Abby “Need some company?” Karl’s eyes slide over to the bottle in my hand, and a slight smirk tugs at the corners of his lips. He scooches aside and nods for me to join him. “Sure.” I join him as he leans against the wall. Our shoulders brush as we stand beside one another, a familiar yet bitt
“I feel a little bit like a failure,” he suddenly blurts out. “Like what my pack is saying about me… that I’m a bad Alpha… might be true.” My eyes widen. “Karl! Don’t—” “Abby,” he says, tilting his head back to look up at the sky, “I came here—to this city—for you. To win you back. No other reas
Abby On the morning of the cook-off, I’m already awake before my alarm even starts buzzing. Last night, I hardly slept at all thanks to a combination of excitement over the cook-off and my wine-induced conversation with Karl. All night, his words swirled around my mind: “I’m really proud of you,
“John, finally!” I call out, stepping through the turnstile. “Are you ready? I’m about to hop on the subway, on my way to your place. I’ll be there in ten minutes, max.” “Abby,” he croaks, and instantly, I know something’s not right. I freeze in my tracks. The life and vibrancy in his voice are go
Abby It takes a moment for me to process John’s words. I’m standing here, on the subway platform, with my phone in my hand and my coffee in the other, feeling like my life is spiraling out of control. The buzz of the city, the sleepy commuters shuffling past me, and the distant clatter of subway
“I just can’t believe this is happening,” I say, my voice breaking a little. “This is like some sort of nightmare.” “Yeah, it is,” Anton agrees, the exhaustion evident in his voice. “The timing couldn’t be worse.” The timing is beyond terrible; it’s catastrophic. I close my eyes for a moment, ta
Karl The incessant buzzing of my phone’s alarm is drowned out by the pounding inside my head—a lingering reminder of last night’s… festivities. Why did I think that having one more whiskey was a good idea? I was already pretty drunk last night by the time I got home, but I couldn’t stop thinking
“Abby? What’s going on? Shouldn’t you be at the studio?” I ask, blinking in confusion. Did I sleep through the whole day or something? Did I miss the cook-off? She pushes past me, her eyes scanning me from head to toe like a worried mother as she makes her way into my apartment. “Karl, you’re not