KADE’S POVI ended the call with Maddox and let the phone drop onto the desk.My fingers twitched, curling into a slow, tight fist. My other hand reached for the glass beside me, but I didn’t drink. I only stared, my reflection distorted in the dark amber liquid.Then, I looked up. Across the room, in the corner where the firelight barely reached, my beast watched me.Star.She was my baby. Her massive body was coiled, muscles tense beneath dark, jagged fur, those unnerving eyes locked onto me with their usual quiet intensity. She knew something was different. She could feel it.I exhaled, slow and measured. She had always been like this. Watching. Waiting. As if she knew every dark thought crawling through my skull. And tonight, those thoughts were particularly dark.After nineteen whole years. Nineteen. A bitter chuckle left my lips, low and humourless, but there was no amusement in it. Only disbelief.Aurora Blackwood. All these years, I had searched. I had sent men, I had sp
LIANA’S POVI didn’t let go of her. Not for a second.Even as we walked up the stairs, my hand stayed tightly wrapped around hers, as if I was afraid she would disappear if I loosened my grip. It still felt unreal—having her here, standing beside me, existing in my world. For nineteen years, she had only been a whisper in my mind. A ghost of a dream—a ghost I didn’t know existed. But now, she was real. My mother. My biological mother. Aurora Blackwood. I swallowed against the lump rising in my throat as I led her down the hall. “Reed, Asher, and Callum put this room together for you,” I told her, stopping in front of the door at the end of the corridor. “It’s not much, but… it’s yours.”She turned to me, her violet eyes shining with something unreadable. “It’s perfect, Eliana.”The way she said my name made my chest tighten. Eliana Blackwood, right? Or should I ask her about my father? Hell, no! She just got here.I pushed the door open, stepping aside so she could enter firs
REED’S POV The fire crackled in the hearth filling the dimly lit living room with a faint warmth. Asher and Callum were seated on one of the couches, their expressions unreadable, while Malcolm leaned against the bar, pouring another round of whiskey into the glasses before him. The scent of burning wood and aged liquor lingered in the air, blending with the silence that stretched between us.I sat back in my chair, fingers wrapped around the cool glass in my hand, but I barely took a sip. My thoughts were too tangled, too weighted by the conversation we were having. “You’re sure about this?” Callum asked, his brow furrowing as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “We didn’t make a mistake letting Seraphine stay here?” Malcolm let out a slow breath. “No, we didn’t.” He set the whiskey bottle down with a dull clink and met Callum’s gaze. “If she’s here, there’s a better chance of unlocking Liana’s wolf. And if that happens, it won’t take as much of a toll on her.” Asher nodded
LIANA’S POVThe room was quiet except for the soft hum of the television. The dim light from the screen flickered across the living room, casting long shadows on the walls. My head felt heavy, my limbs sluggish, but it wasn’t just the alcohol making me feel this way—it was him. Reed sat beside me, his presence overpowering even in silence. His scent, a mix of pine and something distinctly his, filled my lungs with every breath I took. I could feel his gaze on me, watching, waiting. I had to leave. I pushed myself up from the couch, the air around me suddenly feeling too thick, too charged. “Goodnight, Reed,” I whispered, my voice quieter than I intended. My body wasn’t listening to me, though, because every part of me wanted to stay.He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, eyes dark, unreadable. Then, just as I turned to leave, his hand caught mine.“Eliana,” his voice was low, barely above a murmur, but it sent a shiver down my sp
LIANA. I woke up before dawn, as always. No one else in the house stirs this early, but that was by design. If I let the sun rise before I’m on my feet, my mother would make sure I regret it. I slipped silently from my bed on the cold floor—my room was barely a space in the attic, but it was all they allowed me. With my bare hands, I scrubbed the kitchen floor, every creak and sigh of the house around me was a reminder that my family’s slumber depended on my silence. My stomach growled, hollow as always, but I bit my lip. Hunger was something I’ve grown used to. I got to eat only when they decided there was food left over, and most nights, that meant nothing at all. My body ached from work, and sometimes, I wondered if all this would be easier if I could just shift like everyone else. But I can’t. I’m wolfless—a constant source of their shame and their disappointment. I paused, just a moment, to stretch out my back, but the sound of footsteps snapped me to attention. My mother’s
LIANA. I forced my body to turn, despite the stabbing pain that shot up my legs with every slight movement. Through the haze of exhaustion, I could see them—my father and brother, watching me from a distance. Even at that moment, under the weak light cast by the rising moon, I could make out their faces. Their expressions were twisted, not with worry or even anger, but with something darker, something like satisfaction. My father cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, at his voice slicing through the silence of the woods. “You’re as good as dead out here, Liana! Do you hear me?” He spat my name like it was a curse. “I hope they rip you apart. I’d be glad to be rid of you for good. I never want anything to do with you!” His words shattered whatever little strength I had left in me. I’d grown accustomed to their cruelty, to the way they treated me like a burden, a stain on their lives. But to hear him speak those words, to see him stand there, not even trying to hide his re
LIANA. A harsh tug on my arm jolted me from the depths of unconsciousness. My eyes fluttered open, but it took a moment to process the cold stares, the sneering faces surrounding me. Rough hands gripped me, pulling me upright. Disoriented, I blinked against the blinding light of day, my head throbbing from where I’d hit it against the forest floor. It was still dark and the rain had already stopped but my clothes still dripped of water. “Look at this pathetic excuse for a wolf,” one of them sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. I tried to gather my bearings, but the world spun around me, a blur of scornful faces and mocking laughter. My clothes were soaked from the rain and clung to me, dirt streaked across my skin. I could feel their eyes crawling over me, dissecting me as if I were some lesser creature, something beneath them. “She’s wolf less,” another voice muttered with disgust, the words slicing through me like a knife. It wasn’t enough that my own family and pack hate
LIANA. The world around me was a blur of pain and terror, my body trembling as I lay helpless on the cold, blood-streaker ground. I could still feel the rough, callous hands that had pinned me down, the jeers and cruel laughter echoing in my mind like a sick melody I couldn’t shake. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take before I broke entirely. Then, suddenly, that awful laughter stopped. Replaced by silence. Then… a low, feral growl. It rumbled through the clearing, filled with a menacing power that sent a chill down my spine. The wolves who’d been tormenting me stilled, their expressions turning from delight to unease. I could see them glance around, searching for the source, their confidence wavering. “Who’s there?” one of them snarled, his voice a shaky attempt at bravado. I heard another growl, this one even more menacing, as if it were taunting them. Then came a sound—a snarl so deep it felt like the forest itself was growing back. My heart raced as the wolves surroundi
LIANA’S POVThe room was quiet except for the soft hum of the television. The dim light from the screen flickered across the living room, casting long shadows on the walls. My head felt heavy, my limbs sluggish, but it wasn’t just the alcohol making me feel this way—it was him. Reed sat beside me, his presence overpowering even in silence. His scent, a mix of pine and something distinctly his, filled my lungs with every breath I took. I could feel his gaze on me, watching, waiting. I had to leave. I pushed myself up from the couch, the air around me suddenly feeling too thick, too charged. “Goodnight, Reed,” I whispered, my voice quieter than I intended. My body wasn’t listening to me, though, because every part of me wanted to stay.He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, eyes dark, unreadable. Then, just as I turned to leave, his hand caught mine.“Eliana,” his voice was low, barely above a murmur, but it sent a shiver down my sp
REED’S POV The fire crackled in the hearth filling the dimly lit living room with a faint warmth. Asher and Callum were seated on one of the couches, their expressions unreadable, while Malcolm leaned against the bar, pouring another round of whiskey into the glasses before him. The scent of burning wood and aged liquor lingered in the air, blending with the silence that stretched between us.I sat back in my chair, fingers wrapped around the cool glass in my hand, but I barely took a sip. My thoughts were too tangled, too weighted by the conversation we were having. “You’re sure about this?” Callum asked, his brow furrowing as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “We didn’t make a mistake letting Seraphine stay here?” Malcolm let out a slow breath. “No, we didn’t.” He set the whiskey bottle down with a dull clink and met Callum’s gaze. “If she’s here, there’s a better chance of unlocking Liana’s wolf. And if that happens, it won’t take as much of a toll on her.” Asher nodded
LIANA’S POVI didn’t let go of her. Not for a second.Even as we walked up the stairs, my hand stayed tightly wrapped around hers, as if I was afraid she would disappear if I loosened my grip. It still felt unreal—having her here, standing beside me, existing in my world. For nineteen years, she had only been a whisper in my mind. A ghost of a dream—a ghost I didn’t know existed. But now, she was real. My mother. My biological mother. Aurora Blackwood. I swallowed against the lump rising in my throat as I led her down the hall. “Reed, Asher, and Callum put this room together for you,” I told her, stopping in front of the door at the end of the corridor. “It’s not much, but… it’s yours.”She turned to me, her violet eyes shining with something unreadable. “It’s perfect, Eliana.”The way she said my name made my chest tighten. Eliana Blackwood, right? Or should I ask her about my father? Hell, no! She just got here.I pushed the door open, stepping aside so she could enter firs
KADE’S POVI ended the call with Maddox and let the phone drop onto the desk.My fingers twitched, curling into a slow, tight fist. My other hand reached for the glass beside me, but I didn’t drink. I only stared, my reflection distorted in the dark amber liquid.Then, I looked up. Across the room, in the corner where the firelight barely reached, my beast watched me.Star.She was my baby. Her massive body was coiled, muscles tense beneath dark, jagged fur, those unnerving eyes locked onto me with their usual quiet intensity. She knew something was different. She could feel it.I exhaled, slow and measured. She had always been like this. Watching. Waiting. As if she knew every dark thought crawling through my skull. And tonight, those thoughts were particularly dark.After nineteen whole years. Nineteen. A bitter chuckle left my lips, low and humourless, but there was no amusement in it. Only disbelief.Aurora Blackwood. All these years, I had searched. I had sent men, I had sp
MADDOX’S POVI knew. From the moment I stepped into the dinning hall, from the way the air felt too still, from the faint, lingering scent of her that was already beginning to fade—I knew.Seraphine was gone.I watched Raiden closely as he sat across from me, barely touching his food, his fingers clenching the fabric of his pants beneath the table. He was trying to hide his fear, but it was bleeding through every crack. Weak.I took my time eating, savouring each bite, watching as his breath hitched every time I so much as looked at him. Letting the silence stretch, letting it suffocate him.Then I asked the question.“Where’s Seraphine?”He flinched. It was quick—barely noticeable—but I caught it. “She’s in her chambers,” he said, too stiffly. “She’s feeling unwell. The flu.”I chuckled. The flu?Lie. A pathetic, obvious lie. Raiden had never been good at lying. It was almost pitiful how easily I could tear him apart. I set my utensils down, wiping my mouth slowly before resti
RAIDEN’S POVThe house was too quiet. Too empty. Too wrong.I sat curled up in the corner of my bed, my hands gripping my phone so tightly my knuckles had gone white. The screen glowed in the dim room, the call screen mocking me with the same words over and over again.Voicemail. My heart pounded against my ribs as I hit redial. The line rang twice before the robotic voice cut in again.“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message after the—”I didn’t wait for the beep.“Mom,” my voice cracked, raw and trembling, “please pick up. Please come back. Where are you? I—I don’t know what to do. He’s going to find out, and I—” My breath hitched as I wiped my wet cheeks with the back of my sleeve. “Please, just call me back. Please…”I ended the call and immediately redialed.Voicemail. Again.A strangled sob tore from my throat as I slumped forward, my forehead pressing against my knees.She was gone.And I was alone.The realization settled like a boulder in m
REED’S POVThe wind howled through the trees, a relentless, eerie whisper that did nothing to ease the frustration burning inside me. I held Liana close, her small, trembling body pressed against mine as her ragged breaths hit my chest. She was shaking, whether from fear or exhaustion, I didn’t know. All I knew was that I almost lost her tonight.I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to take a deep breath as I pulled back just enough to look at her face. Her skin was cold, her lips slightly parted, her dark eyes hollow with shock. But she refused to look at me.That only made my frustration grow. “Why?” My voice came out sharp, cutting through the silence. “Why the hell did you run off like that?” She flinched slightly but said nothing. I was trying to be patient—I really was. I knew she had been through too much already. Finding out that the mother she thought had abandoned her was still alive, learning that everything she believed about her past wasn’t the full truth—it was a lot to
LIANA’S POVThe cold air burned my lungs as I ran. Barefoot. Blind. Desperate. I didn’t know where I was going, and I didn’t care. My legs moved on their own, driven by the storm raging inside me. The forest swallowed me whole, its towering trees stretching into the night sky, their gnarled branches clawing at the moonlight. Shadows flickered between the trunks, but I kept running, crashing through the underbrush, my breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps.I needed to get away.Away from the house. Away from Seraphine. Away from everything. My mother. My mother was alive. The words echoed in my head, looping over and over until they lost meaning, became just sounds rattling inside my skull. My mother, the woman I had never known, had just appeared—like a ghost stepping out of the past. A ghost who had left me. A ghost who had abandoned me.Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t stop. I ran faster, deeper into the night, until the distant glow of the house disappeared behind the trees.
REED’S POVThe air in the room turned to ice. My breath hitched. My muscles locked. Did I hear her right? Callum did. His chair scraped against the wooden floor as he shot to his feet, eyes blown wide. “What?” His voice was a razor’s edge, sharp enough to cut through bone. “You’re Maddox’s wife?” Seraphine’s jaw tensed, but she didn’t look away. Callum let out a sharp, humorless laugh, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe it. “You’re Maddox Gray’s wife. The same Maddox who murdered our father. The same bastard who burned our home down and left us for dead. And we let you in.” His hands curled into fists. His voice cracked. “We opened our doors to Maddox Gray’s wife!” His words rang through the room like a gunshot.Malcolm went pale. Asher shoulders stiffened. I could hear his breathing, slow and controlled—too controlled. I knew he was trying to keep himself from snapping. My own stomach twisted with something between fury and betrayal. I kept my hands clenched at my side