How…dare he.I yanked myself away, my palm connecting with his cheek in a slap that echoed in the silence. His head snapped to the side, his breathing ragged, but the look in his eyes was anything but defeated.“Don’t you ever—” My voice shook, my chest heaving with the effort to steady myself. “Don
Abigail's POVMommy wasn’t smiling. That’s how I knew something was wrong. Mommy always smiled, even when she was tired or when I accidentally spilled juice on her papers. But today, her lips were all flat, and her eyes looked sad, like when I broke my favorite doll and she couldn’t fix it.I sat on
Owen blinked at me, his brow furrowing. “Huh?”“I hate your parents,” I added, just to make sure he knew. “My mommy says your daddy is a bad man, so I hate you too!”For a second, he didn’t say anything. I thought maybe he was mad or scared. Then he looked at me with big, dark eyes like a rabbit and
Lauren's POV The airport was a whirlwind of movement, families reuniting, announcements echoing through the halls, and Abigail’s laughter cutting through the noise like a warm breeze. As soon as Liam stepped through the arrival gate, her tiny frame shot forward, a bundle of excitement and curls.
The soft strains of a live orchestra mingled with the hum of voices and the clink of champagne glasses. Servers in crisp black-and-white uniforms moved through the crowd, their trays gleaming with liquid jewels. It was all… excessive. I couldn’t help but feel how excessive this was, even for Alexa
Lauren's POV The room seemed to freeze, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Alexander’s jaw tightened, his gaze dropping to where Liam’s hand rested on my hip. What? Fiancée? The word echoed in my mind as I stared back at Liam. My gaze flicked to Sophia, whose smile seemed to stretch w
Before I could react, I was yanked forward, my back slamming into the cold wall. Panic surged as a hand clamped over my mouth, and I froze, unable to move. His presence was suffocating—his grip like steel, trapping me in place. "You’re planning to marry Liam?" His voice sliced through the tension—
Lauren's POV I didn’t want to hear another word from him. Not from Alexander. Not now. His voice, his lies—everything about him suffocated me. Without thinking, I shoved past him, my heart pounding like a trapped bird. The past had already taken too much from me, and I wasn’t about to let him dr
Worst of all, he was right.A sickening wave of guilt crashed over me. It wasn’t about him. It was me—my own weakness. The way I’d let everything spiral out of control, let myself be influenced and now…I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of every unspoken word lodged in my throat. My lips parted,
Lauren Liam left with all the dramatics of a man who knew exactly how to piss off Alexander. A slow, taunting exit, the ghost of a smirk on his face like he had won something. He even had the audacity to wink.The second the door clicked shut, I felt it—the air shifting. Heavy. Charged.My head was
“Well, don’t you two look cozy,” Liam mused, his eyes flicking between us before landing squarely on me. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to wake up.”“Liam,” Alexander growled, already swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “Get out.”“Sorry, can’t,” Liam said smoothly. “Business.”
LaurenPain.That was the first thing I registered. A dull, aching soreness that settled deep in my muscles like I had run a marathon, fought a war, and then been hit by a truck for good measure. My body felt...off. Like I wasn’t quite put together right, like my bones didn’t fit inside my skin prop
But she didn’t.Her teeth sank even deeper, and the pain spiked, blinding me for a moment. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog, my body thrashing beneath her, trying to free myself without breaking her apart in the process.But it wasn’t enough.Her jaw deepened it’s hold on me, and I knew in a
AlexanderThe moment we hit the tree line, I shifted, my body snapping, twisting, reshaping in a way that should be painful but wasn’t. A familiar rush of heat, the pull of instinct taking over, and suddenly I was running on all fours—massive, powerful, my black fur blending into the night.Beside m
AlexanderThe moment I stepped into the clearing, I knew something was wrong.Lauren’s scent was thick in the air, but beneath it—beneath the sweat, the earth, the raw, electric energy—there was pain.And then I heard her scream.The sound gutted me.“What the hell is going on?” My voice boomed as I
LaurenThe first thing I noticed when I woke up was warmth.The kind that sinks deep into your bones, the kind that lingers in the air, making it thick and heavy. My body ached in a way that left no room for confusion, and when I shifted slightly, the soreness between my legs confirmed what my hazy
Then Theo nudged me, near out of breath. “Hey, if things go south, you’re our distraction.”I turned slowly. “Excuse me?”He shrugged. “You’d make the best bait. You’re the slowest!”“I am not!” I hissed.Owen rolled his eyes, shoving us both forward. “Focus on you’re feet you two!”“You’re so right