The moment Nicholas saw my eyes open, he whirled to face me. Worry and fury battled in his expression, his jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle twitching beneath his skin.My hand flew to my belly, and my eyes darted to Jade. She slowly shook her head, a silent indication that the baby hadn’
NicholasI paced the length of my office relentlessly, practically wearing a path in the carpet beneath me. My mind raced with images of Kayla—her bruised throat, her pale face as she lay unconscious in my arms. The memory almost made me sick, causing my wolf to claw at the inside of my chest.Jade
Marcus cleared his throat. “Maybe stop treating her like she’s made of glass? I mean, I get it—you’re worried. But Kayla’s spent her whole life proving herself. Being pregnant doesn’t change that.”I wanted to argue, but deep down, I knew he had a point. I’d been hovering, trying to shield her from
KaylaI rolled over in bed for what felt like the hundredth time, wincing as pain shot through my body. The digital clock on the nightstand showed 2:17 in the morning, and Nicholas still hadn’t come to bed.Not that I could blame him. Our argument earlier had been brutal—his face when he’d found out
I stepped closer to the bars, desperate hope clawing at my chest despite my better judgment. “What was the poison? And where is the antidote?”Liam shook his head. “I can’t just tell you. I have to take you there.”“Bullshit,” I spat. “You’re trying to get me to let you out.”“Yes,” he admitted. “Bu
NicholasMy eyes were bleary by the time I ripped my eyes away from the pile of paperwork on my desk and glanced at the clock. 3:24 AM. Fuck. I needed to get to bed.With a heavy sigh, I pushed away from my desk and stood, stretching my stiff muscles. The thought of Kayla’s warm body pressed against
I burst through the door and found myself on the small service road that led away from the estate. And there, illuminated by the moon’s pale light, stood Kayla and Liam.My vision went red. Without conscious thought, I let my wolf take over. I shifted and burst forward, a snarl ripping from my throa
KaylaI barely felt the cold seeping through my thin nightgown as Nicholas carried me back to the house. Barely felt his arms around me. Barely even felt the warm fanning of his break across the top of my head.Barely felt anything except for bitter desperation, regret, and frustration.Once inside,
I swallowed hard, remembering the moment I’d crushed the compass beneath my boot. “I didn’t think I had it in me,” I admitted. “My father said the relic could help me—could make my wolf emerge.”Nicholas’s eyes darkened. “I know. I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that I wanted to find it for that very
KaylaI rushed to Emma’s side. Blood pooled beneath her, staining the straw-covered barn floor a sickening crimson. Jade dropped down across from me with a gasp.Marcus was there an instant later, his face twisting with anguish when he saw his sister. He shouldered past us and scooped Emma’s limp bo
I ripped the compass bracelet from my wrist, holding it high. “Is this what you want?!” I shouted. “Come take it!”The attack paused. Even Isabella halted, looking to her cohorts for guidance. The compass dangled from my fingers, swinging enticingly.“No, Kayla! Don’t give it to them!” Nicholas mana
My hand moved instinctively to my wrist, feeling the cold metal of the bracelet against my skin.“And of course,” my father added, his gaze hardening as it settled on Nicholas, “you’ll be free of this… playboy. No more confusion, no more manipulation. You’ll be where you belong—with your real family
KaylaIt wasn’t William’s presence that shook me to my core, but my father’s.Two years. For two years, I’d sat by his bedside, holding his limp hand, begging him to wake up, to move, to give me any sign he was still there. And now he walked in as if the bodily damage he’d suffered from his coma had
Once we were safely beyond earshot, I filled Nicholas in on Henry’s message as we made our way toward the old barn at the edge of the estate. Henry was waiting for us outside as we approached, and his face was grim.“He’s inside,” he said without preamble. “You’re going to want to see this for yours
KaylaNicholas stayed for dinner that night, although not for no reason. Henry was still out there somewhere, searching for the person who knocked me unconscious and took my mother’s journal, and we needed to be close in case he captured the fucker.Furthermore, we couldn’t leave my father. Not when
“A journal?” Nicholas’s expression sharpened with interest.I nodded. “I only read a few entries before… before I was knocked out. But Nicholas, she knew about Luporath. She knew where it was.”His breath caught. “Are you sure?”“Positive.” I held my wrist up, exposing the compass charm bracelet I’d
KaylaOnce Nicholas and I were alone, truly alone—we’d ensured that the basement was empty, Mindlinked Henry to quietly check the estate grounds for intruders without alerting my father, then hurried upstairs to my bedroom and closed and locked the door—I turned to him. My head was still throbbing f