AnastasiaThe next piece of paper wasn’t a letter, but an old newspaper clipping.Pack Mourns the Death of Alpha Vladimir Lasko’s Beloved Sister.December 20th, 1995Ms. Eliza Lasko, 24, is one of the victims in yesterday’s rogue attack. It is believed that the small clusters of uprisings in the pac
Until next time, The Realist.More and more letters piled up as our parents began talking again. They continued to make little to no sense. Snippets about gardening and flowers dispersed between more of my mother’s strange dreams. It was very obviously code for something.We were given a little mor
“She … can … stop … time.” Caius’s brows rose higher and higher with each word. “She can stop time.”Knight slapped his phone down. On the screen was an internet search on various types of flowers. “Did you know there’s a type of chrysanthemum called chrysanthemum Anastasia?”I set the letter down a
Anastasia“Staying up all night rereading the same materials won’t suddenly make us understand our parents motives.” Damon yawned, “We might as well call it a night.”We had combed through the letters a third time, but all we could discern was that my mother and their father were purposefully siring
“Need some air.” I called out over my shoulder, forcing myself to sound calm.“What you need is to stay inside where it’s safe.”That had me glancing back to glare at him. “It’s only a few minutes.”“No.”I turned slowly. “No?”Those golden eyes of his were unblinking as he said again, “No.”Knight
AnastasiaGrass and cold earth crunched beneath my bare feet as I ran. The damp smell was embedded in my nostrils. My lungs heaved with each breath, and my skin was damp with sweat. Despite all of that I could still feel the chill of night seeping into my limbs.Branches cracked behind me and I rele
No, I don’t want to think about that at all.“Someone’s in a bad mood,” I haughtily turn my back on Knight. He makes a face, but otherwise ignores me. “Does the emo princess not sleep well without his orthopedic mattress?”Ghost immediately turned around and fled the cabin. His roar of laughter came
AnastasiaThe frost came first, crackling along the ground as it swallowed each blade of grass. It traveled up the trees, coating them in a thin layer of shimmering ice. I might’ve thought it looked pretty had my stomach not been in knots. Everything sparkled as if embedded with diamonds.Five wolve
“Ah, we will in a minute,” Ghost replied, a smile teasing at the edges of his voice.My hand tightened around the envelope, my heart thudding in my chest. Caius stood to his full height and tipped his head to the side. I marveled at the shades of gold woven within his hair and eyes, reflected upon t
The pistachio muffin in my stomach turned to stone.I didn’t even have time to process it before a familiar, hushed voice slipped straight into my skull.“Someone has a secret. What would your husband think?”I jumped and growled under my breath. “Show yourself you shadow-dwelling freak.”Ghost popp
AnastasiaThe scent of caramel and whiskey grew, melting into a mouthwatering concoction that made my pussy ache. I forced my eyes open and frowned. “This isn’t my room.”“No,” He kicked the door shut. “It’s mine.”I made a sound of confusion, which he dutifully ignored, and instead placed me in his
Damon’s voice dropped low. “Makes sense. Anastasia’s mother raises her to conceal her ability at all costs and trains her to lie like an expert. Years later, she fakes her own death. We assumed these were for protection from Vladimir, but that’s quite a lot of hoops to jump through for one man. She
I didn’t say anything to the guys, though. There was no sense in spoiling Fallon’s fun.Ghost spoke around a mouthful of ramen. “My spies in Vladimir’s pack are reporting small uprisings among some of the townspeople. Apparently, they’ve been moved by all that you’ve done for them. Pretty unhappy Vl
AnastasiaI padded into the kitchen, my socks sliding along the floor. The scent of sesame oil and soy sauce clung to the air, a welcome distraction from the thoughts gnawing at the edges of my mind. The takeout bags sat on the counter, still warm, and I already knew which one was mine. He’d gotten
“You were made to be mine.” I tore the robe from her body and relished the sound of fabric splitting. Grabbing her wrists, I pinned them behind her back and flipped her around so that her back was flush against my chest. Sweeping an arm out, I cleared my desk of everything, earning a gasp from Anast
I kept moving, my senses stretched as far as they could go. A soft shuffle, nearly undetectable, had me turning left. I continued to follow the hall, turned again, then stopped when I saw her.At the very end of the hallway, bathed in shadows and pale slants of moonlight, was my wife. She was hardly
CaiusUpon returning home, I had one of the few remaining staff draw Anastasia a bath. The woman spent most of her time in there. Not that I paid much attention.Only I did.I told myself it didn’t matter. That I wasn’t counting the minutes she spent in there, listening for the hum of that fucking t