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
DECLAN - We took the long way back to the packhouse. It took far longer than the ten minutes I'd agreed to. Suki was going to give me hell for that. She’d probably time it down to the second and bring it up at dinner, then again at breakfast. I was already prepared to ignore the first three times before I gave in to whatever atonement she had planned. Honestly, I was looking forward to the punishment. Gaia and I fell into old habits. She challenged me to spot tree knots shaped like animals. I told her she was making them up when she did. She called me arbitrary and pronounced it correctly. I lobbed a pinecone at her head. She caught it, grinned, and tucked it into my hood when I wasn't looking. It was familiar. Just two people who used to know every inch of each other, finding the quiet rhythm again without forcing it. When the porch came into view, I slowed. "You and Dorian should stay," I paused. "The east wing at the Roman packhouse is yours if you want it. No strings. Just.
DECLAN - "I'm sorry." I looked over. She kept her eyes forward. Hands shoved into the front pocket of her hoodie. Shoulders stiff. We walked side by side. The trees closed in around us while the porch lights faded behind. Neither of us said anything for a long time. Our feet crunched through the undergrowth. The breeze rolled between us. I didn't try to close the space. Neither did she. But neither of us veered away either. The remains of the old house peeked through the trees. Blackened beams and collapsed stone still scattered across the clearing. A skeleton. A memory. "For how I rejected you. And for not telling you why." I didn't answer until we reached the house. "You didn't just reject me. You vanished." She flinched. "I know." "So why?" She took a deep breath and stopped walking. Her eyes stayed on what was left of the front steps. "I'd gotten the call. The implant was finally approved, and they found a werewolf doctor who could do it. It was scheduled. It was final
DECLAN - That was her fated mate.It was written in the way he tracked her every move, in how he hovered just close enough to guard but not crowd. His posture said protector. His eyes, sharp and constantly scanning, said no one would get within reach unless she wanted them to. He moved like he'd been made for that role. Like every instinct in his body had clicked into place the moment he met her.He moved like he already belonged next to her.Judson finally spoke. "This going to be a thing now? Fated mates falling out of the sky onto your porch?" Then he squinted. "Wait. No way. Dorian?"The other man stepped forward, arms crossed. "Judson."Judson huffed. "Damn, talk about the sky falling. Of course it's you."Gaia looked between them. "Wait. How do you know him?"Judson tilted his head toward Dorian but didn't look away. "Med school. He was top of the class. Never let anyone forget it. Ever."Dorian crossed his arms. "And you were always one sarcastic comment away from getting kic
DECLAN - "You're not gonna pout if I drink the last one, are you?"Judson didn't even glance over. "Only if you waste it."I reached for the bottle closest to him, smirking when he didn't try to stop me.Crickets chirped loudly in the trees. The house behind us had finally gone still. It was peaceful.A lazy row of empty beer bottles lined the railing like some halfhearted scoreboard. Judson leaned back again, one ankle hooked over the other, shoulders loose. That rare kind of settled that only happened when nothing needed to be said.We were both quiet. Not the kind of silence that needed filling, just the kind that held space. The kind that made it really easy to notice how much I liked having him here. Judson wasn't soft, but he didn't crowd either. There was something about the way he held space, like he understood exactly how not to mess it up. I hadn't realized how rare that was until I felt it.Until headlights swept across the tree line.Judson didn't move, but I straightened
DECLAN - I squinted. "So... you left your pack?"Judson shook his head. "Not really. My sister's mate stepped in. Human guy, believe it or not. Doctor. Weirdly chill. He helps now with the medical side, which freed me up to go to college and train properly. They all said it made sense. I guess... I just haven't thought much about what I was gonna do after."He paused, then shrugged. "Now I get it. I wasn't supposed to leave the South yet. I was supposed to be here. Meeting her. If I'd been back in North Carolina, this wouldn't have happened. Or it would've taken years."He looked out toward the trees. "So no. I didn't leave them. I just followed where I was needed next."I blinked. "You live on the Riverwalk."He grinned. "I know. Kind of perfect, right? It's loud on the weekends and peaceful at sunrise. Plus, amazing food within walking distance."I stared at him.He raised his bottle. "Look, I didn't plan to meet my mate while helping chart bloodwork samples in a borrowed lab, but
DECLAN -When we pulled into the driveway, Dad and Linc were already waiting.They didn't speak, but I felt something in the way they stood there. At the time, I'd figured they were just sizing up Judson, doing the protective dad routine. But now, after everything Judson had said, it clicked in a way that made my chest feel too tight.They already knew.Not just about Judson. About what he might be. About how important he was going to be. Just like they'd known about Mom. Just like they'd kept it all quiet. For me.I'd spent so long thinking I was figuring all of this out on my own. That the timing was random, or fate, or whatever the hell else. But maybe it wasn't. Maybe Cassy hadn't just guided me.Maybe my whole damn family had. Perhaps they'd been walking beside me the entire time, keeping quiet so I could come to it on my own.Judson wasn't the surprise.I was.They stood at the edge of the porch, arms crossed, matching unreadable expressions locked in place. The second we still,
I stepped forward and stifled the growl as best I could. "Hey. Get up. Now!"The guy startled awake. "What?"Tory shot up in the bed, wide-eyed. "Declan, no! No, wait! This is... this is Judson."She looked panicked. But not afraid. Not at all."He's... he's my..."I stopped. Everything shifted. I looked at her. Looked at him. Looked back."You're mate."She nodded.I took a breath. Held it. Then stepped forward and stuck out my hand. Judson stood, still looking like he expected me to deck him. He shook my hand. I shook his harder.Tory glanced between us, then spoke up. "He's a nurse practitioner here. Was walking past the ICU when I first came in. Caught my scent in the hallway and almost dropped his coffee."Judson rubbed his hand where I'd gripped it "I tried to play it cool. Avoided eye contact, walked the long way around, you know, the usual 'don't poke the angry fathers and big brother' protocol. I thought I was being slick about it too. Barely even looked at her. Just nodded a
We didn’t leave the woods.Not that day. Not that night. I didn’t want to, and neither did she.We ran until our legs trembled. We played, circling and snapping at each other’s heels, tackling and wrestling in the mossy patches of clearing. We swam again, slower this time, more tangled up in each other than anything else. We lay in the grass and the sun, curled together, drowsy and content.And then we shifted.Over and over.Human, wolf, back again. Each shift smoother than the last. No moon. No pain. Not really. Not like the pain I had braced for my entire life. Just choice. Pure choice and ability. The power that came with it was almost addictive. I always wondered what they meant when saying the power overtook the pain. It was raw. It was strong. I loved it.And I loved her.We didn’t talk much, not out loud. But we didn’t need to. We were in each other's heads and had no plans to leave. When we shifted back to skin, we couldn’t stop touching. Couldn’t stop reaching. It was like
It hit all at once.One second I was halfway to my knees, still trying to breathe through the pull of her shift. The next, my ribs cracked outward and my body folded. I didn't fall. I collapsed.The pain was nothing like the moon-forced change I'd endured before. This wasn't guided or timed. This was raw. A hundred fractures all at once, my limbs pulling and twisting, muscles screaming as they rearranged.I couldn't stop the sound that tore out of my throat."Cassy!"I didn't even know what I was asking. Just that I was begging. My mind reached for her. I was desperate and frantic.Her voice came, faint and steady."You're never selfish, so you would've never asked."Bones popped in my jaw. My fingers stretched, then broke, shifting in crooked bursts. I slammed my hand into the dirt and gritted my teeth against the next snap. My skin burned. My eyes blurred.Oh shit.Did she make me...Cassy... Did you do this?Another bone cracked somewhere deep in my back, cutting the thought in hal