MasukCalebJune 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
CalebWe leave the apartment building behind after a while, but the image of it stays stuck in my head.Even as I drive through town with June beside me pointing out random streets and shortcuts she used to take, part of me still keeps circling back to those cracked walls and rusted railings.To the realization that she survived there alone.June shifts slightly in her seat and points toward an intersection ahead.“You can turn right here,” she says. “It’ll take us back toward the main street.”I nod once and follow the road.For a few minutes neither of us says much.The silence is comfortable though.With June, silence rarely feels empty.Then an idea occurs to me.I glance toward her briefly before speaking.“Show me your favorite place to eat.”Her brows lift slightly.“To eat?”“Yeah.” I shrug one shoulder. “Your favorite restaurant. Café. Kiosk. Food Cart."She looks out the window again for a second before shaking her head lightly.“I don’t really have one.”I glance toward her
CalebThe drive into town is quieter than I expected.Not uncomfortable.Just calm.June sits beside me with one arm resting near the open window while warm air slips through the car. Every now and then she points something out casually, usually with a short explanation before falling quiet again.She looks more relaxed today.Not completely. June never fully lets her guard down that easily.But lighter.I can feel it through the bond between us every time she glances out the window instead of sitting trapped inside her own thoughts about training.I rest one hand loosely against the steering wheel while looking toward her briefly.“You’re thinking too hard again,” I tell her.Her eyes shift toward me immediately.“You can feel that?”“Yes.”“That bond thing is invasive.”I smirk slightly.“You like me being obsessed with you.”“I tolerate it.”I huff out a quiet laugh as the town finally comes into view ahead of us.The faded welcome sign passes by first, worn from years of weather a
SophiaThe light filters softly through the curtains, warming the room and slowly nudging me awake. I stretch out a hand to the left, reaching for the familiar warmth that I expect to find there. My fingers touch only the coolness of an empty bed.Mikhail's side is cold. He's already gone.My eyes snap
MikhailI burst into a sprint, the bond's silence tearing through me like a jagged blade.Each step pounds against the earth, my wolf's restlessness and my desperation driving me faster.The world blurs around me, trees and buildings nothing more than streaks of color as I push myself harder."Sophia!"
MikhailCrossing my territory, I head toward the construction site where we are helping Jake in building houses for the packless.After gathering information from Sophia, we decided to make different sets of houses for everyone to fulfil their needs. The packless have both mated and unmated wolves, wh
SophiaAbruptly, there is a knock on the door, sharp and insistent.Before I can even blink, the door swings open, and there he is—Mikhail. His tall figure fills the doorway, eyes locked on me with that familiar intensity that makes my pulse race.Mikhail strides in, eyes blazing with urgency. My heart







