ELENAThe engagement party planning had taken on a life of its own.At first, I had thought it would be something small—something my family would allow to quietly fade as Logan and I continued to do what we had always done: exist in the strange limbo of our friendship, tied together by the momentum
DEREKThe report sat on my desk, its edges curling slightly from how many times I’d already flipped through it.I had been expecting something damning—evidence that Logan had schemed, that he had manipulated his way into Elena’s life while I had been drowning in grief. Or even that she’d been with h
That irritated me more than I wanted to admit. It was short-sighted. It was stupid. It was also exactly the kind of power play I had expected from Elena’s father.The Alliance Summit wasn’t just a formality—it was a negotiation. One that would set the course for every pack in the region. It would ha
DEREKThe envelope was waiting for me when I returned to my office, a plain, unmarked thing sitting at the center of my desk.I had been expecting reports from my intelligence network, updates on the rogue factions, or perhaps another denial from Moonstone about a pre-summit meeting. But this was so
ELENAThere were a dozen things I was supposed to be focusing on—logistics for the Alliance Summit, reviewing proposals from nearby packs, scheduling site visits for infrastructure coordination—but my mind kept circling back to one thing.Mason.More specifically, Mason’s absence.He’d been disappea
“Is Logan coming to the wedding?” she asked casually.I exhaled. “He’s… busy. Alliance Summit and all that.”I really didn’t want to field more questions about Logan and our “upcoming” nuptials.Her brow lifted, but she let it go. “Well, I was going through old letters the other day and guess what I
DEREKBrock didn’t say a word when he walked into my office. He didn’t have to. The envelope in his hand was enough.“Is that it?” I asked.He nodded and laid it gently on the desk between us. A plain white envelope. No return address. No markings. Just my name scrawled across the front in blocky, d
I stared out the window, watching the trees blur past as the vehicle climbed the last ridge. With every mile, the plan sharpened in my mind. Elena’s father had rejected my proposal to meet before the Alliance Summit.Mason hadn’t even bothered to respond. But a face-to-face meeting couldn’t be ignor
My parents had pulled out all the stops. White-gloved servers, silver candelabras, a string quartet in the corner playing soft music. It was the kind of dinner that only happened when my mother was trying to impress—or intimidate.I spotted the way Erin's eyes flicked over the crystal glasses, the w
ELENAThe soft hum of Dr. Voss’s voice was like a current running under my skin—steady, focused, grounding. I let myself sink into it, the earthy scent of burning herbs drifting from the brass bowl on the table beside me. My hands were clenched in my lap, but my breathing had evened out, and my mind
For the first time, I didn’t follow her.Didn’t chase.Didn’t apologize.But I didn’t forget, either.And some part of me always carried that moment—like a shard of glass pressed into the soft part of my palm.***I found Cassandra in the solarium, stretched out on the chaise in a pale silk robe tha
DEREKI remember the exact moment my father died.Not when I found out—when it happened. I didn’t know then, of course, but looking back, there was a sudden weight that settled in the air that day, like the wind itself knew something had shifted.Something in the bond between us snapped.We were out
Still, watching Aiden throw his head back in joy as he sped around the rose bushes, hair flying behind him and helmet finally strapped tight—I couldn’t deny the truth of what I’d said.Derek had done something for him today that I never could have.And it mattered.Derek stayed quiet, the gravity of
ELENAI hadn’t expected it to hit me like that.Watching Derek teach Aiden to ride his bike… I don’t know. It gutted me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Not because it hurt, but because it was right. The way Aiden beamed up at him.The way Derek knelt beside him, patient and calm, catching him every
Still nothing.“A good friend of mine was hurt. She saved my life a long time ago, and I thought she needed me.”I paused.“But even if that’s true… I didn’t handle it right. And I want you to know—I get it. I let you down.”Aiden was quiet for a long time.Then, softly: “I think the meatballs weren
DEREKI’d never felt more nervous about knocking on a door in my life.And that included negotiating with rival Alphas and walking into rogue territory with a barely-functioning truce.This was worse.Because this was Aiden.Because I’d let him down.Elena opened the front door of the Moonstone esta
“Mason is blinded by love,” he muttered. “He’s not going to see sense or reason. Even if I backed it up with evidence.”I blinked. “Evidence?”He hesitated. Sighed. “Alpha Derek found documents while investigating Pierce. Moonstone correspondence. Reports. Internal logistics. It was part of what led