NATHAN'S POVThe air smelled strange—thick with human sweat, oil, and something bitter and metallic. Not like the forests of my home, where I had grown up there, and being here was somewhat unsettling. There, the earth beneath my feet was soft, the wind carrying scents of pine and prey.Here, in Brooklyn, the ground was hard, the sky choked with light. Yet even amidst this chaos, I could feel the pull of nature, her heartbeat buried beneath layers of concrete. It was what Elara had sent me to do. I just knew it. Why else would she send me out of the Willows?No. That wasn't right.She didn't send me out. I decided to leave. After spending five days there, I wanted to know how the world was outside that haven for creatures like us.Seeing that little boy ignited something in me that I didn't know, nor could I place a finger on. He looked so free, like the world was his to explore, and venture on a journey that only he knew the path of.Elara had sensed something in me when I got back t
SOPHIA’S POV The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over Alex's room. His fever had finally broken, and his soft, even breaths signaled the end of a week-long battle with illness. He had been well enough when he left the hospital two days ago, but he had gone under again unexpectedly. I couldn't risk taking him back to the hospital again. It was a miracle they had not detected anything wrong with his vitals. During my labor with the twins, they had thought something was unusual with my readings but attributed it to the birth. Now, there was nothing that would stop them from taking a better look at him and finding out something they shouldn't. I gently brushed a curl from his forehead, my heart swelling with relief. “Mommy?” His voice was a mere whisper. “Yes, my love?” I leaned in, my hand still resting on his cheek. “I'm hungry.” A faint smile played on his lips. “That's the best news I've heard all week.” I chuckled softly. “How about some pancak
SOPHIA'S POVThe clock on the wall ticked softly, marking the slow passage of time. I sat on the edge of Alex’s bed, gently smoothing his tousled hair as he slept. His fever had finally broken, and the color was beginning to return to his cheeks, but my nerves still buzzed with residual worry. He looked much better after the day he spent with Alexia. I had never seen his twin fuss over him that much, but it was really heartwarming to watch.It was a Friday night, and although things would be hectic at the restaurant on a usual day, the weather forecast had informed us about the unusual stormy skies for New York City.Still, knowing the residents of this city, they would still find a way to enjoy the night to the fullest. I had left Kate in charge, and there was nothing sweeter than being your own boss and being able to choose your moments.The sound of the light rain tapping against the window was a soothing rhythm, a quiet lull after the chaotic past few days.A sharp knock at the fr
LUCAS'S POVThe alarm buzzed at four in the morning, sharp. It was a Friday morning. I reached over and silenced it before the second chime, my body already moving before my mind fully caught up. Another day, another opportunity to stay ahead. For me, there’s no such thing as coasting. Not when you’re running a billion-dollar empire like Sinclair Industries.By five, I was in my penthouse gym, the city lights still twinkling below. The treadmill hummed under my feet, and I let my thoughts sync with the rhythm of my strides. This company wasn’t built on luck; it was built on motion, constant and deliberate. Five miles down, I switched to weights. Each lift, each strain, reminded me of the weight I carry – not that I’d ever let it show.By six-thirty, I was in my tailored navy suit, the knot of my silver tie perfectly aligned. Breakfast was quick – black coffee, a protein bar, with a cinnamon roll for a cheat snack. I smiled briefly, as although the flavor wasn't the same, it brought ba
SOPHIA'S POVWhen I woke the next morning, the first thing I noticed was the soft glow of sunlight filtering through the curtains. The storm had passed. The house was quiet, save for the honk of a horn and the faint chirping of birds outside.I stretched, my muscles still heavy with sleep, and for a moment, everything from the night before felt like a dream. But then I remembered the way Lucas’s lips had felt against mine, the warmth of his hand holding mine, and a faint blush crept up my neck.The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the house, pulling me from my thoughts. I slipped on my robe and walked to the kitchen, the floors cool beneath my feet.When I reached the kitchen, Lucas was there, his back to me as he poured coffee into two mugs. He’d found one of my aprons, which was far too small for him, and the sight of it tied around his broad frame made me smile.“You’re up early,” I said, leaning against the doorway.Lucas turned, his face lighting up when he saw me. “
NATHAN'S POVThe scent of moss and damp earth filled my lungs as I stepped back into Whispering Willows. The night air here was thick with secrets—the kind that whispered to you in the quiet moments between breaths. It was nothing like the urban wilderness I’d explored in Brooklyn, where nature fought for every inch of space. Out there, the trees were bruised, their roots cracked through concrete, but here, they thrived—ancient sentinels guarding something far older than myself. Only the pocket of nature I'd found with that strange woman held any hint of resemblance to this place. It felt sacred and unlike anywhere I'd ever known.Elara stood at the edge of the clearing, her silhouette backlit by the pale silver light of the moon. Her raven-black hair flowed like ink down her shoulders, and her eyes caught the moonlight in a way that made them look almost feral. She had an aura of quiet power, one that demanded respect without uttering a word. I just knew that her age added to the air
SOPHIA'S POVIt was another busy night at Sophia's Heart. The soft glow of hanging lights illuminated the dining room, their warm light bouncing off the mahogany tables. I watched from the kitchen’s edge as customers laughed, sipped wine, and savored the food I’d poured my heart into creating. This was my dream, alive and thriving.“Table seven is asking for you, Sophia,” Elise, one of the waiters, said, balancing a tray of desserts.I wiped my hands on my apron and made my way over. “Good evening! How’s everything?”“The risotto is incredible,” the woman said, her eyes sparkling. “This is our third time here, and it just keeps getting better.”I smiled, my chest swelling with pride. Compliments like these reminded me why I started this journey. Lately, however, a storm has been brewing in my otherwise perfect little world.Negative reviews had begun appearing online, tarnishing the reputation I’d worked so hard to build. The complaints were cruel – undercooked food, rude staff, even
SOPHIA'S POVA week after Emilia’s visit, Sophia’s Heart, felt like it was finally getting back on track. Customers were pouring in again, and the glow of the Taste of Sofia’s Heart event still lingered. Online, new five-star reviews had begun to drown out the negativity. I let myself breathe, thinking the worst was over.Then, the whispers started.It began innocently enough – comments from customers about how similar some dishes at another local restaurant in Brooklyn, The Scarlet Spoon, were to mine. “They’re serving a wild mushroom risotto now,” one regular said, raising a curious brow. “Almost identical to yours, Sophia.” Something about the name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it just yet. I hadn't seen it yet on my radar, so I brushed it off as something that I shouldn't be bothered with.I laughed it off. Plenty of restaurants served risotto. It wasn’t exactly a secret recipe. But when another guest mentioned that The Gourmet Table – a place owned by none other than Emi
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’
NATHAN'S POVThe morning passed in a rare kind of peace.For once, the air in the office wasn’t heavy with tension or crisis. The team was in high spirits, and business was running smoothly. Priya had been grinning since she walked in, flipping through reports with a satisfied nod before updating me on the latest developments.“We finalized the contract with Veridan Enterprises. They signed off on everything this morning.” She said, placing a crisp folder on my desk. “And the partnership with HavenTech is set to launch next quarter. At this rate, we should probably think of hiring more people and expanding. We could open more branches and get into new ventures!”Camille poked her head in. “Okay, slow your roll Minnie. Your enthusiasm is starting to affect even Jacob. He looks like he's coming off a crazy hangover. You good there Jacob?” She directed the last bit at the man, as he looked a little worse for wear and not like the usually meticulously put together man we all knew. And wo