RILEYThree hours in that damn truck, and Scout had just been a whimpering mess in the back while I tried to focus, my fingers digging through his fur. It didn’t help that the silence swallowed us whole, stretching the tension between us until it became fucking unbearable.Silas’ jaw had been clenched so tight, his knuckles were about to break the steering wheel. His hair had been all wet and sticking to his face like some kind of tortured fucking god, and his muscles had been tight, strung out with rage.Yeah. He was pissed. Really pissed.“You’re bleeding all over the place,” I muttered, my voice rough. He didn’t even twitch. Just kept staring straight ahead, like the road was the only thing keeping him from snapping.Nothing. Not even a fucking grunt.“Where are we going?” I asked, but I already knew the answer. Nowhere good. Silence answered me again. That shit started to piss me off.“Okay, what the fuck is your problem?” I snapped, not caring that I gritted my teeth. “Do you rea
RILEY We got off the train in Duluth and crammed into a cab, Scout trembling in my arms. I kept my mouth shut as Silas muttered an address to the driver, somewhere in Superior. His body language screamed don’t talk to me, and honestly, I wasn’t in the mood for more of his brooding silence either. The city lights faded into quieter streets and then into nothing but endless darkness. The further we went, the more my nerves spiked. The cold air seeped into the cab even with the windows rolled up, and my wolf stirred uneasily under my skin. The cab slowed as we reached the edge of a massive lake, where a house stood near the water like something out of an old ghost story. It was big—too big, with its wide glass windows staring out at the dock like soulless eyes. “This is it,” Silas muttered, throwing cash at the driver before climbing out. I followed reluctantly, Scout curling tighter against me as the biting cold hit like a slap. Silas didn’t even look back to check if I was behin
SILAS“Hey, Jade,” I said the second she picked up. The chaos on her end was impossible to miss—voices clashing, doors slamming, and Jade swearing like her life depended on it.“Sy? Is that you? Jesus Christ, not now!” she snapped, her breath heavy in my ear.“Yeah, I know, bad timing,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “But I need your help.”The sounds on her end dulled for a second, and then the unmistakable thud of a door slamming shut echoed down the line. “Is it him again?” she asked, her voice tight with accusation. “Sy, this isn’t going to end well. You know that, right?”My grip on the phone tightened as I glanced back toward Riley. He was on the floor, sitting cross-legged with Scout sprawled across his lap. His hands moved gently over Scout’s fur, and for a second, I caught the faintest flicker of a smile on Riley’s face. It was small. Barely there. But it twisted something inside me.“It’s not about him,” I “It’s Scout,” I said through gritted teeth. “He’s hurt
SILASMemory from nine years ago…I was nineteen when I had my first boyfriend.Jake was everything I never knew I needed—confident, wild, and so unapologetically himself that it made me ache just to look at him. He was my first love, and though I never said the words out loud, I think he knew.That weekend, the house was mine. Orin had gone hunting with his friends, leaving the house all to me. Jake had come over the moment I told him we’d have the place to ourselves.“Silas, fuck—too much. Too much,” Jake panted, his head thrown back, hands clutching the couch cushions.He was two years older than me.“Shh, I’ve got you,” I murmured, pressing kisses to his temple, holding him as I pushed another finger inside. He was heat and softness, and everything about him made me ache. Jake’s green eyes locked on mine as his lips trembled into a smile. “I want you. Now,” he whispered, voice breaking like a plea. I swallowed hard, barely holding myself together. It was my first time, his too
RILEYMy body burned under his touch, every nerve alive and sparking like electricity where Silas’s fingers brushed my skin. It was too much and not enough, all at once. No matter how many times I told myself to pull back, to stop—because it had barely been two weeks since Marcus died—I couldn’t.The guilt was there, but it wasn’t strong enough to win. He never claimed us fully, I thought, and my wolf stirred in agreement. If anything, he was pushing me forward, urging me to take this, to take him.A moan slipped from my lips as Silas’s mouth found my jaw, biting and sucking in a way that had my legs threatening to give out. My hands clung to his shoulders, gripping his shirt like a lifeline, but nothing could ground me—not when his hands slid down to my waist, pulling me in until I felt the hard press of his cock against my thigh.“Silas,” I gasped into his mouth, tangling my fingers in his hair and tugging, needing more, needing everything.He groaned, deep and rough, and the sound
SILAS Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I was completely screwed. Riley had finally fallen asleep, his eyes swollen and red after pouring his heart out. “If I found them, I’d rip their throats out,” he’d said, and I couldn’t shake the words from my head. All I could think about was that day. I was the kid. I was there when his mother was killed—by my parents. My hands trembled as I shoved them into my hair, pulling at the roots to stay grounded. Was this a coincidence? Or was fate just playing a sick joke, trying to screw me over? I glanced back at Riley, his body restless even in sleep. When he shifted and mumbled something incoherent, my chest tightened. My gut twisted so hard it felt like it was trying to crawl up my throat. I tore my gaze away, jaw clenching, and pushed myself to my feet. Barefoot and silent, I slipped out of the room. What the hell would he do if he knew? If he found out he was in the house of the people who killed his mother? Sleeping in the bed—hell, slee
SILAS The sound of the bulbs humming had me raising my head up. The lights flickered once, twice, and then died and then faint darkness filled the kitchen . Riley’s head snapped toward me, his hazel eyes glowing faintly in the dim light from the setting sun outside. “What just happened?” My hand reached for the flashlight off the counter and clicked it on, casting a beam of light around the kitchen. “Solar must’ve crapped out. Battery’s been running low for some days. I’ll need to head into town and get a replacement.” Riley shifted on the stool, his arms crossing over his chest. “I’ll come with you.” I shook my head before he could even finish the thought. “No. It’s late, and you need to sleep. I’ll be back before you know it.” “Silas—” “You’ve got Scout,” I cut in, already walking toward the couch to grab my jacket. “And it’s a quick trip. You stay here, get some rest. You’ve been through enough.” I heard the soft scrape of the stool as he stood, then felt his p
RILEYFuck. My head was pounding like a jackhammer, each pulse crashing against my skull. I groaned, trying to sit up, but every muscle in my body screamed in protest. What the hell happened? I forced my eyes open, blinking against the dim light. The smell hit me first—cigarettes, gasoline, and something else. Something human, but unfamiliar. I wasn’t home. I was in the back seat of a car—a moving car. Then it slammed into me. **Five hours ago.** A knock echoed through the quiet house. I froze mid-step, a chill running down my spine. Something felt off. “Silas, I know you’re in there. You can’t keep running from me.” The voice wasn’t Silas’s. It was deeper, older, and laced with a Southern drawl. Chicago? Maybe. But whoever it was, they didn’t belong here. My fingers hovered over the key. Every instinct I had screamed at me not to open that door. Scout barked, his sharp yelp cutting through the silence. Another heavy knock rattled the door. “I hear the dog. Open up, so
SILASThe moon hung high in the sky, casting a cold, silver glow on the forest floor. My breath came out in sharp white puffs as Desmond dragged me out into the woods, his grip tight on my arm. Around us, the pack of wolves moved silently, their eyes glowing yellow with hunger. The veins in my body throbbed, each pulse like fire under my skin.“Look around you, Silas,” Desmond hissed in my ear, his voice sharp with anger. “These wolves are hungry, and tonight, the hunter becomes the hunted.”He moved in slow circles, and I clenched my jaw, refusing to look away.“And now what?” I asked, my lips curling into a bitter smirk. “You finally get your revenge after all these years? And then what?” I tilted my head, mockery dripping from my words. “It all ends tonight, doesn’t it? Nearly two decades, and it ends here.”I balled my fists, nails digging into my palms, but I didn’t let him see the pain. Desmond wasn’t the only one craving revenge. Even if I died tonight, I would make him pay for
SILASPain shot through my skull as I slammed back against the wall, the air leaving my lungs in a sharp gasp. My hands came up on instinct, palms clammy, trembling—greenish veins spidered across them like something out of a nightmare. My chest heaved as my gaze darted around.Ronan was curled in the corner, unrecognizable. A wolf. His massive frame was tucked tightly against the wall, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping—or pretending to.I turned my head, slowly, to find Riley sitted there. Silent. Still. His jaw set so tight I thought it might snap.“Riley,” I rasped, the sound barely audible. He didn’t move at first, didn’t even blink. Then, agonizingly slow, he turned his head, his gaze locking on mine.I flinched at the cold emptiness in his eyes.“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words brittle as they left my throat.He laughed. A sharp, bitter sound that cut through the room.“You’re sorry?” His voice rose, his chest rising and falling with a fury I couldn’t meet. “You’re sorry,
RILEYThe room felt like it was closing in on me, the walls pressing closer with every second. My chest burned, my ribs squeezing tight as though trying to crush the anger clawing at my insides. Hurt. Anger. Betrayal. They were all mixed together, each of them trying to find their way out.He lied.Silas fucking lied.I could still see his face, his eyes meeting mine with a kind of seriousness I’d mistaken for honesty. The memory of it twisted in my gut now, sour and bitter. He had lied to me—straight to my face, without so much as a crack in his voice.“Riley,” Silas said again, his voice soft, almost pleading.I refused to look at him. I couldn’t. Not without wanting to tear him apart.My throat burned as I swallowed back the scream I wanted to let loose, the words I wanted to fling in his face. But I couldn’t say them. Not yet. The anger wasn’t just in my chest—it was in my hands, my legs, my lungs. I felt like I might explode if I so much as turned my head.“Oh… oh no.” Desmond’s
SILAS“Silas, meet your brother, Ronan.” I stared at Desmond with a flat expression. I raised a brow, unimpressed, and a quiet, bitter laugh escaped my lips. “I don’t have a brother,” I said, my tone flat, leaving no room for debate.Desmond’s brows lifted in mock surprise, his lips curling into that sick grin I’d come to hate. He rose to his feet, yanking the chain attached to the man he called Ronan. With a brutal shove, he forced Ronan forward, his face now inches from mine. “Look at him,” Desmond snarled, his voice thick with venom. “Tell me he doesn’t look like that bastard of a father you once had.” My gaze flicked to the man—no, the boy—that Desmond claimed was my blood. Every instinct in me screamed not to look, not to let this game crawl under my skin. But I did. Against my better judgment, I looked. And that was my first mistake. Ronan’s face was gaunt, his cheekbones hollow, his eyes sunken. But there was something hauntingly familiar in the sharp line of his ja
RILEYSix hours ago...Three weeks and four days. That’s how long it took me to find him. Silas. I’d combed through every inch of this town and the next, chasing whispers and scents that barely lingered. And finally, they led me here. To a house buried so deep in the woods, it was practically a myth. But myths didn’t stop me. The moment I caught his scent, my heart thundered. Relief was short-lived, replaced by the ice-cold reality of what I’d have to do next. I bolted back to the car, paws digging into the snow as I shifted mid-stride. The icy air burned my lungs as I straightened, pulling my clothes on with shaking hands. My breaths formed clouds around me, but it wasn’t the cold making me tremble. It was adrenaline. I reached into the car and grabbed the bag—the one filled with everything I might need to kill someone like me. Blade soaked in wolfbane, silver-tipped bullets, enough to turn this place into a bloodbath if I had to. But that wasn’t the plan. Not yet. I slun
SILASPain was the first thing I registered when my eyes fluttered open. My body jerked instinctively, muscles straining against the weight of something cold and tight. Chains.I groaned, dragging in ragged breaths, my hair falling into my face as I struggled to see where I was. The room was dim, the faint glow of a single bulb barely illuminating the rough concrete walls around me.I tugged at the restraints binding my wrists and ankles, teeth gritted as the metal cut into my skin. Useless. They weren’t budging.Swallowing hard, I slumped back against the wall, the rough stone biting into my shoulders. My heart thundered as memories flooded my mind.Him.The man I had been running from for nearly twenty years. The one who had ripped my family apart, who had marked me and made me his prey. After all this time, I’d walked straight into him.I closed my eyes, willing the panic clawing at my chest to subside. Riley’s face surfaced behind my lids, a calming tether. His warm smile from thi
RILEYWhen I woke again, the house was quiet—too quiet. For a moment, I stretched, my body pleasantly sore and my head still wrapped in the lingering haze of sleep. But then the quiet became deeper. I glanced at the clock. Past two in the afternoon. Silas should’ve been back by now. The thought tugged at the back of my mind until it became hard to ignore. I pushed off the bed, grabbing a sweater as I moved toward the living room. The fire in the hearth had long since died, leaving the air cold and chilly. I crossed into the kitchen. The cabinets were still empty. My chest tightened, and a flicker of fear sparked low in my gut. I shoved it down. *He’s fine. Silas is fine.* I turned, moving back to the recliner in the corner of the room. My legs bounced restlessly as I sat, my gaze locked on the door. The minutes dragged, and the silence felt to fucking much. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.I stood, my body tense with a ting of fear. I didn't have a car. Hell, no one ca
SILASThe first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was Riley, sprawled beside me, his chest rising and falling in an easy rhythm. His face, soft and relaxed in sleep, made me stay for a moment longer than I should have. I slid out of bed carefully, unwilling to disturb him, and grabbed a sweatshirt from the floor. It smelled faintly of him, like cinnamon and last night’s sex, and I pulled it on before making my way to the kitchen. The cabinets were nearly empty—save for a lonely box of cereal, and even that felt like it had been here too long. The overhead light flickered and groaned, the batteries still struggling to hold their charge. I rubbed a hand over my face, exhaustion pressing down on me, then turned and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. When I came back, Riley was awake, leaning lazily against the counter. His hair was a wild mess, his hazel eyes impossibly bright, and just like that, my world snapped and all I could focus on was him. The grin that spread across m
RILEYThe last three weeks had been... peaceful. The kind of peace that still felt strange, like wearing a borrowed coat. No one chasing us. No shadows waiting to pounce. Just us. And even if I was still trying to learn how to trust it, life was good.“Riley,” Silas mumbled against my shoulder, his hand slipping over my waist, pulling me into his chest. The way he said my name made me smile—a sound half growl, half sigh that never failed to wake me better than any alarm.I covered his hand with mine, locking us together as I pressed back against him. “Morning.”His lips grazed my neck, and I felt his grin before I heard his reply. “Morning.”The kiss that followed was slow, lazy, and far too effective at making me forget what we were supposed to be doing today. When he dragged his mouth to the line of my jaw, I laughed, pushing weakly at his chest.“Silas,” I said, still smiling as I looked up into those blue eyes of his. “I’m sore, remember?”His fingers slid through my hair, taking