LOGINCaleb The first thing I notice is the smell. It reaches me before consciousness fully does, before I have even opened my eyes or understood where I am or why my arms will not move the way I am telling them to. It is rot and rust and something older than both, the kind of smell that settles into stone over years and decades and does not leave because nothing has ever come through to push it out. Animal carcasses, I think, when my brain starts working again. Something dead in the corner, maybe more than one thing, the sweet-sick heaviness of it layered under damp earth and mold and the particular cold that belongs only to rooms that have not seen light in a very long time. I open my eyes. The cell is stone. That is the clearest thing. Stone walls, stone floor, a ceiling low enough that standing upright would be a near thing even without whatever is currently holding my arms behind me. There is a single source of light, a lantern or something like it, sitting on a ledge cut into the
JuneI am sitting on the edge of the bed when it happens.The window is open a few inches and the night air moves through the curtain in slow, lazy waves. I have been listening to it for the past half hour, that soft pull and release of fabric, waiting for the sound of Caleb's footsteps in the hallway. He should have been here an hour ago. This is the first time he has been late... he is never late.I pick at a loose thread on the blanket and stare at the door and try to remember the last thing he said before he left. He had brushed his fingers along my jaw. Told me to sleep. Smiled that quiet smile that he saves for moments when it is only the two of us, like it is something he does not hand out easily. I had rolled my eyes and said I would, knowing full well I would not.I never sleep well when he is not here.It is strange, how quickly that happened. How fast my body decided that his presence was a thing it needed to function properly. Months ago I could sleep anywhere, on anything
CalebThe patrol runs later than usual tonight.By the time I make it back toward the pack borders, the woods are dark and quiet, moonlight slipping through the trees in silver streaks. The cold air sticks to my skin beneath my jacket, carrying the scent of pine, damp earth, and distant rain.Usually, I like this part of the night.The silence.The feeling of my wolf settling after hours of moving through the territory.Tonight, that calm lasts exactly three seconds.A sharp mindlink crashes into my head.Caleb.My steps stop instantly.It is one of the wolves stationed near the care home.Every muscle in my body tightens.What happened?We spotted someone near the property. A girl. Young. She was watching the building from the tree line.My wolf lifts his head immediately.Danger.Where is she now?She disappeared into the woods before we could move in. We stayed in position because we thought it could be a distraction.Good.I turn sharply toward the eastern woods without wasting an
Caleb I stand beside June while the woman at the finance desk counts the cash slowly, clearly surprised by the amount sitting in front of her. June waits quietly with her hands tucked into the pockets of her jacket. Her face gives away almost nothing, but through the bond I can feel every emotion she keeps locked behind that calm expression. Fear. Love. The helpless ache sitting inside her chest. The employee looks up after a moment. “This clears all remaining bills for Elise’s care,” she says gently. “And these additional payments cover several upcoming months as well.” June nods once. “Good.” Her voice stays calm and even, but I know why she is doing this. This is how she tries to protect the people she loves. She cannot stop Elise from getting older. She cannot fight illness with her fists. She cannot force time to slow down. So instead, she pays every bill she can because somewhere in her mind it probably feels like preparation. Like if everything is taken care of, Eli
CalebHours pass before any of us realize how late it has gotten.At some point, the nurses stop gently reminding visitors about closing time and simply let us stay.I think they know.Not in words.But in the quiet looks they exchange whenever they pass the room. In the softness of their voices when they speak to Elise. In the way nobody rushes June to leave.They know her time is running shorter.And judging from the heaviness sitting inside June through the bond, she knows it too.Elise spends most of the evening talking.About everything.Absolutely everything.One moment she is complaining about the terrible soup they served her yesterday, and the next she is telling me embarrassing stories about June glaring at people as a teenager until they crossed the street to avoid her.“She once made a grown man apologize to a stray cat,” Elise says proudly.I already know how June must have convinced that man to apologize... I can already picture it.June sighs beside her.“He kicked the
CalebJune sits beside Elise’s bed while the older woman holds her hand between both of hers.I stay near the doorway quietly.Partly because I don't want to intrude and make Elise uncomfortable, because she doesn't know me.Partly because my wolf refuses to relax.My eyes continue scanning the room automatically while June talks softly with Elise. The room itself is small and warm, filled with old books, knitted blankets, and framed photographs lining the shelves beside the bed.But underneath all of it, I can still smell strangers.Nurses.Doctors.Visitors.Too many scents layered together for me to isolate Tanya’s properly.It irritates my wolf immediately.Because she was here.Close to someone who is close to June.Close enough to sit in this room pretending to care while knowing exactly who Elise is to her.What's is her fucking deal! Why is she after June... what the hell does she wants.My jaw tightens slightly, frustration building inside me.Across the room, Elise laughs s
AuroraLucas is sitting close enough that our knees touch when he shifts. Caleb is across from us, relaxed, joking, eating like this is just another morning. If I only look at the surface, it feels normal. Easy.But I know better than to only look at the surface.Lucas lifts his cup, takes a sip, t
AuroraThe sight becomes familiar the moment the car slows.I recognize the open stretch before my mind fully catches up. The last time I was here, everything shifted. I learned that my father loves me in the quiet, clumsy way men like him do. I learned the truth about my mother, not the polished v
AuroraI have been at this for hours.I know because the light has changed. It starts soft, gentle, brushing my skin like it is only passing through. Now it presses down, heavy and bright, sitting on my shoulders like it plans to stay. The morning slips into afternoon without asking me, and the sun
LucasAurora walks toward us before I can get my thoughts in order. I notice the way her steps shorten when she is serious, like she is conserving something. She stops in front of Ryan, tilting her head just slightly, eyes sharp but not accusing.“Your mother?” she asks. “But why?”Ryan swallows. I







