EvaI’m sitting on the edge of my bed, staring out the window as the moonlight filters through the trees. The house is quiet, and Sophia is finally asleep after what felt like hours of her tossing and turning. My heart is still racing from earlier, from the tension and fear I’ve been trying to keep at bay.Darius. He’s not going to give up, and the thought of him lurking out there, waiting, makes my skin crawl.I’m startled out of my thoughts when I hear a soft knock on the door. My heart skips a beat, and I sit up a little straighter.“Eva?” Osiris’ deep voice comes from the other side, gentle but laced with something heavier.I stand, smoothing down my shirt and walk over to the door, opening it slowly. “Hey,” I say, offering him a small smile even though the worry is still etched across my face. “Come in.”Osiris steps inside, his broad shoulders taking up most of the doorway before he closes it behind him. His expression is hard, but his eyes soften when they meet mine. I can tell
OsirisThe night is perfect—clear sky, a soft breeze, and the moon shining bright overhead. I’ve been planning this for days now, trying to create the perfect evening for Eva.She deserves a break, a few hours to forget everything that’s been going on. After everything with Darius, I want her to have something that feels normal, something beautiful.A small picnic blanket is spread out on the floor with some food and wine. It’s simple, nothing too over the top. Eva doesn’t seem like the kind of person who needs grand gestures; she just needs someone who’ll take the time to be with her, to make her feel like she’s worth the world.I rub the back of my neck, glancing over everything one last time. I don’t want to mess this up. She’s been through hell, and I know she’s not ready to jump into anything heavy, but I want her to see she’s got more than just Darius’ bullshit. She deserves to feel safe, to feel cherished.I pull a few strings with Nero to set up the observatory for tonight. He
OsirisThe morning starts off with a strange tension I can’t quite shake. When Nero called me into the war room, I thought we’d be discussing strategy regarding Darius or maybe something to do with the Vega pack. But when I walk in, it’s not the usual meeting at all.Orion is sitting at the long table, arms crossed, his jaw set tight. He’s staring straight ahead, but there’s something off about his posture. It’s too rigid, too controlled, like he’s trying to keep something bottled up. Aeron is next to him, but my heart drops when I see him. He doesn’t look like the brother I knew. He’s thinner, paler, his eyes hollow. There’s no spark in them, no sign of the witty, sharp kid we all grew up with. He’s just … blank. Empty. He stares down at the table, not acknowledging me as I walk in, and I feel a stab of guilt. I’ve been so caught up in my own shit with Eva and Darius that I haven’t been here for him. But it’s not just that. There’s something more.Nero stands at the head of the tab
OsirisThe word “bait” hits me like a fucking truck, and for a second, I can’t even breathe. My younger brother, the one we all looked after and who never wanted to be part of the pack drama, was used as bait. For what, I can only imagine, but nothing good ever comes out of that word.Bait in the shifter world means one thing — you’re prey. Something to be hunted, tortured, used.“They used you in a fighting ring,” I growl, my voice coming out harsher than I intend, but I can’t help it. The idea of my baby brother being used as fucking bait for a wolf fight makes my blood boil.Aeron’s eyes are glassy, lost in whatever hell he’s been through, and his hands tremble on the table. His voice is barely a whisper when he speaks again. He nods, tears spilling over his cheeks as he tries to keep it together. “I was tied in chains and shot with silver bullets if I… If I fought back and — I... I couldn’t shift back. They did something to me, something that kept me trapped in wolf form, but I
EvaCamellia sits across from me in the sunlit kitchen, her fingers idly tracing the rim of her mug. Her eyes, warm and kind, are focused on me, waiting for me to speak. I’ve been trying to say something for the past five minutes, but every time I open my mouth, nothing comes out. Instead, my mind races with all the doubts, the fears, the feelings I’ve been burying deep inside for weeks.“You don’t have to say anything if you’re not ready,” Camellia says softly, her voice steady but reassuring.I shake my head, taking a deep breath. I need to talk about this. I need to get it out, even if every word feels like it’s a weight on my chest. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk,” I finally say, my voice a little hoarse. “It’s that I don’t know how to explain how I feel. It’s … it’s all just a mess.”Camellia gives me a small, patient smile. “Life tends to be messy, Eva. Trust me, I get that.”I nod, chewing on my bottom lip. “I just don’t know if I belong here. With Osiris… with this pack
Camellia/“Run. Run. RUN!”//“Don’t let them catch you, don’t let them see you. You have to keep them safe; you have to get away from here! Go!”/I’m running, but I don’t know why. It’s raining and the dense undergrowth of the forest obscures the jagged stones underneath; my feet are sore and bloodied, the stitch in my side has nearly winded me.Everything is slippery but I’m running like my life depended on it… Which it probably does, seeing as I’m running with a swollen belly./“You need to run!”/The warning echoes in my head every time I try to slow down and catch my breath, but my instincts seem to guide me safely across the darkened forest. I turn my head to look behind me and don’t see anything at all, but the fear of being caught still propels me forward.Who am I running from? Who am I supposed to protect besides the baby in my belly? “…lia! Stop!” someone calls out. The voice is distant, almost drowned out by the pounding rain and my own ragged breaths. The sound makes
Lia / Camellia5 years laterI rush into the kitchen to grab my ringing cell phone, only to nearly trip over a train set I asked my son to put away after breakfast. Gritting my teeth, I take a deep breath to reign in my annoyance and bed down to pick up the damn toy myself.“Nereo!” I call out, turning when I hear his tiny footsteps approaching me. “What did I tell you about this, baby? You cannot leave your toys out like this.”My little boy saunters up to me, his curly hair falling over his forehead as he looks at his feet. “I’m sorry, Mamma. I forgot,” he sniffs and I sigh as I get down on my haunches to talk to him.He peers up at me with those slate gray eyes that I love so much, with his bottom lip pulled out in a pout. I try not to smile because this is his ‘feel sorry for me’ face. “You have to remember, okay, Amoruccio? Someone could get hurt,” I say gently, brushing a curl away from his face. His eyes well up with tears, and I pull him into a hug. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Ju
NeroI get out of the fucked-up rental car and wait for the contact I’m supposed to be meeting with my brothers, Osiris and Orion. This small Italian town is a far cry from the sprawling urban jungle I’m used to. “The Boot’s shitstain,” I mutter under my breath, glancing around the little town that seems too perfect to be real. Quaint, picturesque, and utterly grating on my nerves.This place is nothing like home. I glance over at my brothers, both looking like they’re spoiling for a fight. “Lighten up, Nero,” Osiris says, his hands shoved in his pockets. He’s the optimist of the three of us, always looking for a silver lining. “We’ll be in and out before you know it.”“Yeah, right. Knowing Matteo, he’ll drag this,” Orion grumbles, adjusting his leather jacket. He’s the one who sees the world more like I do—through a lens of distrust and scepticism.They flank me as we walk down the narrow cobblestone street towards the meeting spot. Orion and Osiris might be twins, but you’d never