COBY’S POVI walked down the driveway as quickly as I could, my head down, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn’t dare look back at the house.What was the point? Xavier was home now, and I was nothing more than an unwelcome ghost lingering in his space. The cold air stung my face, but it couldn’t chase away the heat of embarrassment burning under my skin.When I reached my car, parked just outside the gate, I leaned against it, letting out a long, shaky breath. My hands fumbled for the keys in my pocket, trembling slightly.“What the hell were you thinking, Coby?” I muttered to myself, slamming the car door shut once I climbed inside.I gripped the steering wheel tightly, staring at the road ahead but not really seeing it. I wasn’t mad at Xavier. Or at Hannah. If anything, I was furious with myself.Showing up at their house was never supposed to go that far. Last night, when I parked outside their gate, I didn’t have a plan. I just needed to feel like I wasn’t completely alone.Han
COBY’S POV“No,” I said flatly, gripping the edge of the door. My fingers tightened instinctively, and I leaned into it, already planning to slam it shut in her face.Her smile faltered for a split second before she recovered. “Please, just listen—”“I don’t have time for your games, Eva,” I snapped, hissing the words through clenched teeth. “Go away.”I began to push the door closed, but she moved quickly, slipping her foot between the door and the frame. Her eyes locked onto mine—sharp and determined.“Wait,” she said, her voice firmer now. “You’ll want to hear what I have to say. It’s for your own good.”I hesitated, my stomach twisting at the thought of what she had come to say. The last thing I wanted was to deal with this right now, but she wasn’t backing down. Her expression was oddly serious, and despite everything, curiosity stirred in me.I exhaled sharply, stepping back just enough to let her in. “Two minutes,” I said coldly. “That’s all you get.”Eva slipped inside, her he
ANDREW’S POVThe day began with a weight on my chest that I couldn’t shake. I couldn’t stop thinking about Coby and Vivian. It wasn’t like them to go silent like this. I hadn’t heard a word from either of them, and the longer the silence stretched, the more my worry grew.I kept imagining the worst. What if Coby had done something reckless? He had a tendency to let his emotions get the better of him, especially when things got heated.I sighed and stared down at the coffee cup in my hand. It was empty, but I couldn’t even remember finishing it. “This can’t go on,” I muttered to myself.Shoving my chair back, I stood, grabbed my jacket, and headed for the door. I had already tried checking on him yesterday, but this time felt different.I needed answers, even if it meant knocking on his door until my knuckles bled.Just as I reached for the doorknob, the door swung open, and there he was.“Coby?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, surprise mixed with relief. But as I took a goo
ANDREW’S POVCoby tilted the whiskey bottle back as if it owed him everything, draining it to the last reluctant drop. When it was empty, he slammed it onto the table with a force that seemed to shake the room.His hand wavered as he leaned forward, bloodshot eyes narrowing on me. “Andrew,” he drawled, the word sliding out of his mouth like a dare, “another bottle. Now.”His voice was jagged, a mix of command and plea, but I’d heard it too many times to falter. I held my ground, meeting his gaze with a steadiness I didn’t entirely feel.“No,” I said, firm but not unkind. “You’ve had enough. Go home, Coby. Sleep this off before you regret it.”A laugh tore from his throat—harsh and empty. “Regret it?” He slapped the table, his movements as erratic as his tone. “I’m already there, Andrew. Regret’s a goddamn river, and I’m drowning in it.”He leaned back, dragging a hand through his disheveled hair, his fingers trembling. “This?” He gestured vaguely at the bottle. “This just keeps me afl
EVA’S POVI slammed the door behind me, the echo shaking the walls. My chest heaved with uneven breaths, and my hands trembled, still buzzing with adrenaline. My throat ached—his grip had been so tight I could still feel the ghost of it pressing against my skin. How close had I come to dying? Too close, all because of her.Shoes cluttered the entryway, and I kicked them out of the way, stumbling forward. The air in the house felt suffocating—hot, like I couldn’t escape fast enough. Before I could even catch my breath, Vivian appeared in the hallway, her face a storm of concern.“Eva! Thank God you’re back. How did it go with Coby? Did you—”“Don’t.” My voice sliced through the air, sharper than I intended but not sharp enough to cut through my anger. “Don’t talk to me about Coby.”She stopped mid-step, blinking as if I’d slapped her. “What? What happened? Did—did something go wrong?”A bitter laugh forced its way out of me—raw and jagged. “Go wrong?” My hand shot up, raking through my
EVA’S POVI stood in the kitchen for a moment, gripping the edge of the counter, trying to steady my breathing. My hands trembled—not from fear but from sheer frustration. How had things spiraled so far out of control?I could hear Vivian moving around in the living room, her steps light but erratic, like she couldn’t decide what to do next. Part of me wanted to go back in there, to say something to reassure her, but what could I say? I was drained.Her voice broke through the silence.“Eva,” she called out softly, her tone hesitant.I didn’t answer right away. I wasn’t ready to have another conversation. But the desperation in her voice tugged at something in me. I sighed, forcing myself to push off the counter and walk back into the room.Vivian sat on the edge of the couch, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. She looked up at me, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen
VIVIAN’S POVI followed Eva’s advice and summoned the courage to go home and confront Coby. Maybe, just maybe, I could beg him, and we could work things out. Yes, I had slept with Elder Elijah, but I didn’t love him. It was Coby I loved, and that had to count for something, didn’t it?As I approached the quarters we shared, my heart pounded with a mix of fear and anticipation. I knocked softly on the door, waiting for Coby to answer.I was met with silence. There was no response. Still, I knew he was inside—the faint flicker of light through the window and the low hum of the old fan gave it away.Figuring he might be asleep, I turned the doorknob and found it wasn’t locked. I pushed the door open cautiously and stepped inside. The living room was dim, and there he was, sprawled on the couch, fast asleep.I hesitated, watching him for a moment. His shirt was wrinkled, his face unshaven, and the sour scent of alcohol filled the air, an obvious sign that he has been drinking.My heart cl
VIVIAN’S POVI hesitated, my mind racing for the right words, but there were none. “Elder Elijah,” I said finally, my voice cracking under the weight of the confession.His eyes widened, and for a moment, he was silent, as if processing what I’d just said. “Elder Elijah?” he repeated, his tone incredulous. “You were going to poison him with this?”I nodded again, my throat dry. “That was the plan. But I didn’t go through with it, Coby. I couldn’t do it.”He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “The plan? Whose plan exactly? What have you gotten yourself tangled with, Vivian?”“He’s been blackmailing me, Coby. I didn’t know what else to do,” I said, my voice trembling but firm enough to sound convincing.Coby’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening as he stared at me. The room felt suffocating under the weight of his silence, his disbelief clear on his face.“Blackmail?” he repeated, his tone dangerously low. “You expect me to believe that bullshit?”“It’s the truth,” I lied, clutching the
ROSS’S POVFor ten years, I’ve waited. Ten long years, each one heavier than the last. The weight of her absence has never lifted, never faded. Laila. My mate. My beautiful light. She was the only good thing in my life, the only person who could see past the darkness inside me. And he took her from me.Xavier.I don’t care if it was an accident. What matters is that her blood spilled at his fucking hands. What matters is that I had to watch as the life drained from her beautiful eyes—the same eyes that used to look at me with nothing but love. Xavier stole her from me, and for that, he must pay. He will pay.I’ve bided my time, waiting, planning, gathering my strength. Over the years, I’ve had offers—wolves eager to see Xavier fall. But none of them understood what it would take. It wasn’t enough to just kill him. No. That would be too easy, too quick. I needed him to suffer. I needed him to feel the same pain that has torn me apart every single day since I lost her.For ten years, I’
XAVIER’S POVThe moment Hannah told me she was pregnant, the world seemed to stop. A rush of joy—raw and electric—surged through me, so intense it stole my breath. My heart pounded in my chest, and for a second, I couldn’t speak.Another baby. A piece of us.I pulled her into my arms, holding her so tightly I worried I might hurt her. But she laughed—a sound so light and full of hope it made my chest ache. I kissed her, my hands trembling against her face, and for that one perfect moment, everything else faded away.But as we left the hospital, the joy began to crack.Ross.The name slithered into my mind like a snake, cold and unrelenting. My stomach twisted, and I clenched my fists to keep them from shaking. He was out there. Watching. Waiting. The thought of him anywhere near Hannah, near Jackson—near this new life growing inside her—made my blood run cold.I could almost see his face: that cruel smirk, those empty, cold eyes. My jaw tightened, and I forced myself to breathe, to ke
Hannah’s POVThe thought made me smile, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I needed to be sure before I said anything to Xavier. The last thing I wanted was to raise his hopes—or mine—if it wasn’t true. Still, the possibility made me feel warm inside, and I couldn’t help but imagine another child, a sibling for Jackson.Once I was dressed, I found Xavier already waiting for me, his eyes watching my every move. He didn’t say much, but the way he hovered close to me, the gentle touches on my arm and back, spoke volumes. He was worried, though trying to hide it. I could tell.As we headed downstairs, I kept thinking about that small possibility—could I really be pregnant?Jackson was still fast asleep when we peeked into his room. His little body was curled up under the blankets, clutching his stuffed bunny. I smiled at the sight, but my thoughts wandered to how different things could be soon if there was a new addition to the family. The idea made my heart flutter."Let’s go befo
HANNAH’S POVI stirred awake the next morning, feeling the warmth of Xavier’s body beside me. His lips brushed against my cheek, trailing down to my collarbone, and I smiled before my eyes even opened. When they did, he was there—his face inches from mine, his dark emerald eyes crinkling at the corners as he grinned down at me.“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured, his voice low and rough with sleep.I reached up to touch his face, my fingers grazing the stubble along his jaw. “Morning,” I whispered back, my voice still thick with sleep.He leaned in, his lips hovering over mine, but I turned my face away with a playful squeal. “Xavier, no! I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”He chuckled, the sound warm and rich, and I felt it vibrate through his chest. “I don’t care,” he said, his breath tickling my ear. “You’re still you.”Before I could protest again, his lips found mine—soft and insistent. I melted into him, my hands sliding up to tangle in his hair. His kiss was slow and deliberat
HANNAH’S POVThe dinner table felt too big tonight. The empty chair across from me glared like an accusation. The food in front of me had long lost its steam—the mashed potatoes hardening at the edges, the chicken growing cold.It wasn’t like him to be late, not like this. He’d been so absorbed in finding Elijah ever since he disappeared, and I understood the toll it was taking on him. He wouldn’t let it go until he found the truth, no matter how long it took. But tonight… something felt off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just about Elijah.I sighed softly, a mix of frustration and worry swirling inside me. I’d been waiting so long, hoping for a message, for any sign that he was coming home soon. Just as I was about to call him, my phone buzzed on the table. My heart leaped as I saw it was a message from Xavier.“I won’t be home for dinner. Don’t wait up. Kiss Jackson goodnight for me.”I stared at the message, my chest tightening. Another long night without him. But I u
XAVIER’S POVThe door clicked softly as Kas left, but the sound barely registered. My mind was already unraveling, pulled back into the past by a force I couldn’t fight. The office—its polished wood, the faint scent of ink and leather—faded into nothingness.All I could see was her. Laila. My baby sister. Her face, so full of life, so full of light, flashed before me, and the ache in my chest—the one that never truly left—flared like a fresh wound.“Xavier, you’re being unreasonable!” Her voice echoed in my mind, sharp and pleading all at once. I could still see her standing there, hands on her hips, those wide, gentle eyes blazing with frustration. “Ross isn’t the monster you think he is. He’s my mate, Xavier. My mate. Don’t you understand what that means?”I clenched my fists, my jaw tightening as I glared at her. “I understand perfectly, Laila. I understand that the Moon Goddess made a mistake. Ross is a killer, a predator. He thrives on chaos and bloodshed. You’re too good for him
XAVIER’S POVThe sun was starting to set as I stood by the window in my office, my fingers gripping the sill until my knuckles turned white. The view below should have been comforting—the sprawling territory of the Shadow Moon Pack, alive with movement and purpose. But today, it felt like a taunt. Everything was as it should be, except for the one thing that wasn’t.Elijah.He was still gone. Vanished. Like a ghost.My men had scoured every inch of the territory, chased every lead, but he’d slipped through our fingers again and again. And now? Nothing. Not a trace. Not a whisper. It was as if the earth had swallowed him whole. The frustration gnawed at me, a relentless ache in my chest. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was failing everyone.Elijah wasn’t the first to disappear. Alpha Coby had done the same—vanished into thin air after being found guilty of Vivian’s murder. One moment he was there, and the next… gone. Like smoke. I’d sent messages to every neighboring pack, called i
COBY’S POVThe moment I saw him, my breath hitched, and the world seemed to tilt. Elijah. That name alone was enough to make my blood boil with rage. My chest tightened, and my pulse thundered in my ears like a war drum.What the hell was that old geezer doing here? My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat as memories of Shadow Moon clawed their way to the surface—Vivian’s lifeless body, Hannah’s betrayed eyes, the lies I’d spun to survive. I thought I’d left it all behind. I thought I was safe here.But now, standing there in the corner, Elijah was a living reminder of everything I’d tried to bury. His presence was a threat, a ticking bomb waiting to explode. If he told Alpha Ross the truth—who I really was, what I’d done—I’d lose everything. My stomach twisted into knots, panic gnawing at the edges of my mind. I couldn’t let that happen.I stayed hidden, my back pressed against the rough edges of the pack house, watching as the guards led Elijah to one of the guest cabins. The a
ELIJAH’S POVFor a moment, Ross stared at me in silence, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he burst into laughter—loud, deep, and unsettling. It filled the room, reverberating off the stone walls.The sound was so unexpected and jarring that I stood frozen, unsure whether he was genuinely amused or if he had suddenly gone mad. The laughter stretched on, and the guards exchanged uneasy glances, as if they too weren’t sure what to make of it.Just as abruptly as it had started, the laughter stopped. Ross’s face hardened, and the coldness returned to his eyes, sharper than before. “How… predictable,” he said, his voice now devoid of any humor.He flicked his hand dismissively at the guards. “Take him away.”The guard at my side motioned for me to follow, and I turned quickly, eager to leave the room before Ross’s mood shifted again. As I walked away, the sound of his laughter still echoed faintly in my ears—a dark reminder that I was now in the company of a man as dangero