MasukCaleb 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
CalebJune does not say anything after I tell her she does not need to fear herself with me.She just steps closer.Then her arms wrap tightly around me.The movement catches me off guard for half a second because there is nothing teasing or sarcastic about it this time. No walls. No distance. She hugs me like this is what she has wanted all along and only now allowed herself to reach for it.My arms slide around her instantly.Naturally.Like there was never any other response possible.I pull her fully against my chest while her face presses against my neck, and the second I feel her relax in my hold, something inside me softens so completely that I almost forget where we are.The alley.The underground fights.The blood still drying across her knuckles.None of it matters right now.Only her.I rest my cheek lightly against the top of her head while my hand moves slowly up and down her back. June says nothing, but she holds onto me tighter for a moment, and I feel the exhaustion sh
CalebThe entire atmosphere inside the underground ring changes the second Beast steps into the cage.The crowd gets louder instantly.Not excited loud.Hungry loud.Like everyone here came specifically to watch someone get hurt tonight.Beast rolls his shoulders once as he enters the ring, towering over most people around him. Up close, he looks even worse. Thick scars run across his arms and neck while old bruises stain his knuckles permanently, like violence soaked itself into his skin years ago and never left.And the worst part?The man looks calm.Not cocky like Carter.Not emotional.Just brutal.June stands across from him completely expressionless, her posture relaxed enough that most people would mistake it for carelessness.I know better.Through the bond, I can feel her focus narrowing sharply.June is gone now.This is something colder.Something dangerous.Around me, people start talking loudly again.“This one’s gonna kill her.”“Fight’s over before it starts.”“She sho
CalebThe energy in the underground ring shifts the second June’s name is written onto the board.Or Phoenix.The shabby guy at the table raises his voice loudly enough for the nearby crowd to hear.“Phoenix versus Carter!”A mixture of reactions immediately spreads through the room.Some people recognize the name.Others don’t.A few men near the ring look June over before laughing openly.“No way that’s Phoenix.”“That girl?”“She’s gonna get flattened.”June does not react to any of it.She simply hands me her bag.Her expression stays completely blank, cold enough that it almost feels detached from everything around her.But through the bond, I feel her.Focused.Sharp.Anticipating the fight already.I take the bag from her while watching her move toward the ring.And unlike every protective instinct I probably should be having right now, my wolf is practically excited.Because we know she can fight.We want to see it.June climbs into the ring without fanfare while the crowd cont
JuneI wake slowly, like I am rising through thick water.A low, silent groan slips past my lips before I can stop it.Everything hurts.Not a sharp pain. Not one single injury. It is everywhere. My arms ache. My legs throb. My back feels tight and overworked. Even my fingers feel tender when I try
JuneThe dining hall hums with noise the moment we step inside.Voices overlap. Trays clatter. The smell of food hits me all at once, warm and heavy and real. Eggs, bread, something fried, something sweet. My stomach tightens in response, sharp and demanding. We are not the only ones here. Other tr
JuneBy the time the first session ends, my arms feel like they are filled with sand and my shoulder throbs where Allan’s punch connected. Sweat cools against my skin as the breeze moves across the field. Around me, people stretch, laugh, groan dramatically about sore muscles.There is a lightness
CalebI know I have a temper.It flares fast, burns hot, and sometimes I speak before I think. I have know this all my life. This is how I am.But damn, watching June walk toward Kylie when she was about to shift lights up my fuse like nothing else.We have been told since we were pups to never go n







