AIDEN'S POVI walk the narrow walls of the guest rooms while my wolf bristles under my skin. I can still smell her in my nose—honey and wildflowers with an undertone of something that was undoubtedly Haylee. Five years and I still go wild over her scent.And five years later, she’s engaged to another man. A rival Alpha, no less."Damn it!" I punch the wall, relishing the momentary searing pain that courses up my arm. The guards slumping outside my door shuffle at the noise, but I could care less what they think.Those boys are mine. I feel it in my bones, in my blood. The way they stared at me with them eyes — mama’s eyes, there’s no doubt about it. But Haylee stoofer face and lied to my face saying that Xavier was their father.There comes a knock on the door as I think."Come on in," I answer, sitting up a little. I am not going to allow anyone the satisfaction of me being broken, even for a moment.Just as running low on food, a young wolf – little more than a teenager – enters the
HAYLEE'S POVI rest my head against the cold glass of my office window and watch Aiden stroll across the courtyard below. He stands with his shoulders squared and walks with a purposeful, even strut among the guards who show no subtle invective. Five years hasn’t made much difference in him — still so vain, still wielding respect he doesn’t have.Aiden Fenrir—I mutter in a voice that steams up the window. The lie I told him weighs heavy on my chest. But what choice did I have? It would open a door I have held closed for five years, to admit the twins are his.I hear a soft tap on my door, and I’m jolted out of my reverie.It’s a grisly welcome, but it’s all I have right now; it’ll have to do until I can find out more information."Come in," I call, trying to compose myself.My Beta, Scarlett, and my best friend, sneaks into the room. Her eyes are sharp, she doesn’t miss anything, and she’s noticed the tension in my shoulders.“So,” she says, and takes a seat in the chair across from my
XAVIER'S POVI stand at the great windows of my office, looking out over our territory, as the sun sets. Endless pine forests bathed in golden light — the kingdom I’ve constructed over years of careful leadership. A kingdom I share with Haylee.There is no rap at the door behind me. There is only one who ever strides in like he owns the place.You’re late,” I say without looking up. "The council meeting is over.""I just needed to clear my head," Haylee's voice holds a trace of something that I can't put my finger on. Uncertainty? Guilt?I turn toward her, her hair wild and cheeks pink. Or rather, she’s been running — her wolf has. When she’s upset she’s always shifting."And did it help?" I move in, closer, I breathe in her scent. There’s a new twist to it today—a familiar but unwelcome note that puts my wolf’s hackles up.Fenrir. His smell is still on her, a mere residue, but there’s no mistaking it.“A little,” she says, going to the desk, shuffling papers, not looking at me.“You s
AIDEN'S POVAnother deep breath of slightly chilly air, spring melting the last of the snow, lifting off the cool ground to absorb the warmth of my being, the wolf inside me thrashing against the inside of my skin as I head home from the border inspection. The scent of Haylee—of sweet vanilla overlaying wildflowers—wafts around this field at every turn, her very presence unmistakable even though she’s missing.Five years of searching, of guilt, of wondering what happened. And now I’m here, an interloper in the life she’s made for herself without me.Guards with my every step as the pack house appears in the distance—an imposing stone building surrounded by cabins and training grounds. Their distrust is evident. I don’t blame them; I’m the outsider who ruined their Luna’s heart.My phone vibrates. A text message.‘We need to go over the alliance. See you in the east garden in half an hour. Come alone. -H’Even though I attempt to steady myself, my heart is pounding. After the tense back
HAYLEE'S POVTouching my mother's pendant, I skirt its silvered curves on my skin with my fingers, I stand before the bedroom mirror. It is the moon and star that make up my family symbol—a relic I believed was lost forever when my father’s pack was toppled."You look beautiful."Xavier's image hovers behind me as he touches my shoulders. He’s tall, strong, his basic, cedar and amber scent fills me as he drops a soft kiss on my neck.“Thanks so much for catching that again,” I tell him, looking him in the eye in the mirror. “I’m still in shock that you found it after all these months.“haylee- I would move mountains for you,” he responds, in a tone most sincere. "You know that."I turn to him, noting the bold angles in his jaw, that arrogance in his posture and the prolonged stretch in the corded muscle down his neck to the spikes on his back. Xavier has been my stronghold, my savior, my second chance at life. So, why do I keep hearing Aiden's voice playing in my head?*I never chose
AIDEN'S POVHaylee’s mother’s ring weighs heavy in my hand as I see the expression of her face change into one of pure shock. This silver band I have preserved for five years now to keep close, a last tie to the woman I lost, the only thing of her that remained."Where did you get this?" she whispers, gaze fastened on the fragile moonstone setting that reflects the garden’s soft light.“It was on your wrist the day you went missing,” I say, the words wanting to reach out to close the space. I discovered it on the bank of the northern creek, partly buried in mud. I’ve carried it all this time, hoping one day to find you and make it back to you.”She notices that her fingers tremble a little as she reaches for it, hesitates, and then allows herself to go on. “I always thought that it was lost forever. Like so many things."There is a heaviness to her words that goes unsaid, which lingers between us—its meaning as trashed as our future, our love, our family.“It’s all yours,” I say, offer
AIDEN'S POVThe council meeting stretches on through the morning, Xavier deftly manipulating the story to my wolves remains out in the territories. I politely protest, bringing up the idea of joint patrols which would give me more valid excuses to lurk around the pack house—close to Haylee and the enigmatic twins who've so captivated me.haunting me.“Mixed patrols create the chance for conflict of unknown wolves,” Xavier gently debates.“Or they consolidate trust and deepen the alliance,” I counter. "My lieutenant Damon has a lot of training experience for integrated packs.The council members murmur thoughtfully, and I can tell Xavier’s jaw hardens with frustration. It’s a small victory but I’ll take it.”After the meeting ends, I head back to my quarters to shower and change, and then I make my way to the science fair. My phone is buzzing with a text from my beta back home about pack business. Everything is stable, nothing that needs me to come home right nowI veer slightly off cou
HAYLEE'S POVThe first light of morning seeps through the curtains, and I look at my face in the mirror in my bedroom. The woman in my mirror seems at peace, but inside I feel like a storm is brewing, a gale-force rumbling that never quite materializes. It’s the day I vowed to give Aiden—one day and nothing more—but the promise has kept me up most of last night and it’s filled with dread and a queasy kind of excitement I can’t let myself feel."You're up early." Xavier's voice startles me. He’s standing in the doorways, already in his Alpha’s uniform, watching me with evaluative eyes.“Council reports,” I explain, sweeping my hand towards the papers on the dresser. "Thought I'd beat them to the punch before—-”"Prior to your outing with Fenrir?" He says in a flat voice, but his clenching jaw gives away his annoyance.I turn to face him directly. "It's one day, Xavier. To move the details of the alliance to a private discussion.“So that’s the new name for it?” He moves a step closer an
XAVIER'S POVI observe Haylee as she steps out of the shrubs, stiff backed and expressionless. Aesthetically about control, as pure control as we’ve seen in years. But I know better. Since we have been together for five years, I can decipher the nuances — the small line between her brows and the tightness in her shoulders. Aiden has gotten to her more than she’d like to concede."How did it go?" I remain calm in my voice as she gets up onto the steps to our porch.Haylee looks me in the eye, but there’s a wariness in her eyes. "It's done. I told him to stay away.""And will he?" I lean on the railing, looking at her face.She groans, ruffling her hair with her hand. "He's stubborn. But I made myself clear."I take a confident step forward and circle her in my arms. She pauses for half a second and then relaxes against me. That brief pause cuts me to the heart.“You seem tense,” I say, into her hair. “Let me make dinner like this today. You can rest.""That's not necessary—""I insist.
HAYLEE'S POVThe woods are a blur as I race back to the compound, replaying that encounter at the springs in my mind. The near-kiss with Aiden. The pull of the mate bond. The weakness I'd shown. Anger floods through every muscle on my body with every step—anger at myself for almost giving up rational want for biological need.I stop at the end of the clearing to regroup myself before entering Xavier's domain. _My_ territory now. Five years of establishing a new life, of molding walls around my heart, and Aiden's reckless actions could wreck it all in a few blow of his two-fisted wrecking ball.Not this time.Xavier is waiting for me on the front porch of our house, the warm light just behind him. He stands relaxed, but I can see it in his shoulders."It's later than I thought you would return," he says, with just the slightest edge to his voice beneath the warmth of it.I meet his gaze evenly. The eastern border took more time than I thought it would. Pack of scoundrels came through la
AIDEN'S POVThere are coils of seedy tendrils of steam emanating from the holy hot waters and they skulk through the dusk like gasps from ancestors. I glance at my watch for the fourth time in fifteen minutes. She's late. Maybe she’s not coming at all.The mere thought sends an unpleasant wince down my chest. Five years of being apart, five years of wondering, of wishing, of regretting, and now that I have found her again I don’t want to frighten her. One slip up and I might lose her forever with my children.A branch breaks in the distance, and my wolf ears automatically zero in on it. Seconds later, I’m enveloped in her scent now; lavender and rain with an essence that is so Haylee beneath it. My body reacts and my heart races when she breaks through the trees.She stops at the clearing’s edge, wariness in every line of her form. The Luna finery is gone, replaced with plain jeans and a forest green sweater that turns her eyes more gold than brown. Her hair is down around her shoulder
HAYLEE'S POVThe trip to the pack house feels much longer than it should, every step heavier than the last. Aiden’s words keep playing on a loop in my head, unsettling truths and possibilities spent five years burying now being unearthed and made privy to society. The mating bond buzzes under my skin, awakened more by our time together.Xavier’s waiting for me on the front porch, all tense and choked with barely leashed anger. His gaze follows my progress around the room, taking stock of the details of my appearance as though he is looking for evidence of my disloyalty.“You never answered when I called,” he murmurs as I make my way up the steps, his voice soft, but his demeanor anything but.“There has been no emergency at the northern border,” I rebuke, edging around him to the door. “Elder Margaret just confirmed that already.His hand grabs my wrist, powerful, but not in a painful way. “The emergency was that my Luna was in the woods with another Alpha. An Alpha who didn't have the
AIDEN'S POVFrom the time that Haylee sets foot into the clearing, the world appears to halt. She’s wearing a plain blue dress that makes the silver flecks in her eyes pop—eyes I’ve dreamed of for five long years. I push myself away from the oak we once carved our names in, buried under new bark. Appropriate, the way nature hides the old wounds.“You showed up,” I say, shocked. Part of me had thought Xavier would come up with some kind of emergency to keep her from returning.“I don’t lie, I keep my promises,” she says, keeping a safe space between us. "One day, as agreed."The mate bond thrums between us, louder than it was yesterday, impossible to escape. Does she feel it too, the strange force compelling us together despite the years and pain that lie between us?“I think we can go over by the river,” I say, pointing to the eroded path on the east side. "Like we used to."Haylee pauses, her guarded expression on her face. "I'm not here to swap memories, Aiden.“Just walking,” I repl
HAYLEE'S POVThe first light of morning seeps through the curtains, and I look at my face in the mirror in my bedroom. The woman in my mirror seems at peace, but inside I feel like a storm is brewing, a gale-force rumbling that never quite materializes. It’s the day I vowed to give Aiden—one day and nothing more—but the promise has kept me up most of last night and it’s filled with dread and a queasy kind of excitement I can’t let myself feel."You're up early." Xavier's voice startles me. He’s standing in the doorways, already in his Alpha’s uniform, watching me with evaluative eyes.“Council reports,” I explain, sweeping my hand towards the papers on the dresser. "Thought I'd beat them to the punch before—-”"Prior to your outing with Fenrir?" He says in a flat voice, but his clenching jaw gives away his annoyance.I turn to face him directly. "It's one day, Xavier. To move the details of the alliance to a private discussion.“So that’s the new name for it?” He moves a step closer an
AIDEN'S POVThe council meeting stretches on through the morning, Xavier deftly manipulating the story to my wolves remains out in the territories. I politely protest, bringing up the idea of joint patrols which would give me more valid excuses to lurk around the pack house—close to Haylee and the enigmatic twins who've so captivated me.haunting me.“Mixed patrols create the chance for conflict of unknown wolves,” Xavier gently debates.“Or they consolidate trust and deepen the alliance,” I counter. "My lieutenant Damon has a lot of training experience for integrated packs.The council members murmur thoughtfully, and I can tell Xavier’s jaw hardens with frustration. It’s a small victory but I’ll take it.”After the meeting ends, I head back to my quarters to shower and change, and then I make my way to the science fair. My phone is buzzing with a text from my beta back home about pack business. Everything is stable, nothing that needs me to come home right nowI veer slightly off cou
AIDEN'S POVHaylee’s mother’s ring weighs heavy in my hand as I see the expression of her face change into one of pure shock. This silver band I have preserved for five years now to keep close, a last tie to the woman I lost, the only thing of her that remained."Where did you get this?" she whispers, gaze fastened on the fragile moonstone setting that reflects the garden’s soft light.“It was on your wrist the day you went missing,” I say, the words wanting to reach out to close the space. I discovered it on the bank of the northern creek, partly buried in mud. I’ve carried it all this time, hoping one day to find you and make it back to you.”She notices that her fingers tremble a little as she reaches for it, hesitates, and then allows herself to go on. “I always thought that it was lost forever. Like so many things."There is a heaviness to her words that goes unsaid, which lingers between us—its meaning as trashed as our future, our love, our family.“It’s all yours,” I say, offer
HAYLEE'S POVTouching my mother's pendant, I skirt its silvered curves on my skin with my fingers, I stand before the bedroom mirror. It is the moon and star that make up my family symbol—a relic I believed was lost forever when my father’s pack was toppled."You look beautiful."Xavier's image hovers behind me as he touches my shoulders. He’s tall, strong, his basic, cedar and amber scent fills me as he drops a soft kiss on my neck.“Thanks so much for catching that again,” I tell him, looking him in the eye in the mirror. “I’m still in shock that you found it after all these months.“haylee- I would move mountains for you,” he responds, in a tone most sincere. "You know that."I turn to him, noting the bold angles in his jaw, that arrogance in his posture and the prolonged stretch in the corded muscle down his neck to the spikes on his back. Xavier has been my stronghold, my savior, my second chance at life. So, why do I keep hearing Aiden's voice playing in my head?*I never chose