SOPHIA'S POV By the time I reached my front door, exhaustion had settled deep in my bones. Between Mrs. Jackson’s relentless teasing, Daniel’s unexpected charm, and that strange feeling I’d had on the walk home, I was ready to shut my brain off for the night. That was the plan. Or so it was – till reality had other ideas. The moment I stepped inside, something felt… off. Not in the same way as before – there was no eerie silence or weird sensation along my spine. No, this was different. This was the kind of “off” that meant my children were up to something. A faint clatter came from the kitchen, followed by hushed whispers. I frowned. My twins were supposed to be asleep. Kicking off my shoes as quietly as possible, I crept toward the kitchen, my senses sharpening. If they were trying to sneak snacks past bedtime again, they were about to get caught. Another clatter. And then– “Oh no! Alex, it’s falling!” “I got it! I got it – uh, nope, I didn't get it.” A loud clatter echo
SOPHIA'S POV The morning was loud. Not in a bad way – just in the way it always was when Alex and Alexia were full of energy, their voices bouncing around the kitchen as they blew through their breakfast. “Mom, are you coming to school today?” Alex asked between bites of toast. “Yes, but I can’t stay the whole day.” I reminded him for what felt like the tenth time this week. “But the fun stuff is later.” He groaned. “You mean the part where you get to run around like a lunatic after getting your award?” Alex grinned. “Exactly.” Alexia, more focused on tying her shoes than the conversation, perked up. “Mrs. Jackson stopped by earlier! She left something for you.” Oh. That's strange. I was just at her house yesterday and she didn't mention anything. Before I could ask what, the front door opened, and the woman herself strolled in. “Well, well, well, look at this madhouse.” Mrs. Jackson, already teasing right out the gate, said as she stepped inside. Trailing behind her was
SOPHIA'S POVThe school parking lot was packed. Parents expertly navigated their cars into the last remaining spots, courtesy of life skills taught by New York's finest, teachers directed those walking, and excited children ran ahead of their families toward the entrance. The buzz of conversation filled the air – greetings flying, people calling out to their friends, laughter ringing out, and the occasional frantic parent calling after a child who had gotten a little too excited.Which was the path Alex was slowly heading down.I barely had time to take in the scene before Alex tugged at my hand.“Mom, hurry!” He whined, practically bouncing on his feet. “We need to get inside first.”Alexia, holding my other hand, rolled her eyes but didn’t let go. “We don’t have to be first, Alex.”Daniel, walking just behind us, chuckled. “You got a hot date with the stage or something, kid?”Alex turned, eyes narrowed, his cute six-year-old mind clearly trying to figure out what a date was. “It’s
DANIEL'S POVI’ve sat through my fair share of ceremonies – long, bordering on insufferable things filled with speeches no one really listens to, polite applause, and stiff conversations. But this one was different.This was for Alex and Alexia. Sophia's kids. If anyone had told me yesterday when I boarded that flight to New York, that I would be at a kid's award ceremony, particularly the kid whose mom had tried to hit me with a decorative vase my mother had bought on a trip to Japan, I would told them to shut the fuck up and stop being full of shit.“Life is full of funny surprises, isn't it?” I smiled as I said to myself.I leaned back in my seat, watching as students filed across the stage one by one, collecting their awards. The school had gone all out for the event – decorations in the colors of their mascot, fliers with words of encouragement, and a slideshow playing pictures of the kids throughout the year. Parents filled the hall, some recording with their phones, others flo
SOPHIA'S POVThe evening air was warm, with the golden hour rays in me as I walked with Daniel, the tension from the restaurant still humming through my veins. I let out a slow breath, watching it curl in the cold.“Well, that was something.” Daniel muttered, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. His voice was casual, but I caught the flicker of amusement in his eyes.“Which part?” I shot back. “The part where You and Lucas nearly turned my kid's school into a warzone, or the part where you and Kate decided to have a moment in the middle of a warzone in my restaurant?”Daniel winced. “I wouldn’t call it a moment exactly.”I arched a brow at him. “Oh? Because it looked like a moment to me.”He rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Okay, maybe it was a little… something.” He sighed, then smirked. “She called me charming. What was I supposed to do?”I rolled my eyes. “Right, because you have no choice but to react when a woman finds you charming.”“Exactly.” He grinned. “Now
MARIA'S POVI adjust my press badge and step into the competition hall, inhaling deeply. Butter, garlic, fresh herbs…“Ahhh, that's the smell. The sweet smell of ambition.” I think to myself while I scan the room, already spotting the clusters of chefs, camera crews, and event organizers buzzing around.“Maria!”I turn and spot Frank waving at me from the judges' table, notebook in hand. I weave through the crowd toward him.“Look who’s already front and center," I tease, nudging him lightly. "Trying to steal my scoop?”“Please. You and I both know you're the queen of food journalism.” He says, smirking. “Besides, I’m here for the drama, not just the food.”“Same. Always.” I admit. “There’s always at least one chef who has a breakdown before the main course round.”Frank snorts. “Oh, it’s practically a requirement. Who do you think it'll be this year?”“Too early to say, but I’d put money on one of the newcomers.”Before Frank could reply, a voice cut in.“Excuse me, are you Maria Cla
SOPHIA'S POVI took a deep breath, trying to push away the exhaustion creeping into my bones. The past few days had been relentless – between running the restaurant, preparing for the competition, and making sure the twins were taken care of, I barely had a moment to think. Or breathe.Kate had practically shoved me out of Il Cuore di Sofia tonight, insisting I take a break. “Go. Do something that isn’t work or kids.” She’d said, waving me off like an overbearing mother.So, here I was, walking aimlessly through the quiet streets, a warm cup of tea in hand, letting the night air cool my skin. The competition was on my mind, but instead of focusing on recipes or strategies, I kept circling back to Maria’s odd behavior earlier. She’d called, wanting to talk, but before she could get to the point, something had interrupted her. She promised to call back, but I hadn’t heard from her since.Maybe I was overthinking it.I turned a corner, and just as I lifted my cup for another sip, I froze
LUCAS' POVIt had all happened like it was a dream. An out of body experience.I had planned everything down to the last detail. The weekend away was supposed to be a break, a moment for Sophia and me to breathe outside of work, responsibilities, and – most importantly – Nathan.But now, she was backing out.“I’m really sorry, Lucas.” She said, her voice carrying that careful softness she used when she knew she was letting someone down. “I just – I can’t leave right now. The competition is too important.”I sat back in my chair at the restaurant, gripping the edge of the table. Across from me, Sophia looked genuinely regretful, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I had been anticipating this weekend for weeks. More than that, I had needed it.I forced a smile, though I wasn’t sure how convincing it was. “I get it.” I said, keeping my voice even. “The competition comes first.”She exhaled in relief. “Thank you for understanding.”That wasn’t entirely true. I didn’t understand. Not w
SOPHIA’S POV The sun filtered gently through the curtains, casting warm stripes across the wooden floor. For once, the house was quiet – not with the eerie kind of silence that came from something being wrong, but the kind that only came after a storm. I stood in the kitchen, barefoot, a mug of tea cradled in my hands. “Ow, hot.” I burned my fingers as I dipped it in the mug to taste the tea. Then replied myself, “Of course it's hot you dummy. You just made it.” I sighed and leaned my head lightly against the cabinet door as I stared at the empty hallway beyond. The twins were still asleep, for now. I had let them sleep in. I’d taken the day off. No Kate, no kitchen, no demands. I texted her before dawn. “Can’t come in today. Family stuff. I trust you.” I didn’t say more, and she didn’t ask. She just sent back a thumbs-up and a heart. I knew she would understand even with no explanation. The truth was, I didn’t even know how to put words to what had happened last night. I wa
VICTORIA'S POVThe air reeked of stale beer, sweat, and desperation. Ew.But, it was exactly the kind of place I’d expect to find a disgraced Alpha drowning in his own failure. Go figure.The bar was tucked into the corner of a forgotten alley, away from prying eyes by broken neon signs and shattered dreams. How do the humans say it again? Ahh, yes. What a boulevard of broken dreams.I stood outside for a moment, letting my eyes adjust to the dim glow bleeding through the fogged windows. The faint thundering boom of music sounded from within – some cheap EDM beat vibrating through shitty speakers – and over all of that, somehow louder than it all, the rough voices of men exchanging bets, boasts, and laughter that reeked of low intelligence.I pushed the door open.The warmth inside hit me like a wall, thick with body heat and alcohol fumes. It was a human dive, alright. Ugh.Cheap wood paneling, flickering lights, a couple of dart boards with knives sticking out of them. A fight was b
NATHAN'S POVThe rain had finally stopped.I watched the last beads slide down the windowpane of my office, the world outside slick and silver under the afternoon light. It had been a quiet day—restless, but quiet. The kind of quiet that gets under your skin, makes your wolf lift its head and sniff the wind.Still, I tried not to read too much into it. I had things to do—real things.I turned my attention back to the table in front of me. A spread of papers, drawings, and a carefully wrapped pair of gifts sat in the center. One for Alex. One for Alexia.I had put them together after our last talk—gifts that I hoped the ancestors would be proud of, sure, but also from me. I’d carved their names into the wooden boxes myself. Inside were tokens of our world—hand-polished stones charged with protective runes, small journals bound in soft leather, and a pendant each, etched with our crest. It was slightly different from the other pendants I had gotten them—this one had the Bennett family c
THEON'S POVThe council room was a pressure cooker. It was almost as though the collective heat emanating from the council members could cook a hard, battle-seasoned wolf.Heat radiated from more than just the fire crackling in the hearth. It steamed from the anger in the room – wolves packed wall to wall, voices rising, tempers flaring. And no matter how tall I stood or how hard I glared, it wasn’t enough to keep the unrest at bay anymore.“He left,” Brannon, one of the newer council members, arms folded across his massive chest. “Our Alpha abandoned us.”“He didn’t abandon us,” I snapped, my voice ringing out like a whip. I imbued a bit of authority so as to make lesser wolves obey due to the chain of command. “He made a choice. One he told us about. One he took full responsibility for.”“He left,” someone else echoed. “When the fire hit. When the house burned. When Victoria and her father tried to kill him – he walked away. What kind of Alpha does that?”One of the younger wolves,
SOPHIA’S POVAlexia’s eyes glowed with a strange, pulsing light – unnatural and far too old for her six-year-old face. They didn’t blink as she stared straight ahead, her small hand still raised, fingers curled like she was holding something I couldn’t see.“Alpha Nathan, leader of the Moonstone Pack… you are in grave danger.”My heart slowed down, stuttering in its steady walk. The air itself seemed to still, the warmth sucked from the room. I started to step forward on instinct – my baby – but Elara caught my wrist, holding me firm. Her grip was steady, but her gaze never left Alexia. Her silence screamed, don’t.Then Alexia’s head turned. Slowly. Mechanically, like her bones had turned to gears with knobs for muscles. Until her glowing gaze landed on me.“And you… Sophia of the broken bond…”I stopped breathing.The voice was still hers, still soft and small – but it was laced with something heavy and ancient. Something that didn’t belong inside or anywhere near my daughter’s body.
NATHAN'S POVElara didn’t wait for us to react. She was already halfway down the hallway by the time I caught up.“Is it Alex?” I asked, heart slamming against my ribs.“Yes,” she said sharply. “But not in the way you think. Come on.”I didn’t look at Sophia – we were moving too fast – but I felt her presence behind me. Her heartbeat was quick, light footsteps trailing mine as we reached the twins’ room.When Elara threw the door open, everything in me froze.Alex lay in bed, his body drenched in sweat. But it wasn’t a fever. His skin glowed faintly, like moonlight was trying to escape through his veins. His fingers twitched, his back arched once, and his lips moved silently, like he was trying to speak in a dream.Alexia sat beside him, hands pressed to his chest, brows furrowed in fierce concentration.“Elara–” Sophia’s voice broke. “What’s happening to him?”Before she could answer, Alexia turned to us. “Shhh.”She didn’t shout, didn’t cry. Just raised her tiny finger to her lips.
SOPHIA'S POV“No way in fucking hell.”The words cut through the room like a whip cracking. Sharp and final.But the second they’re out, my chest constricts. Fucking hell. I see it in his eyes – the flicker of hurt – but I don’t care. I can’t care. Not now. Not when my entire world’s been turned on its head again, and he’s the one holding the match.Nathan doesn’t say anything. He just stands there in the kitchen’s low light, like he expected this. Like he knew it would go this way and still came anyway.Good.He should’ve known better.“You think you can just walk back into our lives,” I start, pacing because I can’t be still, my hands doing their part in the conversation too, “say a few heartfelt things, drop some ancient-wolf-magic prophecy on me – and I’m supposed to just what, uproot everything and go back to Moonstone?”“I didn’t say it would be easy,” he said, voice calm but low.I whirl around on him. “Don’t do that. Don’t use that calm, measured tone with me. You left. You ba
NATHAN'S POV Her voice breaks the quiet. “We need to talk.” Fucking hell. I knew what it was going to be about. I nod, even though I already know this won’t be easy. I follow her to the kitchen, where the light is low and everything feels too still. It smells like honey tea and something faintly herbal, probably whatever she brewed to ease Alex’s symptoms. I take the seat across from her, my shoulders tight, heart steady but heavy. She doesn’t waste time. “I saw things tonight,” she says, arms crossed, voice tight. “Things I don’t understand. You touched Alex and… the way your aura shifted, your eyes… even the air changed. I felt it, Nathan. Through the bond.” I hold her gaze. “I know.” Her brows lift slightly. “You’ve changed.” I don’t argue. “I have.” She waits, like she knows I have more. Then she spelled it out for me. “What the fuck aren't you telling me, Nathan?” She’s right. It was time to finally, fully come clean. “I didn’t always know what I was,” I say quietly
SOPHIA'S POVBut that was clearly a problem for another day, as Nathan didn't give two shits about any other thing.“Where is he? Where is he, Sophia?”Nathan’s voice crashes through the house like thunderous waves in a storm. The walls seem to echo with it. My breath hitches. The room spins for half a second before my feet find the ground again.I turn sharply, hand gripping the counter for balance. He’s standing there in the doorway, shoulders tense, chest rising fast, eyes wild and glowing faintly gold. His wolf was really struggling to come to the surface and from what I could tell, it looked like only the gods themselves were holding him at bay. I’ve never seen that look on his face before.Not even when we fought. Not even when everything between us broke.“Nathan.” I breathe, but he’s already moving. Storming past me.“Elara!” He shouts. “Where is he?”Her voice comes from the hallway, calm but urgent. “Upstairs. Second door on the left.”“Nathan, wait!” I go after him, but he’