NathanI wasn’t sure exactly how long Steel and I spent in that endless void, trying desperately to find a memory that would break me out of the coma.But no matter how hard I tried, nothing seemed to work—and I could feel my body growing weaker with every memory. I was draining myself of my own life force just by attempting to break free, and yet I couldn’t stop. Not when Olivia needed me. I knew that I would rather die trying than to allow her to perish at Jenifer’s hands.At one point, after a particularly exhausting memory involving my first day of eighth grade with Olivia, I fell to my knees with a groan.“Steel,” I murmured, my own voice sounding strained and hollow to my ears, “I just don’t understand. These memories... they should be enough. But nothing is changing. Am I trapped here forever?”My wolf let out a sound that sounded like a sigh and padded over to me in the void, nuzzling against me. The action gave me some strength, as if his touch was enough to give me a second
OliviaAs I sat in front of Jenifer in the form of the witch, I felt stunned, like I was frozen to my spot.“Well?” Jenifer asked, taking a step back and holding her arms out. “Suits me, don’t you think?”“What suits you?” I managed to stammer with a defiance that I didn’t quite feel. “The persona of an old hag with a penchant for evil? Yeah, I’d say it suits you perfectly.”Jenifer’s eyes flashed with something that almost looked like rage, but only for a moment before she composed herself and returned to her smug demeanor once more.But in that moment, I felt it; another surge of my wolf’s strength. She was returning, albeit slowly, from whatever spell Jenifer put us under. I was almost certain that with just a little more time, I could fight my way out of here. I just needed to stall for a little while longer. I needed to keep Jenifer talking.“So tell me,” I said, taking advantage of the fact that Jenifer loved hearing her own voice, “how did you manage all of this?” I gestured to
NathanI was still trapped in the void, surrounded by nothing but an endless black abyss and the sound of the monitors hooked up to my sleeping body. Somehow, I had managed to work my way through dozens of other memories, but none of them seemed to work.“I can’t go on for much longer,” I said to Steel, who was still by my side, a silent observer to these visions. “I can’t, Steel. It’s too much. I can feel myself getting weaker.”Steel said nothing. We both looked over at my hospital bed, which was now surrounded by three nurses. I could hear their worried voices, could see the concerned looks in their eyes.“I hope our Alpha wakes up,” one of the nurses said as she checked my blood pressure. “His blood pressure is dropping. I’m getting worried.”Another nurse shook her head. “There’s not much more that we can do. He’s simply… fading.”“Come on, guys!” Angela, looking more exhausted yet more determined than ever, said. “We can’t give up on him! Let’s ask the doctor to run another test
OliviaJenifer’s face was still uncomfortably close to mine, her malevolent gaze boring into me with a sadistic satisfaction.She pulled away, her lips curling into a mocking sneer that sent shivers down my spine. In her hands, she held the rock I had been desperately trying to wedge free from the wall, and she tossed it idly between her fingers, a chilling chuckle escaping her.“I almost forgot how naive you are,” she taunted, her voice dripping with condescension. “Did you think someone as powerful as me wouldn’t notice your feeble attempts to get that rock out?”My heart raced as the realization of my failed escape plan washed over me. I had hoped to use that rock as a last resort, a means of defending myself if the need arose. But now, it was in Jenifer’s hands, and I was at her mercy.“What would you have done with it, hmm?” she continued, a wicked glint in her eyes. “Were you planning to bash my skull in? Go ahead. Do it.”She tossed the rock down beside me with a cold, humorles
NathanWhen the memory finally ended, I fell to my knees, breathless and confused. The scene around me faded back into nothingness, the visage of my father’s stony face in the rainy night dissolving into the void.“What just happened?” I asked once I caught my breath, my voice trembling as I looked over at my wolf. “What was that? That couldn’t have been real. I… I don’t remember that.”Steel’s voice echoed in the void, calm and steady despite the turmoil blossoming in my chest. “Those memories were real, Nathan. You repressed them for years, and now you’re finally facing the truth.”I felt a knot tighten in my chest as I pondered my wolf’s words. If it was true that I had forgotten the events leading up to Olivia and Kamran’s eviction, then did that mean that my wolf had been hiding it from me all this time?One look at his face told me all I needed to know.“You knew,” I whispered.Steel nodded, and that was when my anger began to bloom.“Why didn’t you show me that memory before?”
OliviaThe door burst open, bathing the dark basement in golden light, and both Jenifer and I were jolted from our tense standoff. We exchanged wide-eyed, fearful glances, our shared shock etched across our faces.The abrupt intrusion had caught us both off guard, but I had hope.“Help!” I began to call out, my voice strained and hardly more than a whisper after Jenifer’s intense grip had taken my breath away. “Help me, ple—”But before I could finish, Jenifer lunged forward, clamping her hand over my lips. “Shut up,” she hissed, her voice so low only I could hear. I watched in horror as she slipped something small and silver out of her pocket, and then I felt the cold blade of a knife pressing firmly against my throat.As the hinges creaked and the door swung wide, my heart raced with a flurry of mixed emotions. Could it be Nathan, finally coming to my rescue? I wanted to believe it, to call out for help and have my love rush in to save me from this living nightmare.But I couldn’t.
OliviaMy eyes met those deep, red orbs from the crack between the crates, and it was at that moment that I knew.It was Alvin.But what was he doing here? And what were his motives?The last time I had seen Alvin, he was working with Ryan and the Redclaws. He had developed the ability to create fire in his palm with the snap of a finger, and he was out for vengeance. I didn’t know if vengeance was what led him here just now, or if it was something else.But either way, no matter how badly I wanted to find out, I was trapped. Jenifer’s knee was pushing into my spine, crushing me. Not only was I terrified to move because of the cold silver knife pressed to the soft skin of my neck, but I was also afraid that if I made one wrong move, she’d harm my unborn baby.The situation was already precarious enough as it was, being pinned to the floor with a hard knee pressing into my back. There was no telling what exactly she would do if I tried to struggle or speak.There was a long, tense sile
OliviaAs Jenifer and Alvin collided, I leaped out of the way just in time. But my foot caught a jagged rock sticking out of the ground, and I tumbled to the dirt floor with a grunt.I struggled to catch my breath, my chest heaving as I lay on the cold, damp floor of the basement. My vision was blurred, my head spinning from the relentless intensity of the fight that had begun to rage in front of me.Alvin and Jenifer were locked in a vicious battle, their wolf forms clashing with primal rage. The sounds of venomous growls and snarls filled the air, echoing off the stone walls, punctuated by the sickening sound of flesh against flesh.I looked up and located the door, which still stood open, but the path was blocked by the enormous bodies of Alvin and Jenifer. I knew that there was no hope if I tried to make a run for it; if Jenifer didn’t see me and kill me on the spot, then I’d be knocked out of the way by the fray.I reached out for my wolf again, knowing that shifting would be my
OliviaI gripped the edges of the podium, my knuckles whitening from the strain as I stared out over the sea of faces. All eyes were trained squarely on me, awaiting my words. But I was frozen.A tremor of nausea wormed its way up my throat as I stared out at them. What was I thinking—how could I have ever agreed to this? Speaking to crowds had never been my forte; that was Nathan’s arena, not mine. I was just the woman behind the scenes, the young mom who had never gone to college, the one who had been handed her job by her husband…Suddenly, a flicker of motion off to the side caught my eye—Nathan, standing just at the edge of the stage with his arms folded across his chest. Even from this distance, I could feel the weight of his steady gaze, that piercing Alpha stare that always seemed to see straight into the depths of my soul.He must have sensed my faltering because, slowly, deliberately, he offered me the faintest of smiles and a single, reassuring nod.And just like that, the
Olivia I looped my arm through Nathan’s as we stepped down from the podium, the applause from the crowd and the flashing of cameras having finally subsided after what felt like an eternity. “It’s over,” Nathan beamed, giving my arm a squeeze. “That wasn’t so bad.” I couldn’t help but grin back at him. “No, it wasn’t. You were great up there.” And he really had been great; the press conference had been an overwhelming success—any lingering doubts or trepidation we had harbored before had been utterly blown away by the sheer force of the crowd’s enthusiastic response. For so long, it had felt like we were fighting this battle alone, like the victims who had suffered under Dan’s horrific operation were little more than nameless, faceless casualties. But today, we had finally given them a voice. Their stories had reached the masses, had resonated and struck a chord with everyone who watched. Nathan had handled all of the questions that were thrown his way with poise and ease
OliviaI rapped my knuckles lightly on the door to Nathan’s office. A moment later, his voice called out, “Come in.”Stepping into the room, I placed my hands on my hips upon seeing the scene in front of me: Nathan was standing in front of the mirror, his shirt still untucked and his tie loosened. His desk was a mess of papers and folders, and it was clear that he had been checking over his notes last-minute before the press conference.
OliviaI wiped a bead of sweat from my brow, slowly turning to survey the progress that had been made in the park. The banners we had hung were a bold purple color, signifying our support of the women who had been affected by the trafficking ring.I couldn’t help but smile a bit as I looked at our progress. With the press conference today, followed by a festival to help raise funds for the shelter we were building, the park was bustling with activity as our pack members worked hard
NathanI leaned back in my chair with a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose in a futile attempt to stave off the encroaching headache. Spread out on my desk was an array of file folders, legal pads scrawled with notes, and printed transcripts—a minefield of information that would need to be carefully navigated on the day of the upcoming press conference.It had been two weeks since Dan and Montgomery’s bodies were found in the confinement pit, and it had been a dizzyin
OliviaMy hands shook uncontrollably as I stepped up to the edge of the pit, clutching the metal grating until my knuckles turned white. A thick, cloying stench wafted up from the darkness below—the unmistakable reek of death and decay.Despite the waves of nausea already roiling in my gut, I leaned forward for a closer look.
OliviaThe air coming through the open windows smelled like the fresh sea breeze as we made our way from room to room, touring every nook and cranny of the newly completed cottage. It was perfect—cozy and quaint, while still boasting all the modern amenities one could want. But more than that, it was a sanctuary, a haven.A fresh start.
OliviaThe sound of power tools outside streamed in through the window while I folded the laundry, a distant backdrop to my swirling thoughts. I had grown used to the sound, and actually kind of enjoyed it. It was a reminder that life went on, that our family was growing.It had been a couple of weeks since I had made the decision to take a temporary leave from work in order to really focus on my family—on rebuilding that long-severed bond with my mother—and I was glad I did.
NathanI couldn’t stop the rage from simmering just beneath the surface as I made my way through the darkened forest toward the confinement pit. No one knew I was here—I was coming under the cover of night, my hair and face concealed by a hood.But I had to come. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dan and Montgomery, and I needed to see them.