The silence hung heavy between us for a few moments until I opened my mouth, desperate to say something—anything—to break the tension, but Elroy beat me to it. “I’m so sorry,” he said. My breath caught in my throat. This was the last thing I'd expected. Elroy ran a hand through his disheveled
The movement outside grew louder in the background, and eventually my skin tightened with anticipation and unease. It seemed like everybody was waking up, and I desperately wanted to check on everyone but I didn’t dare. "We can't just walk out there," I worried, biting my lip. "We’d scare the shit
Suddenly Elroy's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as he spoke. "That plan will only be an option if everyone is alive," he said. A chill ran down my spine at his words. I couldn’t deny the feeling of power that had radiated off him in waves when he first arrived, or the way I was certain his aura
He finally glanced up at me, but I was too busy processing to say a word. For the second time in the last twenty-four hours, I could feel my worldview somersault. I’d been thinking about it all wrong this whole time. Elroy wasn’t trying to fulfill the prophecy, he was the prophecy. The implicati
For a long moment Fay just looked at us, her expression unreadable as the tension in the air wound tighter around my throat. I wanted to throw myself at her feet and apologize, but it felt wrong for me to be the first one to speak. Instead, Elroy did. "I want to apologize to you and to your pack,”
“You’d face repatriation for anything your pack stole or damaged while in the city, but as your new pack it would be our responsibility to cover those costs. Anything done by ‘Rogues,’ like damage to the outer walls, wouldn’t impact you.” “We’d pay that happily,” Elroy added, “and you would never
Fay returned much faster than I’d anticipated. I gulped, my heart pounding; we were teetering on the edge of a new future, one I wanted to help them reach so bad, but whether or not it happened was up to them. I was so scared they were going to say no. “They want to hear from you before they mak
“I’m in,” someone said, and my breath caught as Ines stood. My eyes stung. After everything she had been through, for her of all people to show faith in us was… I didn’t have the words for it, but it was something that felt deeply profound. Almost holy, really—a sign from the Goddess that we were
“Jordan,” I said, “I think it’s time to hold a banquet.”The low light of my bedside lamp lay across Elroy's face, casting a warm glow on his furrowed brow as we settled down to sleep. It was hard to believe that I’d once been so reluctant to lay near him, and now this protective little cocoon we fo
I rose with the sun, brushing aside the veil of last night's uncertainties. Elroy had left early, and even though he was usually gone by the time I woke up, his side of the bed felt colder than normal.I moved through the morning with my thoughts in a tumult, incessantly repeating the same questions
But he hadn’t told me his feelings, hadn’t told me how close he wanted us to be. He could just mean he wanted a strong partnership as Alpha and Luna, like we’d discussed at the very beginning of it all, or it could be he cared for me as the mother of his child but didn’t love me. Not like I loved hi
The diner was a 1950s style burger joint, complete with black and white checked flooring and too-shiny red seats. The waitresses were wearing the same type of uniforms I’d seen in old movies, and Elvis played quietly over the speaker. One of the booths seemed to be made out of a classic car.Elroy l
I glanced at Elroy, feeling his silent encouragement radiate through our clasped hands. "To be honest," I confessed, "the depth of deceit took us by surprise. We were largely in the dark, just as many of you were."“And the council?” someone else asked, shoving a microphone towards Elroy.“The counc
Olivia’s POVI smoothed my dress, silently appreciating the way the purple fabric hugged my hips, accentuating my small baby bump. This would be the first time I’d be outside the manor since my pregnancy became visible, and the knowledge that everyone would see that there was life growing inside of
The incense stick sparked to life with a hiss, its aroma weaving through the air of the Ruby Room. I settled onto my knees, the rough carpet biting into my skin, and closed my eyes. Smoke curled like ethereal tendrils, carrying my silent prayer upwards."Great Moon Goddess," I murmured, choking on a
I wanted to pull until the hook ripped out, taking whatever traitorous chunk of me it wanted as long as it was gone. It was like an infected limb, but nothing I did seemed to force the amputation.What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just let this go? She was just a healer, someone I’d never even
Elroy’s POVThe effect of those words was immediate and indescribable. More than guilt, or shame, or horror—it was something that howled through me like a hurricane, ripping me apart and leaving ragged, bloody holes. My body could feel it, and it was as real as any cracking bone.My ears rang. My vi