LINC - I carried Lila to the west wing, her body soft and warm in my arms, her head resting against my chest. The day's pressure still clung to me, and having to come here to handle Cast's mess only worsened it. But with her here, everything started to fall away.I laid her down on the bed slowly. I was reluctant to break contact with her even for a second. I reached for my tie, ready to tear off the suit that had been suffocating me all day."Stop," she said, brushing my fingers away. "Let me."My hands fell to my sides as I obeyed. I needed this. I needed her to take control. She undid my tie, slipped it off, and tossed it to the floor. She unbuttoned my shirt slowly, grazing my skin as each button came undone, and it was all I could do to stay still, to keep from ripping the damn thing off myself.She could feel the stress I'd been carrying for days. How close I was to snapping. She leaned forward and kissed my chest, just above my heart. It was enough to make my knees buckle."Yo
CAST - I stayed frozen, back pressed against the cold wall, listening as the room beyond the door fell into a quiet lull. Their breathing softened, and the sounds that had torn me apart faded into the night. I should've left a long time ago, but I couldn't bring myself to move. I was too hollow and exhausted from fighting whatever war was happening inside me.They were together, complete, and I was here. Alone. As I always was.As I always would be.I pulled my knees tighter to my chest, resting my forehead on them, trying to breathe through the tightness in my throat. The dull ache in my chest had become unbearable, and I couldn't shake it off. I thought I'd gotten better at this. I thought I could handle it and be near them, knowing I wasn't part of it anymore. But I was wrong.I bit down hard on my lip to keep the sob from escaping.Then I broke.A quiet sob slipped from my throat, muffled into my knees as I lay on the cold floor. I couldn't stop it. Everything...the loneliness
LILA - I sat between them, Linc on one side and Cast on the other, in the council's meeting room. The council members sat across from us, a row of stern faces studying our every move, every word. It was like they were waiting for one of us to crack. And they were close to seeing it.Closer than I'd like to admit.Linc had just finished answering questions, defending every decision he made as leader of the Oxford pack. They dug into every detail of Astin's death, questioning his leadership, poking at his choice to send Selena to a human recovery center upstate. They seemed eager to find fault, but Linc stayed steady. He answered every question without hesitation, without a crack in his defense.The council's focus shifted. Cast wasn't nearly as composed.I looked over at him, his shoulders tight as they fired question after question about the state of his pack, his mother's removal, and the mess it had all become. I could feel the panic rolling off him as he struggled to answer. Ever
LILA - The drive to Oxford land felt like it stretched on forever. Every bump in the road sent sharp waves of pain shooting through me as the contractions came hard and fast. I tried to focus on breathing and staying calm, but it felt like my body was being torn apart. I kept drifting to Cast. He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to be with me for this.But he wasn't.I pressed my hand against my stomach, trying to hold back the panic. Linc's hand rested on my thigh as he drove, but I could feel his anxiety, too. He hadn't said much after Cast walked away, but I knew it was eating at him as much as tearing me apart."We're almost there," Linc said as we turned onto the dirt path that led to the Oxford estate.I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut as another contraction hit, this one worse than the last. My body felt like it was splitting in two. I bit down hard on my lip, trying not to scream. The pain was relentless, and I wasn't sure how much more I could take.The house came in
My body was no longer my own. It was consumed by the pressure, the tightening, the overwhelming need to push. Simultaneously, it felt like doing so might break me. “Breathe,” Linc whispered, his lips close to my ear. “You’re doing so well. I’m right here.” I leaned into him, my body trembling, fighting against the next wave of pain that was already building. Every nerve was on fire, every inch of me felt like it was splitting apart, but I held on to his words, his touch, his presence. He was so steady, so calm, even though I knew he had to be as scared as I was. He didn’t show it. He was here for me, all in, taking on every ounce of pain and fear with me. “I can’t do it,” I whispered, even though I knew it was too late for that. The baby was coming, and there was no stopping it. But I was terrified. Not of the pain, not of the birth, but of the fact that Cast wasn’t here. He should’ve been with me, should’ve been here for this moment, but he wasn’t. He’d walked away, and I couldn’
"What are you going to name him?" she asked. Linc smiled as he looked down at our son. "Caslin," he began."No," I cut him off. "His name is Declan Ford… Corrigan."Linc blinked, his eyes wide with surprise. "Declan? What happened to Caslin?"I sighed. "Cast should be here, but he isn't. He walked away. He doesn't deserve to have our son named after him."Linc stared at me. Understanding filled his eyes slowly, and he nodded. He leaned down and kissed my temple."Declan," he whispered. "Our son."Cast wasn't here.He should have been. He was supposed to be here for this moment, to see his son come into the world, to cut the cord and hold him for the first time. But he wasn't, and I didn't know if he ever would be."I'm sorry," I whispered, trembling as I held Declan tighter. "He should be here. Your Dad should be here."Linc didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer, pressing his chest against my back. "He'll regret it," he said softly, his lips brushing my te
LINC - Four days had passed since Declan was born. Four days of a quiet peace that had settled over our home. Everything felt different now. The house was filled with the new life we had brought into the world. And Lila... she was radiant. Watching her with our son and seeing how naturally she had taken to motherhood hit me like nothing I'd ever felt before. I was in awe of her. I was in awe of this tiny, perfect being she'd created.Declan slept in his bassinet beside the bed while Lila rested. I'd barely left their sides since the birth, only long enough to shower, eat, and take care of basic things around the house. I even convinced the judge to allow me to attend the case via Zoom for the first week. Luca handled everything and I kept the video on mute. Most of the time, I just sat with them, watching as Declan curled up against Lila's chest.The way she looked at him, held him, soothed him... It was magic. I didn't think I could ever love her more than I already did, but it gr
LINC - Cast's body sagged, his chest heaving as he lay there, defeated. I turned and walked away, not giving him another chance to speak. I couldn't. Not after everything. He didn't deserve it.I made my way back to the house. I couldn't let this get to me. Not now. Lila and Declan were inside, waiting for me, and I needed to be with them. I needed to make sure they were okay.I slipped inside, quietly making my way to the bathroom to clean up. My knuckles were bruised and bloody from the fight, but I washed them quickly, the cool water soothing the sting. I didn't have time to think about what had just happened. Lila couldn't know he was that messed up. Not now. Not after everything.Once I was cleaned up, I returned to the bedroom. Lila was still asleep, her body curled up on the bed, and Declan started to stir in his bassinet. I smiled, the anxiety from the fight melting away as I looked at them.They were all that mattered. I would protect them, even if it were from someone who
CAST - The sterile scent of antiseptics always hit me first. It always snapped me back awake, no matter how tired I was. This hospital, with its polished floors and monotone walls, held too many memories. Linc’s room waited at the end of the hall, but the sight of her standing at the nurses’ station stopped me in my tracks.Kat. She’d been gone for weeks, ignoring every text I sent once the nurses told me she left on a leave of absence. Now she was here, calmly flipping through Linc's chart like nothing had happened.My breath stalled as the anger threatened to choke me. She looked the same. Sharp green eyes and dark hair pulled back in a way that framed her perfectly. Every text I sent about the baby went unanswered, leaving me to wrestle with the questions on my own. Seeing her now with so much energy ignited every frustration I’d tried to bury.I moved before I fully realized it, boots scuffing loudly against the floor. She turned slowly. Her eyes met mine, and the detachment th
CAST - Lila’s head rested against my chest, her breathing finally even for the first time in days. I leaned my head back against the couch, exhaustion pulling me under in a way I hadn’t allowed since this all began. I'd told every story I could think of in an attempt to lull Lila to sleep. I'm thankful it worked because she needed it. I needed it.It was short-lived. I was quickly pulled back to reality. I blinked up at the lady standing over me. The nurse’s hand pressed firmly against my arm. “Your phone’s been going off for forty-five minutes.”I sat up, disoriented, Lila stirring slightly before settling back into the pillow. I fumbled around until I grabbed my phone off the table. Selena’s name filled the screen, along with more missed messages and calls than I cared to count. I hit the answer button and barely had the phone to my ear before she lashed out.“Get back to the house. Now.”I snapped into full alertness. “What the hell is going on?”“You’ll see when you get here,” sh
LILA -The world blurred into a dull, aching haze as the weeks stretched on. I stayed at his side, ignoring the nurses’ whispers about rest. The hospital eventually relented, letting me stay. It was not like it mattered whether or not I had their approval. I wasn’t leaving. Not when he was there, unmoving, unnaturally still. So not like the lively man I knew. I curled against him, tracing patterns on the blankets that covered his chest. The bed rest kept me rooted in place despite the insane energy. The lives growing inside me were the only thing keeping me from losing it totally.That, and Cast, when he managed to be with us. He tried, I knew he did, but the packs had made it nearly impossible for him. The Oxfords had always been stubborn, notorious for refusing to follow anyone’s lead but their own. Without clear direction from Linc before everything fell apart, their disarray worsened. Their growing distrust lingered over every meeting. They hadn’t been ready to embrace a new alph
CAST - Lila had dug her heels in again, refusing to eat, refusing to rest, refusing to leave Linc’s side. Alpha or not, I couldn’t force her. Not in a way that wouldn’t break something I wasn’t willing to lose. Not again.I stopped near a vending machine, glaring at the lineup of snacks inside. Brute force wasn’t going to work. I needed another angle, something that didn’t feel like a challenge to her. She wouldn’t fight back if she didn’t realize it was a battle.The faint smell of coffee and fried food drifted from the food court. It stirred a memory of her leaning against me on the couch back at the packhouse, stealing fries from my plate. She’d grumbled about the grease but ate every last one I handed her after that. The twins seemed to love fried foods and made her crave them often.I had to start thinking like Linc and handle this like he would. He never had to force her to do anything. He didn’t even hint at it. His strength as Alpha came from something quieter, something that
CAST - The cracks spread faster than I could patch them as I remained by Linc and Lila's side at the hospital. As much as I wanted to stay there full-time, two packs had lost their alpha, and it was causing issues. Arguments erupted in both packs the second Linc was declared to be in a coma. It wasn't a day before whispered disputes escalated into snarled accusations that turned into physical fights. With the moon so close to full, everyone was on edge, and it showed. Territory. Resources. Everything seemed up for debate. Every one of them demanded attention to maintain the equilibrium between Oxfords and Romans. Without Linc to balance that, the packs looked to me. So did the council. It wasn't three days before I was called to a meeting with them. I tried to politely decline but was told I didn't have a choice. Lila barely even hugged me before I left. I strode into the meeting hall, still wearing the same clothes I had worn at the hospital. A sharp exchange between two pack mem
CECE - Cast called me early that morning. “Cece, it’s Linc. He’s in the hospital.” I snapped awake. “What happened?”“Lila won’t leave his side,” he added. “I need you to take care of Declan full-time for me. Just for a few days.”“Why me?”There was a pause. “You’re the only one I trust with him,” he admitted finally. “He’s not easy, and you seem to be the only one he will calm down with besides us.”I almost said no. Almost. But Lila needed someone. My Luna needed someone. Declan needed someone. And Cast had asked me, of all people.The packhouse felt different when I stepped in. The usual hum of energy was missing, replaced by an unsettling stillness. Wady had explained it was from the lack of alpha energy due to having five in the house, but it was still so unsettling when it happened. I reached the nursery just as Declan started wailing. My steps faltered, but I forced myself forward. He stood in his crib, red-faced as he bounced up and down.“Alright, kiddo. Chill out, I'm her
CAST - Chaos erupted the moment Linc collapsed. A bowl of soup tumbled from the tray he was carrying, the scolding hot contents splashing across the floor and burning my arms as I tried to shield Lila. The searing pain bit through my skin and made me hiss. I failed to shield Lila, and she was screeched as it hit her. His head struck the floor with a sickening crack, louder than the bowl clattering on the hardwood.“Get the car!” I barked at Lila. She froze, her wide eyes locked on Linc’s unmoving body beside mine. Red splotches had begun forming on her skin where the soup had splattered on her, but she didn’t seem to notice. When she didn't move, I reached up and pulled her face up to mine. I kissed her lips. "Baby, listen to me. Go get someone to get the car. I got him." I slid my arms under Linc’s shoulders and heaved. His body, unnervingly limp and hot to the touch, refused to cooperate. My feet skidded across the slick tiles, but I gritted my teeth and dragged him toward the d
CAST -I raced through the dense forest. Shadows of trees streaked by, their skeletal branches clawing at the moonlit sky. The pack followed close, their pale white bodies glowing in the moonlight. Their eyes burned with a sickly green hue, eerily similar to Kat's human eyes. Her voice was louder than the cacophony of snapping twigs and guttural growls. She sat on the back of a massive white wolf, her hair whipping wildly as she screamed at me. “You kill them, or we will!”I couldn’t stop long enough to turn around to see her. My body stretched and lunged, every muscle of my wolf body screaming as I pushed forward. I wasn’t running for me. It was for her. For them. For Lila and the lives she carried. I had to lead them away.The pack was just a breath behind me. They weren’t going to stop. Kat grew louder, venom lacing every demand. “If you won’t do it, Cast, then it’s on us! You hear me? We’ll finish what you won’t!”It hit me. She wasn’t talking about some abstract enemy. She was ta
LILA - They thought they were protecting me. Of course they did. Noble, self-sacrificing idiots. They hadn’t even given me a choice. I shifted in my seat, gripping the armrests tightly as I tried to roll and pop every possible muscle and joint. My knuckles cracked under the pressure. Sitting still ate at me, but pacing wasn’t an option. Barely holding myself back from moving felt like a fight in itself. The whole thing replayed over and over. I’d been stupid enough to think I could just walk away from the chaos without it spiraling. Without it causing both my guys to fall over a cliff. A cliff that would be difficult to pull them back from with this much restless energy. Linc had set up the portable office in the bedroom without a word, guilt evident in every meticulous detail. Now, it felt less like a workspace and more like a shrine to his inability to leave me alone. And it wasn’t just the desk. Everything they did now seemed wrapped in the same guilt. Neither of them had gone