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
“With Miles.” I nudged her forward, helping her onto my back. She slid into place, arms wrapping around the fur of my neck. I adjusted her weight, feeling her warmth press against me, her breath soft at my ear.For the first time since this nightmare started, I allowed myself to feel something beyon
LaurenThe sterile scent of the hospital room clung to my senses as I sat in the small, dimly lit space, the weight of the situation pressing down on me from all sides. Though, Doctor Belsing’s office house’s medical wing smelled more of wetwood, moutain air and a chill.Gingi was working on my leg,
Me? How? Impossible.I was just a nobody. A lowborn, raised in the gutters. My parents were poor, I was a waitress from the south side. We had nothing. No titles. No legacy. Just a life of struggle, day after day. So how—how could this be? Why me?“Lauren… a Lyan?” Alexander asked, his voice rough.
Abigail The air in the lodge felt thick, like something was being kept unsaid. Mom was pacing, frustrated, with Dad in the kitchen and I could feel the tension all the way down the hall. Something was wrong—more than just the cold outside.Since Mom and Owen came back from the brink, things had bee
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to feel. There was this aching sadness deep inside of me that I couldn’t explain, but it was there, gnawing at my insides.All I wanted was for everything to go right, to have just one thing go according to plan. Instead, I was running away from the only
LaurenI stood in an empty, dark field, the silence thick, suffocating. In the distance, I saw Owen and Abigail, their voices fading the further I ran. The ground seemed to swallow my every step, and no matter how fast I moved, they slipped further away.Then, Alexander appeared, but his face was co
Owen’s claws were out, only… now Abigail’s were too.There eyes flicked up at the sound of our footsteps, and the pitying look he gave me made my stomach turn.Abigail’s claws instantly retracted, “Mommy?”“What are you doing here?” I demanded, my voice tight with both confusion and fury. “Get over
Liam shrugged, like it was no big deal. “You wanted the impossible. You wanted a way out. Sometimes, you have to deal with the consequences when you want the unthinkable. You would’ve never regained your wolf without it.”I shook my head, frustration flooding through me. “People don’t mess with that
Lauren The restaurant was the kind of place you only saw in movies—gleaming crystal chandeliers and rich mahogany tables that screamed money. It was the kind of place I used to go with Alexander.I wasn’t sure why Liam had picked it. He was more of a fast food, convenience store kind of guy.But he
“Wait, what?” I blinked, not entirely understanding. “What do you mean, not one of us?”Theo’s smirk grew. “Not one of your family’s pack, Abigail. There are some bloodlines stronger than others. Some are... legendary.”Owen and I shot eachother a wary glance. The moutain visit. Our blood.Owen’s fa
AbigailI was so ready to figure this mystery out.We were in our usual hideout—a massive fort constructed in our room, the pillows and cushions build tall and hide—filled to the brim with toys and light up by a small portable lap. It was my favorite place to vent about absolutely everything, and to
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