MIA.SIX YEARS LATER.A low grunt escaped my lips. I pivoted my heel, ducking low. My eyes squared in at a distance as I mounted my fighting stance.My bare feet dug into the cool, damp earth and my muscles coiled like a spring, before I swung. The wooden staff I was holding in my hands cut through the air with sharp precision. I leaped forward, landing on all fours. Beads of sweat clung to my temples as I lifted my head. I sucked in a deep breath, readying myself to go again. But then, a voice called from behind and I halted. "Mommy," I took off my blindfold before turning around. The staff slipped from my hands to the ground. "Theo" I called. He was standing on the edge of the clearing, right next to his sister. They were both barefoot, dressed in patched clothes, their faces sleepy but curious. "Ella" I whispered, gesturing them to come closer. They did. "Why are you still awake by this time?" I wrapped them in my arms. "We were watching you. You were doing it again." Ella rep
MIA.Immediately Alice came to a halt, she jumped out of the car and into my arms. She embraced me for a lasting hug while a wide smile crept to my lips. I hugged her tight. "Alice," I whispered. For the second she pulled away, I noticed her eyes started to water. She scanned me head to toe and shook her head. "I can't believe it." She muttered."I can't believe that it's really you." She smiled."It is." I pushed a hard lump down my throat. "It is." Alice hugged me again. I hadn't seen my best friend in six years. Even though we had only just met not long before I left, the truth is Alice and I had stayed in touch over the last few years and we'd become closer.We didn't talk often at all out of the fear that someone might track where I was—she was the only one I stayed in touch with from home, but the few times we spoke to catch up, it was the best. "Oh my God" I blurted, cradling her face in my hand. She sniffled, color rushing into her cheeks. "I missed you." I hadn't realized j
LUCIEN.My heart hung heavy in my chest as I stared down at the letter in my hands. Six years ago, I had walked into this very room thinking I'd find the love of my life there but Mia had gone. She had left nothing but this very letter lying capriciously across my table. The first time I read it, I remember the feeling of tears in my eyes, the pain at the back of my throat and my stomach wrenching. It was the first time I ever felt that way. Hopeless, angry. Broken. "Dear Lucien," Six years would pass and there would be no day that I wouldn't read it all over again and again. It was a form of self torture, to remind myself of how much I was an asshole and an idiot for ever letting Mia go—for ever lying to her. But it was also the last thing of hers that I had. I never thought I'd see her again until tonight. It wasn't always like that. The first night I'd read her letter, I immediately summoned Roman."You have to find her. Search the heights of the mountains and the depths of the
MIA.The moment I saw him, my heart dropped to the ground. Lucien was standing by the door and his eyes had met the kids. They were sitting on the floor playing a board game but when they saw him, both Ella and Theo stood.The way they looked at him. The way he looked at them. I could tell that he knew at that moment.This wasn't the way I wanted them to meet their father. Not like this. "Lucien," Alice broke the awkward silence, surprised that he was even standing here in the first place. He batted his eyes to me and though his lips parted, he didn't say anything for a second."Mia" But when he did, he called my name. It was as if he needed to see me a second time to actually believe it was me. "What are you doing here?" I bit down my teeth. "Did you follow me? Roman?" I looked at his beta behind him."Who are they?" Lucien stepped forward and I did too, holding the kids behind me. I locked my eyes into his. "You haven't answered my question, Lucien. What are you doing here?" I mut
MIA.The car came to a halt right in front of the Blood Moon pack house. I sucked in a deep breath, looking up at the place I'd grown up in. It was dark but it was clear how much had changed. Silence had ravaged the building and the few people that remained scantied across the street."Are you sure you want to do this?" Alice let out an exasperated sigh. She turned to look at me. "Meeting Ezra is such a bad idea, especially when you remember what happened the last time.""The only reason you were able to escape was because I poisoned him." She added. "Which is why you're coming nowhere close to that house. You said it yourself, it's me Ezra wants. He would stop at nothing until he has found me." I muttered under my breath."But I won't let him find me. Surprising him gives me an advantage""Then what?" Alice hissed and I pulled out of a waistband a knife I'd carried. "Mia" She sighed once her eyes fell to it. "It's okay," I paused before alighting the car. "I've trained six years fo
MIA."What are you doing here?" Lucien grabbed my arm but once I walked outside the castle, I withdrew from him. There was a furrow between his brows, an anger in his eyes."Meeting Ezra? Have you lost your mind?" He gritted through his teeth and I lifted my eyes to him. "Do you know how dangerous that is—" "Enough Lucien, I don't need you pretending to care," I said."You think that's what this is?" He asked. I swallowed a hard lump down my throat. His eyes scanned my body and then he sighed."Look at you, you're wounded." He whispered, his hands reaching to my face but I moved away. I could feel the blood drip down my temple right between the corner of my eyes and my ear. "Come back with me. I'll take care of it." Lucien said. I shook my head, staying still. "I'm fine. I'll see Alice when I get back.""It wasn't a question, Mia. You're coming with me, with the amount of blood coming from your head you're lucky you're still standing." He said. I rolled my eyes to the back of my head
MIA."So who are you?" I asked and Oscar turned to me with a smirk across his lips. He narrowed his eyes. "I've already told you my name haven't I?" He replied. I rolled my eyes to the back."I mean like who are you? You're not a face I've seen Rosewood much. Or at all even" I said. "Well, you haven't been around much." That was a fair point but I could see through Oscar. I could see through the wit and the sarcasm and the cockiness.And I could tell immediately what kind of man he was. His gaze lingered as he took a sip of his vodka. He sat right next to me just behind the bar counter. "I'm kidding," He chuckled. "But I could say the same about you. Long lost daughter of an Alpha returns to her hometown—" Oscar paused and I turned to face him."You know me." I muttered."News spreads.""That is creepy" I downed the rest of my tequila and Oscar leaned back in his chair with a laugh. "I promise you it's not. I just know everything that happens in this town." He said."What Pack?" I se
TARA.I could hear voices from behind the door. Lucien's as well as a feminine one. It couldn't be her, I shook the thought off my head as my hand enveloped the door handle.He wouldn't hurt me that much. And then I pushed it open to see the both of them, barely inches away from each other with his hand against her face. My heart dropped into my stomach and my hands clenched into a fist.It was her. Mia Harper.The name that haunted the walls, the name on everyone's lips—she was the one who got away, everyone knew. Her departure was what led the Alpha into a year-long solitude. Everyone who knew Lucien knew how much he loved her. It wasn't a competition, it could never be. But when she left, that was when he finally looked at me. When I felt like Lucien really saw me and how foolish I was to think there was a world where we could be together.A world where he would finally love me after I loved him my whole life and we could raise a beautiful family—his father had all these aspirati
LUCIEN. There was a knock on the door before Alice walked in. I lifted my face, scanning behind her for Mia but she was all alone. "Where is she?" My brows arched in disappointment. "I got her call early this morning about the Winter Ball she's planning—" I continued. "I tried to talk her out of it, it's almost near impossible to come up with something for tonight but she was hellbent on it.""It's fine Alice. I already gave her my word. We'll help in any way that we can," I muttered. My lips curled. "I just thought she'd be here." Alice sauntered into the chambers."She had a lot of work to do for tonight, to get the decorations up. Luckily, she has some help. Oscar came around earlier today." I felt my jaw clench and my wolf retract from underneath my skin. "Oscar?" I echoed, the name leaving a bitter taste in the back of my throat. "They're only friends," Alice was quick to correct but I already felt the fury in the blood. Oscar. Who the hell was Oscar?"I came around to help wi
MIA.Alice opened the door and walked in on me tucking the twins into their bed. It had been a long day in the town but finally, we were back home with Kyra. I had missed my kids and days like this when I was faced with the brutal reality of what had become of Rosewood and the families that had been torn apart, I loved them even more. I was glad I had them and I knew in that breath that I would do anything to protect them. I wasn't going to let any more of my family down. "How is Kyra?" I turned to Alice, walking towards the door where she stood. "She's just had a shower but she isn't eating anything.""Lena made some oat as well soup but she's just sitting there, staring blankly at everything," Alice paused. "I don't blame her. She's already been through so much. Every one of them has" I said."We just have to take care of her until she's feeling better." There was a sliver of worry in Alice's eyes. "She's family," I reassured her."It's not like it used to be. I can't turn my back
MIA.Three weeks had passed since anyone saw Ezra. I believed only then that was truly gone at least for now but each time I thought about him, my stomach would tie in a knot. Ezra was a dangerous man and it was worse especially when he was out of reach. When you had no idea where he was or when he was going to strike next."Ezra has something up his sleeves," I muttered, walking the path through the forest with Alice. "We have to figure it out so we're not completely blindsided. We have no idea what he's capable of or what exactly he wants to do with me." I added."Or he could just be gone?" Alice replied. The idea was laughable.He couldn't.Ezra was planning something, I knew deep down. "It just doesn't make sense, he had me. He couldn't killed me but he didn't. You'd think about all the years of trying to find me and killing innocent people in the process that he would waste no time when he finally had me but he didn't. Almost like he couldn't." I muttered."I may sound crazy bu
TARA.I could hear voices from behind the door. Lucien's as well as a feminine one. It couldn't be her, I shook the thought off my head as my hand enveloped the door handle.He wouldn't hurt me that much. And then I pushed it open to see the both of them, barely inches away from each other with his hand against her face. My heart dropped into my stomach and my hands clenched into a fist.It was her. Mia Harper.The name that haunted the walls, the name on everyone's lips—she was the one who got away, everyone knew. Her departure was what led the Alpha into a year-long solitude. Everyone who knew Lucien knew how much he loved her. It wasn't a competition, it could never be. But when she left, that was when he finally looked at me. When I felt like Lucien really saw me and how foolish I was to think there was a world where we could be together.A world where he would finally love me after I loved him my whole life and we could raise a beautiful family—his father had all these aspirati
MIA."So who are you?" I asked and Oscar turned to me with a smirk across his lips. He narrowed his eyes. "I've already told you my name haven't I?" He replied. I rolled my eyes to the back."I mean like who are you? You're not a face I've seen Rosewood much. Or at all even" I said. "Well, you haven't been around much." That was a fair point but I could see through Oscar. I could see through the wit and the sarcasm and the cockiness.And I could tell immediately what kind of man he was. His gaze lingered as he took a sip of his vodka. He sat right next to me just behind the bar counter. "I'm kidding," He chuckled. "But I could say the same about you. Long lost daughter of an Alpha returns to her hometown—" Oscar paused and I turned to face him."You know me." I muttered."News spreads.""That is creepy" I downed the rest of my tequila and Oscar leaned back in his chair with a laugh. "I promise you it's not. I just know everything that happens in this town." He said."What Pack?" I se
MIA."What are you doing here?" Lucien grabbed my arm but once I walked outside the castle, I withdrew from him. There was a furrow between his brows, an anger in his eyes."Meeting Ezra? Have you lost your mind?" He gritted through his teeth and I lifted my eyes to him. "Do you know how dangerous that is—" "Enough Lucien, I don't need you pretending to care," I said."You think that's what this is?" He asked. I swallowed a hard lump down my throat. His eyes scanned my body and then he sighed."Look at you, you're wounded." He whispered, his hands reaching to my face but I moved away. I could feel the blood drip down my temple right between the corner of my eyes and my ear. "Come back with me. I'll take care of it." Lucien said. I shook my head, staying still. "I'm fine. I'll see Alice when I get back.""It wasn't a question, Mia. You're coming with me, with the amount of blood coming from your head you're lucky you're still standing." He said. I rolled my eyes to the back of my head
MIA.The car came to a halt right in front of the Blood Moon pack house. I sucked in a deep breath, looking up at the place I'd grown up in. It was dark but it was clear how much had changed. Silence had ravaged the building and the few people that remained scantied across the street."Are you sure you want to do this?" Alice let out an exasperated sigh. She turned to look at me. "Meeting Ezra is such a bad idea, especially when you remember what happened the last time.""The only reason you were able to escape was because I poisoned him." She added. "Which is why you're coming nowhere close to that house. You said it yourself, it's me Ezra wants. He would stop at nothing until he has found me." I muttered under my breath."But I won't let him find me. Surprising him gives me an advantage""Then what?" Alice hissed and I pulled out of a waistband a knife I'd carried. "Mia" She sighed once her eyes fell to it. "It's okay," I paused before alighting the car. "I've trained six years fo
MIA.The moment I saw him, my heart dropped to the ground. Lucien was standing by the door and his eyes had met the kids. They were sitting on the floor playing a board game but when they saw him, both Ella and Theo stood.The way they looked at him. The way he looked at them. I could tell that he knew at that moment.This wasn't the way I wanted them to meet their father. Not like this. "Lucien," Alice broke the awkward silence, surprised that he was even standing here in the first place. He batted his eyes to me and though his lips parted, he didn't say anything for a second."Mia" But when he did, he called my name. It was as if he needed to see me a second time to actually believe it was me. "What are you doing here?" I bit down my teeth. "Did you follow me? Roman?" I looked at his beta behind him."Who are they?" Lucien stepped forward and I did too, holding the kids behind me. I locked my eyes into his. "You haven't answered my question, Lucien. What are you doing here?" I mut
LUCIEN.My heart hung heavy in my chest as I stared down at the letter in my hands. Six years ago, I had walked into this very room thinking I'd find the love of my life there but Mia had gone. She had left nothing but this very letter lying capriciously across my table. The first time I read it, I remember the feeling of tears in my eyes, the pain at the back of my throat and my stomach wrenching. It was the first time I ever felt that way. Hopeless, angry. Broken. "Dear Lucien," Six years would pass and there would be no day that I wouldn't read it all over again and again. It was a form of self torture, to remind myself of how much I was an asshole and an idiot for ever letting Mia go—for ever lying to her. But it was also the last thing of hers that I had. I never thought I'd see her again until tonight. It wasn't always like that. The first night I'd read her letter, I immediately summoned Roman."You have to find her. Search the heights of the mountains and the depths of the