Lauren's POVTwo lines. Positive.My head dropped between my shoulders, a heavy breath leaving my lips like a caress down my chest. Leaning over the porcelain sink, the stick in my hand trembled, nearly slipping to the floor.The cool tile beneath my bare feet no longer felt sharp and biting—instead,
Lauren's POVThe crinkling hospital paper beneath me rustled as I shified, unable to sit still. Cold sweat dampened my skin, my nerves trembling with every breath.The doctor before me, an older man with a crisp white coat and a handlebar mustache, studied the papers in his weathered hands. His cool
Lauren's POVI don’t think anyone really expects to attend their own funeral. But if you ever find yourself in that awkward position, let me give you a heads-up: faking your death is messy business.People cry—but not as many as you’d hope. Most are just there for the drama. And if your death is as
Alexander's POVMy gaze was as cold as the marble floor beneath us, fixed on Owen as the Beta dragged him into the kitchen.His grip was firm on the boy’s shoulder, but Owen didn’t flinch. He never did. Behind them, the guards hovered, drenched in sweat and utterly humiliated.It wasn’t the first ti
Lauren's POVI adjusted the strap of my messenger bag, my fingers brushing against the edge of the neatly packed files inside.Everything was in its place, but a flicker of unease stirred in me.As I stepped into the hospital lobby, the sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic filled the air—familiar, yet
Lauren's POVThe room froze, the air thick with stunned silence, as if the world itself had hit pause. Owen’s small, clear voice lingered.“Mommy?”—a single word that rippled through the stillness, shattering logic and piecing it back together in a way that didn’t quite make sense.My chest tightene
Sophia didn’t speak, her presence a silent weight passing to leave beside me out the doors. But I didn’t need her words to know what she was thinking—the flicker of recognition in her eyes said it all.The elevator hummed to life, its soft whir filling the silence. I kept my gaze fixed ahead, my gri
Alexander 's POVMy breath fogged in the crisp air as I strolled into the entrance of the hospital, shoving one hand into the pocket of my coat while the other held my phone to my ear.Sophia’s voice droned on, sharp and relentless.“You know, Owen is like this because he’s sick—” I rolled my eyes a
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 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
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 moment we stepped off the helicopter, the cold bit at my skin, crisp and unrelenting.The Alps stretched before us, their snow-dusted peaks rising against the pale morning sky like something out of a painting. The air smelled fresh, sharp with the scent of pine and ice, so different from
LaurenI blinked, rubbing my eyes before leaning in again, scanning Owen’s latest blood test results. The numbers blurred for a second, forcing me to refocus.Ever since I found out he was my son, I’d been obsessing over his medical records—blood work, test results, every scrap of information from t
He looked at me then, his gaze lingering. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”The compliment caught me off guard, and I felt a blush creeping up my neck. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, my foot caught on a root jutting out of the ground. I stumbled, a gasp escaping
LaurenAs we walked back toward the house, Alexander stopped to talk to a few members. The night air clung to me, heavy and electric, as the pack began to scatter into the shadows of the trees. The field still smelled of blood, but at least the fight had stopped, for now.I stood on the edge of the
A wave of gasps and murmurs rippled through the pack. I saw the disbelief on their faces, the questions forming behind their eyes. But I didn’t stop.“You want to know what’s been going on?” I continued. “You want to know why Alexander has been stretched so thin? It’s because he’s been trying to pro
AlexanderMy head snapped up, and there she was—Lauren, standing at the edge of the clearing, her chest heaving as she stepped into the circle. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, but there was steel in her voice.The pack murmured in surprise, a ripple of confusion spreading through the wolves. No o