Belsing’s answering smile was just as sly, leaving me thoroughly out of the loop while the kids gawked at him like he was a zoo exhibit.“Why can’t you talk?” Abigail asked bluntly.“Abigail!” I hissed, yanking her back by her hood. “Manners!”“Ow!” she yelped. “Don’t bite my head off!”“Maybe an Al
Lauren The master bedroom was silent except for the crackling fireplace in the corner, its warm glow casting flickering shadows against the walls. Outside, the wind howled against the glass, a storm rolling over the peaks in the distance. Inside, the storm was brewing between me and Alexander.“I'm
Today, we were waiting for the hospital’s test results, which meant a full day at the lodge. A day with him.I winced at the thought, knowing that “stuck with him” was both a curse and something else I wasn’t ready to admit. I couldn’t avoid him, not completely.But at least I had the little pride a
Lauren If you had told me, just a few years ago, that I’d be spending a crisp afternoon at the foot of a freezing ski hill, watching my kids tumble over and over in the snow—one my long lost child— laughing through the cold with their father, I would have called you crazy.But here we were.Abigail
“Owen! Do you see anything?” I called, my voice caught in the shriek of the wind.“Nothing.” He shouted back, but his voice was already distant.My chest tightened. The storm had hit too soon. It was supposed to stay clear for at least another hour.“Owen, stay close!”We kept moving forward, the th
OwenThe cold hit first—sharp and unrelenting—before my eyes even opened. I could feel it sinking through my jacket, biting into my skin. My breath fogged in the freezing air, but something was wrong. I couldn’t feel anything.Blinking against the blinding whiteness, I saw only snow. We had fallen.
I couldn’t remember how.“Please,” I whispered, voice barely audible, the wind snatching the sound away. “Please… help me. If not me… my son.”The one thing I still held onto, the one thing I clung to, was Owen’s face—the last look he gave me before he ran into the storm. I prayed with every fiber o
AlexanderThe storm raged outside, tearing at the world with unrelenting fury.Inside, the fire crackled, its warmth battling the cold that had nearly stolen her life. But it couldn’t melt the ice between us—an ache buried deep, untouched by flame.Lauren had been so still when I found her, her face
Owen’s face darkened, and I could see the conflict brewing in his chest, muttering. “Redhead…”It was like a boiling pot on the verge of overflowing.“Shut up, Theo,” he spat, his voice cracking with frustration. “You’re full of it. You think I’m going to let you anywhere near Abigail again? I’ll—”
TheoThe woods crackled around me as I sprinted through, paws slipping on mud and rotting leaves, the air thick with pine and damp earth. My legs burned, muscles aching, but I couldn’t slow down. Couldn’t afford to.I knew I was being hunted. Heard the howls—Alexander’s guard wolves, technically—clo
“Crap…” I muttered under my breath. “What a pain…”The situation had just gone from bad to worse.Mark didn’t look happy to be here. His eyes darted around, still wide with confusion, his lips parted slightly as though he was trying to piece together where exactly he had ended up. But it wasn’t just
TheoThe cell door creaked open, its rusty hinges groaning like the bones of an old man.My body screamed in protest as I pushed myself to my feet, every muscle aching, every bruise a reminder of the last few days. The cold air hit my face as the guards dragged me out, their laughter ringing in my e
The room went completely still. Mom’s voice barely heard as she whispered, “Abigail…”My heart stopped. My blood ran cold. I could feel my face going pale, my breath catching in my throat. He hadn’t just said that. He couldn’t have.I pushed back from the table, fury flooding my chest. “Yeah, I’ve b
AbigailDinner was a war zone of silence.The only sounds were the clinking of cutlery against plates, the occasional scrape of a chair being pushed back. And with every passing second, the tension in the room grew, like a pressure cooker about to blow its lid.Owen and I sat at opposite ends of the
He pick up a tea pot, examining it, completely unbothered. “I could give you everything back. Everything you lost. The status, the power, the wealth. I’m sure you miss it. I can offer you everything you lost. Status. Power. The world that should’ve been yours.”I straightened before letitng out a sc
SophiaIt was one of those night, the ones where everything felt like it was still. The cabin was quiet, save for the gentle crackling of the fire. I had a mug of tea in hand, the warmth seeping into my fingers as I stared out at the barren trees.My cheeks were still cool from my tears, but I had c
I didn’t even try to hide it. Why bother? He was by the pond, chopping wood like it was a hobby, not a chore. Sunlight danced on the water, turning everything a little less ugly—or maybe I was just getting used to it. The cabin. The earthy smell. The life I was forced to engage with.For a moment, I