LOGINJuneI 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
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
LucasWhat happens next barely exists as time. It is there and gone, like light cutting across my eyes so fast my brain lags behind it.James moves.The next second his hand turn into a claw.Arthur jerks, breath ripping out of him as James’s arm drives forward. I register the sound before I regist
AuroraLucas’s face freezes in a way I have never seen before. Not anger. Not calculation. Just pure surprise, wide-eyed and unguarded, like his thoughts tripped over each other and fell down the stairs.I laugh before I can stop myself. It slips out warm and unguarded, and that seems to shake him
AuroraWe walk again after, our steps falling into an easy rhythm like they have always known how to find each other. The night air feels softer now, cooler against my cheeks. My fingers stay laced with his, and every so often his thumb traces a quiet circle against my knuckle. Not asking. Just the
AuroraLast night with Dad stays with me in a way I did not expect. Nothing about him changes on the surface. Same posture. Same clipped tone. Same way of looking at me like he is measuring something invisible. And yet, there is something else threaded through it. Something quiet. I realize it now







