the mountainside, abandoned equipment scattered like discarded toys around its perimeter. I killed the headlights as we approached, relying on moonlight and enhanced vision to navigate the rough terrain."There," Silas pointed to a narrow gap between two massive boulders. "We can wedge the SUV in there. Make it harder for them to follow our trail."I maneuvered the vehicle into the tight space, wincing at the screech of metal against stone. Not exactly stealthy, but it would have to do."Grab everything useful," I instructed, already reaching for Adam and the small pack of supplies we'd gathered. "Water, weapons, first aid kit."Silas moved with careful precision, each action deliberate to minimize the pain from his injury. I pretended not to notice the way he braced himself against the door, the brief moment he closed his eyes as though gathering strength. Acknowledging it would only make him more determined to push through, to prove he
Last Updated: 2025-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 136When we broke apart, Adam made that soft sound again, and I swear the kid was trying to say something important. His tiny hand pressed against my cheek, and I caught a flash of something—not quite an image, but a feeling. Determination. Clarity. Purpose."Be careful," Silas said, already backing away. "Stay downwind, keep him quiet.""I know how to hide," I reminded him.His smile was tight but genuine. "Never doubted it."Then he was gone, moving through the forest with preternatural silence, heading toward the tower that might or might not be occupied by people who wanted to dissect us for science.I waited until he was out of sight, then turned and headed in the opposite direction, keeping low and using the growing darkness as cover. Adam was a warm weight against my chest, his breathing surprisingly even for a baby in the middle of a life-or-death situation."You're being very cooperative," I whispered to him. "Keep it up, kid."The descent was even harder than the climb, loose st
Last Updated: 2025-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 135The plan was fucking insane.That was my first thought as we ditched the initial rendezvous point and split from Williams' convoy, taking a sharp turn onto a winding forest road that didn't appear on any GPS.My second thought was that it might actually work."You're sure about this?" Silas asked for the third time in twenty minutes, knuckles white on the steering wheel as we navigated the increasingly treacherous mountain path."No," I admitted. "I'm not sure about anything except that if we keep running, they'll keep finding us."Adam had fallen asleep in his makeshift car seat, his breathing slow and even despite the jarring bumps of the unpaved road. The silver lines beneath his skin pulsed in rhythm with his tiny heartbeat, glowing softly in the dim interior of the SUV. In sleep, he looked almost normal—just a baby, innocent and vulnerable. But I knew better. The kid had been broadcasting distress signals like a psychic radio tower earlier. Whatever was developing in that tiny sk
Last Updated: 2025-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 134Angela's room was chaos when we arrived. The baby was indeed crying inconsolably—not normal infant fussing, but the kind of distressed wailing that set every protective instinct on high alert. Angela looked frantic, rocking him while tears streamed down her face."I can't get him to stop," she said as soon as she saw us. "He's been like this for twenty minutes. I've tried feeding him, changing him, everything I can think of."I moved to her side, studying Adam's red, scrunched face. The silver lines under his skin were flaring erratically, much brighter than they should be for an infant his age. More concerning, I could feel his distress through whatever telepathic connection we shared—not just emotional pain, but something that felt almost like... interference?"Give him to me," I said, extending my arms.Angela hesitated for a moment, maternal instinct warring with desperate need for help, then passed him over. The moment Adam was in my arms, his crying softened slightly, though he
Last Updated: 2025-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 133I woke to the sound of rain against windows and the smell of coffee. For a disorienting moment, I couldn't remember where I was—the bed was too comfortable, the room too quiet, the absence of immediate crisis too strange. Then I felt Silas shift beside me, his arm tightening around my waist, and memory flooded back.Safe house. Coalition protection. Adam and Angela in the room down the hall. Carter's forces regrouping for another attempt."How long?" I asked, voice rough with sleep."Four hours," Silas replied, not opening his eyes. "Still have time."Four hours felt like both forever and no time at all. Long enough for my body to start recovering from the sustained crisis mode I'd been operating in, but nowhere near enough to feel fully human again. The silver lines under my skin were steadier now, less erratic, responding to rest and safety in ways I was still learning to understand."Coffee?" Silas offered, pressing a kiss to my temple."Please."He slipped out of bed, completely u
Last Updated: 2025-05-31
Chapter: Chapter 132"I know," he said gently. "You don't have to say it back. I just need you to know it's true."But the thing was, I did want to say it back. The words were right there, sitting heavy on my tongue, waiting for me to be brave enough to let them out. I loved him. Had probably loved him for months, maybe longer, maybe since the moment he'd shown up in that corporate office in New York and turned my carefully constructed new life upside down.I was just too much of a coward to say it.Instead, I turned in his arms, careful not to aggravate the wound he'd just bandaged, and kissed him. Not gentle, not tentative, but with all the desperation and relief and unnamed emotion churning inside me. He melted into the contact immediately, hands sliding up my bare back to tangle in my hair."Stella," he breathed against my mouth."Don't talk," I said, already working at the buttons of his shirt. "Just... don't talk."His shirt hit the floor, followed quickly by the rest of our clothes. There was nothi
Last Updated: 2025-05-31
Rebirth: In the arms of my Ex's Uncle
Vivian Caldwell gave up everything for Luca Moretti—her dreams, her independence, and ten years of her life. As the heiress to the Caldwell fortune, she built his empire, enduring his family’s abuse and his emotional neglect. But when she catches him red-handed with his first love, her world shatters. Confronting him only leads to more heartbreak when Luca cruelly throws her from a balcony, leaving her for dead.
But Vivian wakes up in the past, years before her death, with one clear goal—revenge. This time, she won’t be the naïve woman sacrificing everything. She’ll take back her power, her fortune, and her life.
The elusively attractive Dante Moretti, Luca's uncle, becomes her greatest ally—but on one condition: she must marry him.
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Chapter: Chapter 13A week passed in something resembling a routine. I continued working at Tom's warehouse, gradually bringing order to his chaotic business operations. True to his word, Dante arranged for visible security—a woman named Ria who looked like she could snap a man's neck without breaking a sweat, but who also had a surprisingly dry sense of humor."You don't look like a typical bodyguard," I'd told her on the first day.She'd smirked. "That's the point. The ones who look the part are the first to get taken out."Ria shadowed me discreetly, always within sight but never hovering. She accompanied me to and from work in the car Dante continued to provide despite my insistence that I could pay for my own transportation once I received my first paycheck."Consider it part of the security package," he'd said, smoothly overriding my objections.I hadn't seen any more threatening notes, and Luca had stopped calling, which should have been a relief. Instead, the silence made me uneasy, like the calm
Last Updated: 2025-04-13
Chapter: Chapter 12The next morning, I woke to the sound of someone in the apartment. I froze, panic surging through me until I heard Marcus's voice calling out. "Ms. Caldwell? It's Marcus. I've brought your things from the hotel." I relaxed, wrapping a robe around myself before emerging from the bedroom. "You could have called first." "My apologies," he said, looking genuinely contrite. "Mr. Moretti suggested I come early so you'd have everything before work." Several bags sat by the front door—all my belongings from the hotel, plus some shopping bags I didn't recognize. "What are those?" I asked, pointing to the unfamiliar bags. "Mr. Moretti took the liberty of having some professional attire sent over. He thought you might need more options for your new position." I bristled at the presumption, then reminded myself that I had, in fact, been lamenting my limited wardrobe just yesterday. Still, it was unsettling how Dante seemed to anticipate my needs before I voiced them. "Tell Mr. Moretti than
Last Updated: 2025-02-07
Chapter: Chapter 11Vanguard Tower was an imposing structure in the heart of downtown, sleek and modern like Dante himself. The security desk in the lobby stopped me, of course, but one call upstairs had them issuing me a visitor's pass with surprising speed. The elevator whisked me to the top floor, where a receptionist greeted me with a polite smile. "Ms. Caldwell, Mr. Moretti is expecting you. This way, please." Of course he was expecting me. Marcus had probably called ahead the moment I hung up on him. The receptionist led me down a corridor to a set of heavy wooden doors, which she opened with a respectful knock. "Ms. Caldwell to see you, sir." Dante's office was exactly what I'd expected—spacious, tastefully decorated, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a commanding view of the city. He sat behind a massive desk, looking up from some papers as I entered. He didn't seem the least bit surprised to see me. "Vivian," he said, standing. "This is a pleasant surprise." "Is it?" I crossed my arms.
Last Updated: 2025-02-05
Chapter: Chapter 10Tom's warehouse was on the industrial side of town, a large facility that housed his manufacturing and distribution operations. He greeted me warmly when I arrived, looking a bit sheepish. "I should warn you," he said as he led me to a small office. "Luca called me this morning." My stomach dropped. "What did he want?" "To tell me not to work with you. Said you were unstable, that you'd stolen company information before leaving." I gritted my teeth. "That's a lie." "I know," Tom said, surprising me. "Luca's been... different lately. Cutting corners, breaking promises. I was already thinking of taking my business elsewhere." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, the job's still yours if you want it." Relief washed over me. "Thank you, Tom. I really appreciate it." "Don't thank me yet," he said with a wry smile, opening the office door. "Wait till you see the mess you're dealing with." He wasn't kidding. The office was filled with stacks of paper, disorganized files, and an ancient com
Last Updated: 2025-02-05
Chapter: Chapter 9The next morning, after a night spent in the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in, I made myself coffee in the gourmet kitchen and sat at the island with my new laptop. Time to start looking for a job. Dinner with Dante had been... interesting. He'd taken me to another exclusive restaurant where he was clearly a regular. We'd talked more about Luca's business vulnerabilities, about potential ways to undermine him professionally. Dante was methodical, strategic, thinking several moves ahead like we were playing chess. He'd asked questions about Luca's upcoming deals, his financial status, his relationship with key investors. I'd answered honestly, seeing no reason to protect Luca anymore. But I'd also made it clear I wasn't committing to anything yet. "I need time," I'd told him. "This is all happening fast." Dante had agreed, seeming content to let me settle into the apartment and think things over. He hadn't tried to kiss me again, maintaining a respectful distance throughout th
Last Updated: 2025-02-05
Chapter: Chapter 8I stared up at the building in front of me, trying to keep my expression neutral even as my stomach did little flips. This wasn't just an apartment building. It was a fucking luxury high-rise in the heart of the financial district, all gleaming glass and steel reaching toward the clouds. "This is the property?" I asked Marcus, knowing damn well it was. "Yes, ma'am. Mr. Moretti owns the entire building." Of course he did. Marcus led me through a lobby that looked more like a five-star hotel than an apartment building. The security guard nodded respectfully as we passed, and the elevator required a key card to access the upper floors. We rode in silence to the thirty-eighth floor, my apprehension growing with every floor we ascended. The elevator opened directly into a private foyer. Marcus used the key card to unlock a set of double doors, then stepped aside. "After you, Ms. Caldwell." I walked in and immediately stopped short. The apartment was stunning—open concept with floor-t
Last Updated: 2025-02-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 130Alexa's POV “It doesn't matter what I think, Alexa. You're the one born with the gift that's why I want you to please work together with me. We can take over the world and no one would ever be able to stop us. You are a star Witch.”“You're my brother,” I said, still in shock as that was true. I had found that out but myself.“Call me Edward,” he said causing my jaw to drop.“What?”“My name is Edward.”“Well Edward I don't know what to do concerning you. You are my brother?! That's crazy. My parents, I mean, our parents never told me that they gave birth to a boy.”“That's probably because they didn't want you to be any sadder If they told you that your twin brother is missing.”“Twin brother?” I said, feeling shocked a second time.“We're twins?!” I asked.“Yes,” he nodded, “And stop acting so surprised everytime, it's annoying.”“I see.” I answered, but then I said, “We're really siblings. That is amazing. And not amazing at the same time. If you knew that we were related all this
Last Updated: 2024-08-08
Chapter: CHAPTER 129Alexa's POV“I don't know what to believe.” I said.“I'll leave you to it.” He said and turned around to leave. It was then that I remembered what exactly that I came here for. I couldn't let the death of the white wolf be in vain. Also, Zaria was dead. And there was nothing that I could do to ever bring her back. So now my focus should be on my pack, Deep into the woods and how to make it prosperous again without any interference from the shadow Wolves.“Wait,” I said causing the Shadow Wolves leader to halt in his steps.“What?” He asked before looking at me.“If you don't have any magic then how come you don't react to my magic?” I asked.“Oh,” he turned to me. “Ever since I was little, I always carry a little pendant with me which makes me immune to magic. I don't know who gave it to me but somehow it always works and protects me when I'm in danger. It's like a little pocket charm.” He said. “By the way,” I said, “I want to you to stop attacking Deep into the woods.” “And what w
Last Updated: 2024-08-08
Chapter: CHAPTER 128Alexa's POVI raised a hand up in the air in surrender. “I'm not here to hurt anyone, I am here to talk to your leader.” I said, causing the werewolves to look amongst each other.“Who are you, fools?” One of the werewolves yelled out loud.I said at the top of my lungs, “I am the Alpha of Deep into the woods and I have come here to see your leader,” I said out loud causing the werewolves to look amongst each other.I continued, “I know that you are the Shadow Wolves and that you have beef with my pack but regardless of all of your trespasses. I have come here to announce a truce with your leader.”One of the Shadow Wolves scoffed, “Attack!”They all sped towards me and I stretched my hands forth causing magic to explode out of me causing them to all fall back to this ground with blood gushing out of their mouths. They were all dead.I looked to the while wolf beside me and it howled. I stepped over the dead bodies and continued to walk ahead over to see more shadow Wolves rushing tow
Last Updated: 2024-08-08
Chapter: CHAPTER 127Alexa's POVPhillip looked nervous so I whispered unto him, “Raise up your head. This moment will determine how long you will be respected by everyone.”He did as I said and raised his head up. I focused my gaze on the crowd. “Everyone, I would like you to put a hand together for Phillip North. He put his life as risk to find out the truth that Alpha Nate was with the enemy. Because of him we know who our enemies are and who our friends are.” I said and they all applauded him.“I would also like to announce to you all that Phillip would be the Beta of Deep into the woods, I hope you all listen to him as well as you listen to me.” I said. There was a little bit of hesitation amongst the crowd. After all, most of them were aware of what had happened in the pack with Zaria North. However, some clapped and I instantly knew that Phillip would have some problem controlling the people and ruling them but I also knew that he would have to prove himself. Only then would he be accepted.“Every
Last Updated: 2024-08-08
Chapter: CHAPTER 126Alexa's POV I was in my office working but then I summoned Martha and asked her to call me Phillip.She went on to carry my request and a few minutes later, Phillip was in my office.“You called me, Alpha?” He said with caution.“Yes, I did.” I said before gesturing for him to sit down. He did as I urged with his eyes widened in anticipation for what I would say next.“What's the problem?” He asked.“I choose today to officially make you my beta.”“But why what's the hurry?”“I just thought about it and to be frank with you, I don't like how everything in my pack is moving so I decided that I would go to meet the leader of the shadow Wolves. That's the only way that the pack would ever make progress. I'm tired of people dying on me.”“Alpha, that is dangerous. Is there anyone else you've spoken about this to?”“Just you, Phillip.”Phillip cleared his throat, “How is the baby doing?”“Good. But the most important thing here isn't me or the baby. It's the pack. I was entrusted Deep int
Last Updated: 2024-08-08
Chapter: CHAPTER 125Alexa's POVI shuddered, feeling as though there was something wrong in the moment. How could Arthur say that. After all he said about Zaria North?I stood up from the chair.“Arthur, you said Zaria killed your son and now you're saying you don't think she killed your son?” I said, feeling absolutely disgusted by what Arthur was saying.“Now that Zaria is dead you're changing your mind?”“It's exactly because she's dead that I think she didn't kill my son. How could she do that and kill herself, it doesn't make sense at all to me!”“What makes sense then Arthur, tell me?”“I think Zaria was controlled before she died. One of the warriors told me that she died during the war but she was brought back to life. I didn't believe him but now that she's dead, I think he might be onto something.”“She told me something similar before she died but I…” I trailed off, while thinking deeply. “I don't know.” I said while exhaling. I sat back down on my chair and said to Arthur, “Can you please cal
Last Updated: 2024-08-07
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