Camilla’s POVWe didn’t end up moving in that night, but three days later, we did.Now, a few days after settling in, my heat had finally arrived. At first, it was manageable—a slow, warm burn beneath my skin, like standing too close to a fire for a bit too long. But today, it had turned into something much worse—something that made every breath feel short and every touch both overwhelming and not enough.I stood in the middle of our new room, trying to steady myself as the fresh scent of wood and linen went unnoticed. My thoughts were completely taken over by one thing—him. Seth. My mate.He leaned against the doorframe, watching me with an intensity that felt like a physical touch. The air between us was thick and my body screamed for me to close the distance, but I stayed rooted, even though every inch of my skin ached to be near him. I clenched my fists at my sides, forcing control.“Camilla,” he said softly, his voice gravelly and low. It didn’t help. His words sent a sharp jolt
Seth’s POVFour months laterAs I walked through the crowd, I remembered when Zane had come to me and told me the news. It felt like it happened just yesterday—his voice, calm but firm, telling me I was going to take over Blue Moon Pack. At first, it had knocked the wind out of me, leaving me speechless. Me? Alpha? Of the whole pack?I looked around. Everyone was gathered, dressed in white, just as I was, waiting for what was about to happen. Zane stood at the front, looking composed as always, but there was something in his eyes, a seriousness that made me realize this wasn’t just some routine formality or a dream.I remembered that day again. A month ago, Zane had shown up unannounced. “Seth,” he had said as he slipped through the open door of my office. “I’ve been thinking,” He paused when I looked up at him, my hand gripping the pen because I thought he was about to announce something bad…. Like telling me he found..“It’s time you officially become Alpha. The people are more us
Seth’s POV It felt like I was being watched. That prickling feeling of eyes on me, even though I was sitting alone in my office at home. My leg was bouncing up and down uncontrollably, tapping the wooden floor in a steady rhythm that did nothing to calm me down. My fingers kept twirling the pen back and forth on the table, the clicking sound the only thing keeping me from completely losing it. I couldn’t focus. My gaze kept drifting to the window, staring out into the darkness. There was nothing out there, at least nothing I could see. But that feeling, like someone—or something—was out there, was getting stronger. A sharp sound—like a twig snapping—made my body jolt. I froze for a second, every muscle tense. Slowly, I pushed my chair back, standing up, gripping the pen so tightly in my hand that I heard it snap, ink spilling out, staining my fingers and the floor beneath me. But I barely registered it. My eyes locked on the door. I made my way to the front, my heart racing.
Camilla’s POVNothing in this world could take away my smile or happiness. All my problems had been washed down the river—literally.I pointed to a long, flowery wedding dress, its soft lace catching the light just right in the picture book. “Oh, look at this one! It’s perfect,” I said, unable to hide the excitement bubbling up inside me.Caroline, sitting beside me, gave a soft smile, nodding. “Yeah, it’s beautiful, Luna,” she said in her usual respectful tone.I waved her off, leaning back into the couch behind me, a playful smile creeping across my face. “Please, drop the ‘Luna’ already,” I teased. I knew it was second nature to her by now, but it still felt strange sometimes.She smiled back, a bit awkwardly, not quite sure what to say. Even though we were close, she couldn’t fully shake the formalities.The wedding date had been set, and it was coming fast. Two weeks after the boys’ birthday, which meant I had only three weeks to prepare for the ceremony. Three short weeks to pla
Seth’s POVI couldn’t tell Camilla the truth. I couldn’t tell her that I’d seen someone that night.No, something.I wasn’t imagining it. I wasn’t going crazy. That much I knew for sure. Whatever it was, it had to be real.“We can’t keep doing this, Seth.” Landon’s voice broke through the silence. I hadn’t even heard him coming out of the woods, but there he was, joining me at the cliff’s edge. The same cliff where it had happened—where Tracey and Lucius had fallen.“I know.” The words felt hollow. What else could I say?“It’s been months,” Landon reminded me as he came up beside me, his eyes tracing the same path mine had followed a thousand times—down to the waterfall that disappeared into nothingness below. “They couldn’t have survived that.” His voice dropped to almost a whisper.I stared down, my chest tightening. “No, Landon. I saw something. The eyes of a wolf.” I began pacing, unable to stand still, my thoughts chasing each other like prey. “It’s been haunting me. Every day, e
Camilla’s POVI could hear the soft creak of the door opening, and I turned around just in time to see Seth walking in. His shoulders slumped down in a way that sent a chill through me. Something was off, something was wrong.My stomach twisted as I frowned, hurriedly turning off the stove before pulling the apron from around my neck. I tossed it aside, my movements slower than usual as I approached him. My eyes scanned his face, taking in the exhaustion etched into every line. His eyes... they were red—bloodshot, almost like he’d been crying. But when I looked deeper, it wasn’t tears. No, it was something worse. He had been thinking, too much.“Oh, no,” I whispered, feeling my breath hitch in my chest. I reached him and cradled his face between my hands, my thumbs brushing softly over the stubble on his jaw. “Seth, what’s wrong?”His forehead met mine, and his eyes closed for just a moment, as if gathering whatever strength he had left. “We might want to sit down for this,” he mutter
Camilla’s POV“Where’s the piñata?” I yelled over the loud music blasting from the speakers. The air was filled with the scent of sugar and sunscreen, and the laughter of children echoed all around. I had a juice box in one hand and a crying Lucien in the other. My eyes darted around, scanning the crowd for any sign of Seth, who was supposed to bring the piñata about fifteen minutes ago.The juice box slipped from my fingers, splattering onto the ground, and I muttered a curse under my breath. I barely managed to avoid colliding with a guest, offering a hurried apology before continuing my search for Seth. Lucien started to wriggle in my arms, his tiny fists pounding against my chest, clearly wanting to get down. The music, the heat, and the noise were all starting to overwhelm me.“Oh goodness… Ava!” I called out, spotting her across the yard. She was chatting with some of the other moms, her hand resting protectively on her baby bump. Another baby cooking inside of her. She looked
Seth’s POVMy whole body was humming with anger, anxiety, and fear. Damn it, I had thought she’d come for me, that Tracey’s obsession would be aimed solely at making me pay. But no, she hadn’t gone after me directly—she’d gone after our children. She had taken the boys to lure both Camilla and me into her twisted trap.I kept clenching and unclenching my fists, trying to focus on anything other than the gnawing pit in my stomach. The fear was crawling through me like a sickness. And right now, the worst part was the waiting. We were still stuck here at the hospital, waiting to hear from the doctors about Ava. We couldn’t even leave to start looking for Jorge and Lucien. Every minute felt like a lifetime.Camilla sat next to me, staring at the wall. Her legs bounced on the floor, Ava’s daughter, Fiona sleeping on her lap, her eyes were wide, and they were bloodshot. She hadn’t said a word since we’d arrived at the hospital. Hell, I hadn’t known what to say either. What could I even say