LOGINThis was an unplanned chapter, but I wanted to write it, soooo, I wrote it. I wanted to write about Rose's first meeting with her grandparents. I had so much fun writing this chapter, so I hope you will also enjoy reading it. And I am loving all your comments; some of them really cracked me up, so keep them coming.
June“June, Caleb told us that you have some questions.”Jake’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.I lift my gaze to him before placing the plate beside the glass of water on the table.“I want to assure that you can ask us anything you want,” he continues, his tone calm but firm. “But we also need you to tell us about yourself, and we expect you to be honest with us.”There is something about him that is hard to miss.A presence.It is not loud. Not overwhelming. But it is there in everything he does. The way he sits. The way he speaks. The way his eyes stay sharp even when his tone is even.He feels like someone who carries responsibility without making a show of it.Like someone who watches over everything without needing to remind anyone that he does.There is a stern edge to him, something authoritative that makes it clear he is not someone to be taken lightly. But beneath that, there is something else.Protectiveness... not in a soft way, but in an absolute way.He seems like th
JuneCaleb’s house comes into view slowly as we walk.At first, it is just a shape in the distance. Then the details sharpen. The structure. The windows catching the light.My steps slow just a little as we get closer.Not enough for him to notice.Or maybe he does.I do not look at him to check.We reach the front steps, and something inside me shifts.It happens without thought.Without effort.Instinct.My fingers unwrap from his.The contact breaks, and with it, something in my posture changes. My shoulders pull back slightly. My spine straightens. My expression settles into something calm, controlled.Untouchable.It is automatic.It has always been this way.All my life, I have lived with one rule. Never let anyone know what is going on inside you.It does not matter what you feel.It does not matter if everything inside you is falling apart.From the outside, you do not show it.You do not give anyone that kind of access.You do not let them see where it hurts.You hold it in.
June My head spins for a second, my breath coming in short, uneven bursts as I try to recover. The world tilts, blurs, then slowly settles back into place. Silently, cursing the person who hit me. And then I realize... It's Caleb. Of course it is him. I feel it before I fully see it. The strength in the arms still wrapped around me. The heat of him pressed close. The way he shifted his body so mine would not take the full hit. My chest rises and falls as I try to catch my breath, my body still tense, still caught between instinct and awareness. For a second, I do not move. Then the realization hits harder than the fall did. I free myself from his arms and scramble back, forcing my body upright despite the way it protests. My legs wobble for half a second before I find my balance, my breath still uneven as I put space between us. He is already on his feet. It happens so fast it barely registers. One second, he is on the ground with me, the next, he is standing, faci
JuneI wake up slowly.It does not happen all at once. It comes in pieces. First the heaviness, like my body is made of something thick and slow to move. Then the ache, deep and familiar, spreading through my limbs like it always does after I shift back.My eyes open, but the world does not make sense right away.Everything is blurred at the edges. Light filters in from somewhere, soft and pale, making me squint. My head feels too heavy for my neck, like it does not quite belong to me yet.I breathe in.Out.My chest rises, falls, and with it, something inside me begins to settle. Awareness comes back in small waves. The surface beneath me feels soft. Not stone. Not cold. Something else.A bed.The realization comes slowly, but once it does, it sharpens everything just a little more.My body aches.Every part of me hurts in that dull, familiar way, like my bones remember being something else not long ago. My muscles feel stretched and sore, my skin too sensitive, like it does not quit
CalebBy the time we get back to the Academy, the sun is already dipping lower in the sky.Everything moves fast after that.Too fast.Warriors take over as soon as we reach the gates. The girls are carried inside carefully, wrapped in blankets, voices kept low so no one startles them. Some of them are barely conscious. Some cling to whoever is closest like they are afraid they will disappear if they let go.I hand June over to no one.I carry her myself.Her weight rests against me, light in a way that does not sit right after what I just saw her do. My arms tighten around her without thinking, like if I loosen my grip even a little she might slip away.“She needs the doctor,” Jake says beside me, his voice calm but firm.“I know,” I answer, already moving.But I do not take her to the infirmary.Instead, I take her to my place, away from the Academy... away from everyone.And right now, I do not want her anywhere crowded.The door pushes open with my shoulder and I step inside, head
CalebI barely register the blood on my hands anymore.All I see is her.June lies in my arms in her wolf form, her body still except for the faint rise and fall of her chest. The cave around us fades into the background, the broken bodies, the smell, the noise of the others moving behind me.She is warm. Too warm. Her fur is damp beneath my fingers, thick with blood that is not all hers.“June,” I say quietly.No response.My arms tighten around her as I pull her closer, lifting her head slightly so it rests against me. Her body feels heavy now, like whatever strength had been holding her up before is gone completely.“Hey,” I murmur, softer this time, my voice meant only for her. “Come on.”Nothing happens.I force myself to focus.Her breathing is there.Faint.Her heartbeat too.Faint but there.That is enough.I shift slightly, adjusting her in my arms, one hand coming up to brush through the fur along her neck, slow, gentle. My fingers sink into it, as I hold on to her.“June,”
AnastasiaWe’re sitting in Alpha Magnus’s office. The room is bigger than I expected, filled with heavy, dark wood furniture and a large desk at the center. Magnus leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, looking at me like he knows I am here not just to meet them but I am something important to sha
JakeBefore I can even blink, Anastasia throws the knife across the room and, to my horror, she digs her hand right into the wound she just made. Blood gushes out, running down her arm and dripping onto the floor. She bites her lip so hard trying not to scream that her teeth tear through the skin,
JakeI carry Anastasia toward the cells, not loosening my hold even a little. I can hear Sophia and Mikhail following close behind, their footsteps quick but not rushed. They know something’s up even if they don’t have all the pieces yet.When we get to the old brick building, Mikhail steps around
Jake“How do you know Anastasia?” I ask, trying hard to keep my voice level. I don’t want to scare him off if he’s got real information. But damn, it’s tough when every second I can feel her pain twisting inside me like a knife.He leans on that broken branch a little, then shrugs like it’s no big







