CAST - I pushed off the bed, moving toward the door, but Lila was in front of me before I could even reach for the handle."Cast, no," she said, blocking my way."I have to go. I'm just screwing everything up. I can't be here."She gripped the front of my shirt and held me in place. "You're not leaving.""I have to." My voice cracked. "I don't deserve to be here. I've ruined everything. You, Declan, Linc. None of you deserve this. Let me go, Lila. Just let me disappear.""No," she said, her grip on my shirt tightening as I tried to pull away. "You're not disappearing. Not this time."I struggled to pull free, but she didn't let go. "Let me go!" I begged, the desperation clawing its way through me. "I don't deserve to be here. You don't deserve this."She yanked me back to her, her hands fisting into my shirt as she pulled me closer. And then she kissed me. Hard.I tried to fight and push her away, but she wouldn't let me. Her lips silenced every thought and fear spinning in my head.
Cast finally drifted to sleep after hours of fighting it and repeating the same things over and over. I guess depression will do that. I needed to do more research about these things. I felt pretty foolish for not already doing so, but werewolves just don't talk about these things. It was, sadly, a new concept to me. To have someone in my life be so open about mental health. Linc was just... incredible. Cast's wrist was still cuffed to the bedpost, and his breath was steady after what felt like hours. From the edge of the bed, I watched him, my thoughts running wild over everything that had happened and everything that hadn't. He looked peaceful now, almost like things would be okay, at least for Declan's sake. But I knew better. This was just the beginning. Real decisions would have to be made once he healed.I leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. I'd kissed him repeatedly tonight, trying to steady him. To keep him from spiraling. To keep him from leaving.But if I was hones
LINC - I carried the oatmeal into the living room, balancing the hot bowl in one hand while watching Lila nursing Declan on the couch. She held him close, focusing on him as she laid her head against the pillow. I walked over and kneeled in front of her."Breakfast is served," I teased, holding the spoon up to her lips. I was enjoying the way her eyes sparkled with amusement as I did."You're going to feed me now?" she asked with a grin."You've got your hands full," I murmured. She took the first bite, her eyes on mine as she tried not to giggle. I took one after her, each bite a shared rhythm that felt like breathing. I jumped up on the couch beside her and kept feeding her."You're spoiling me," she whispered."Good. You deserve it," I answered. We continued sharing each bite. Declan finished nursing and drifted off about the same time we did. She kissed his forehead before gently passing him to me. I cradled him while she stretched."I'll put him down," I whispered. She took the
LINC - The circle that formed around us felt suffocating. There was no reason for this, yet here we were. It was a tradition forced on us by the council. This was a formality, something neither Cast nor I wanted, but here we were, standing face to face like we hadn't already agreed on the future of the packs."You ready for this?" I asked. Cast was damn near bouncing on his heels, but he nodded. "We've got no choice," he muttered. "Let's just get it over with."The council's demand for a formal challenge pissed us both off. We'd planned this out. Me leading the pack, him stepping back but still involved where it made sense. Learning until he felt confident enough to do it on his own.What was most important was co-parenting Declan until he healed. They didn't care. Tradition was tradition, and it dictated a fight to submission if power was being passed between two Alphas.The council took it a step further. Since they were now aware of our plans, they required a public display.S
CAST - It had been a while since I'd left Oxford land, driven somewhere on my own, and actually felt like I could handle it. I wasn't sure I'd even return the last time I was here. I had just started my meds, and everything had felt like a blur. Now things felt more... manageable. Today wasn't about me, though. It was about seeing Selena.The rehab facility looked the same, almost like a luxury resort instead of a medical facility. The manicured gardens stretched out in front of me. I could hear water running somewhere nearby, probably one of the fountains. The calmness here had always been so at odds with what I'd felt the first time. Now, I didn't feel that storm raging inside me. It wasn't perfect, but at least it wasn't chaos anymore.This was also the first time I'd left the household since the meds started working. Lila had asked if I was sure I wanted to go. I told her I had to do this. This time, the real difference was that she believed I'd come back. It wasn't like before
CAST - Boxes were scattered across the floor, some half-open with their contents spilling out. Seeing all my stuff here, in what was now my new home was surreal. I'd been staying here for over a month, but moving my things here made it real. Permanent.Lila nudged a box closer to me, beaming as she looked around. She was so excited I was choosing to stay with them. To be near my son and to be near her. "It's like you've been living here for years with the amount of stuff you've accumulated." She punched at my shoulder, but I dodged. I glanced at the open box of books and laughed. "Maya's doing her best with the real estate side of things, but I need these. You know how much I rely on research."She snorted, teasing me as she pulled a thick book from the pile. "You say that, but I think you just wanted an excuse to take up more space."I shrugged, reaching for a framed photo to place on the shelf. "Maybe. Or maybe I just wanted to ensure I've got enough distractions so you can't b
LILA -Cast's phone buzzed again, and I already knew who it was. Selena's name had been popping up on his screen more often lately. He didn't hide it, but something twisted inside me each time her name flashed. It wasn't about not trusting him, because I did. But there was something about their connection that unsettled me. At first, it hadn't bothered me. I'd brushed it off as him catching up with someone from his past. But recently, the frequency had picked up. The messages started coming at all hours, early morning, midday, and sometimes even late into the night when we were supposed to be winding down. The dings and vibrations started to feel intrusive, weaving into our routines, like she was claiming space in our lives without even being here. Across the room, Cast was scrolling through his phone, not even bothering to hide the smile that came when he read whatever she'd sent. It wasn't like he was sneaking around, but he also wasn't explaining anything either. He was lea
CAST - The days began to shape into a rhythm I hadn't anticipated, one where waking to Declan's morning gurgles and the ensuing diaper changes became the highlight. He seemed to reach his tiny hands out to me when I walked into the nursery. It ignited a feeling of contentment I would have once told you I did not deserve. Once not long ago at all. Living on Oxford land wasn't part of my original plan, yet I was crafting daily routines with my son that wouldn't change anytime soon. Routines that, thanks to Lila starting college, meant balancing business calls with his diaper changes. Not that I was complaining or anything. I would take every second I could with my Little Man. Linc generously offered me the pool house, and we quickly renovated it into a modern studio apartment shortly after I moved in full-time. Lila teased us that there was too much Alpha energy in the main packhouse with the three of us there, so Linc kicked me out. Banished me to my own space. Linc would t
I woke up to an empty bed. The absence was immediate, the warmth gone. Stretching out, I let my hand graze the sheets, confirming they were cool. They hadn't been in bed for a while. The faint hum of water and voices carried through the room, pulling me from the remaining haze. I followed the sound to the bathroom door. It was cracked open, steam curling out. Their voices grew clearer as I leaned in to look. Lila sat on the built-in bench, with the water spraying down her back. Cast knelt in front of her, his hands resting gently on her stomach. He spoke softly, leaning closer, and even though the words weren't meant for me, they hit me hard. "I'll be there for them, for you," he murmured. "No matter what. Even if I have to handcuff myself to you to make sure I don't screw this up again." She laughed out loud as he started feathering kisses across her growing stomach to try to tickle her. She leaned forward and pulled him up. Their lips met, and I stayed frozen at the door
LINC - I didn't remember him doing it. Cast didn't remember either. Even Lila, shaking and pale, said she had no recollection of the bite. Yet, as we sat there on the bed in the pool house, trying to piece it all together, his mark stood out darker than mine. It wasn't subtle. It wasn't something we could brush off. We all sat there, unable to articulate the emotions bouncing heavily between us. Between the three of us. She was caught in the middle, her entire body shaking. One hand was pressed to the mark on her neck, the other resting over her stomach. I sat on one side of her, Cast on the other, and we both touched her in the same way. A hand on her knee, the other on her back, trying to steady her, or maybe ourselves. She shifted between us restlessly, leaning against me for a moment, then to him. Her breathing was uneven, and I couldn't stop running my fingers lightly over her skin, trying to calm her. Cast and I didn't look at each other. We couldn't. We didn't need to.
CAST -I wasn't sure why it happened. Why Linc let it happen. Why any of us did. It was like the moment had taken on a life of its own, and we were just caught in its current. She had crumbled onto the floor, overwhelmed by how we were acting. I couldn't leave her there. I bent down and scooped her up, her body slack against me, and something in the way she folded into my arms shattered the last of my restraint.Her lips were right there, and I didn't think before kissing her. It wasn't soft or cautious. It was the kind of kiss that demanded more. Her lips pressed back against mine, but then she broke away, looking toward Linc. He was already behind her, his hands resting on her sides, his fingers dragging in slow, deliberate patterns on her growing belly. She looked caught between us, her breaths uneven as her eyes darted back to me. She was about to panic."You need us both, don't you? Just… just let it happen." My lips brushed hers again, desperate to pull her back to me.Her att
Declan’s breathing finally evened out, his tiny body curling against me in complete trust. I placed him back in his crib, smoothing the blanket over him as gently as I could. The nursery quieted again, leaving just the soft hum of the baby monitor in the corner.I turned to CeCe, still sitting on the floor near the crib. Her hands rested in her lap, and her focus stayed on Declan. “He’s fine now. You should go back to your room and get some sleep.”She hesitated, biting her lip. “Helena’s in there… busy.”I raised a brow. “Busy?”She shifted awkwardly. “With her boyfriend. I don’t really want to walk in on that.”I crossed my arms, leaning back against the edge of the crib. “Are they being safe?”“As best they can,” she admitted, looking at her hands. “The healers won’t exactly help with that kind of thing. It’s… hard to get what we need.”“That’s just the old traditions still lingering,” I explained. “The healers were scared of the old alpha and stuck to whatever rules kept them out
LINC - Her skin was soft and smooth beneath my hands as I traced the curves of her body. I felt the goosebumps rise on her skin as I kissed her neck. The way she responded to my touch left no doubt. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. We fit together perfectly. My fingers slid over her back, savoring the warmth radiating from her. She leaned into me, her breath feathering against my neck as I pulled her closer. Her hands roamed, exploring me in ways that made everything else dissolve into nothingness. The sound of her heartbeat thrummed against my chest, grounding me in the moment, in her. My mouth moved over her skin, tasting every inch. She arched under me, her body soft and eager. I pulled back just enough to look at her, but the shadows covered her face. "I need you," I murmured, letting my lips find hers again. The kiss built into something that made us feel endless. Like our bodies could melt together and become one. My body moved against hers as I growled against her
LILA - The knock startled me. My body stiffened as I clung to the remnants of composure, the ache in my chest almost unbearable. Cast turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel. I watched him wrap it around himself and head for the door. He seemed far too calm for this. "I've got it," he said, glancing back briefly.I didn't respond. The nausea still twisted in my stomach, and the bond with Linc burned at the edges of my mind, an unwelcome intrusion that wouldn't stop.Cast opened the door, sticking his head out just enough to block whoever it was from seeing inside. "I just finished showering, and Lila's getting cleaned up now. She threw up all over both of us," he explained, his voice casual like it wasn't a blatant lie. "I'll be out in a minute."I froze, heat flushing through me. Not from embarrassment but from pure fury.Before I could think twice, I grabbed a towel and stepped out of the shower, forcing down the bile rising in my throat. The lie was too much, and
CAST -The night stretched endlessly, each tick of the clock reminding me I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. Tessa had adjusted my meds earlier in the week, upping the dosage just enough to screw with me. It wasn't the first night I'd spent like this, wide awake while the rest of the pack slept. It was starting to wear me thin.Kat, on the other hand, was out cold. Her body rested against mine, curled into my chest like she couldn't get close enough. The warmth of her breath skimmed my skin, steady and soft, the kind of rhythm that should've been calming. I trailed my hand over her back, tracing idle patterns out of habit more than intent.The room we were in wasn't really ours. It belonged to Lila, and she had Declan here, then briefly to me when I didn't have anywhere else to go. Now it was just "the extra," a placeholder no one had claimed outright. Yet, it was starting to feel like ours. Our stuff was scattered across the dresser and floor, the bed smelled like her shampoo, an
LINC - The road stretched ahead, cutting through familiar territory and leading us toward the human city. My eyes darted to the rearview mirror more often than I wanted to admit. Cast and Kat sat in the backseat, wrapped up in their own little bubble.Cast had her pulled against him, whispering something that made her shoulders shake with quiet laughter. Their heads tilted together, foreheads brushing occasionally, like they couldn't bear the thought of any distance.I told myself to be happy for them. They deserved it, after everything. But no matter how hard I tried, the sight made something twist inside me.Lila sat beside me, her hand resting lightly in mine, but it might as well have been someone else's hand for all the connection I felt. Her grip barely registered, her fingers slack against mine. She wasn't even pretending to care about the passing scenery. Her eyes stayed fixed on the window, distant and unfocused.I could feel the anxiety radiating from her, though she tried
LILA - Linc returned hours later without anything other than more exhaustion and cuts and bruises all over his body. He'd tracked over the entire property inch by inch and could not find Pheobe's scent anywhere else but in the nursery. It was unnerving, to say the least. The house felt different tonight. I moved down the hallway, trying to settle my breathing, trying to put the pieces together. Phoebe's scent, that unmistakable presence, was still here, still staining everything with questions. And I had to get to the bottom of it before it shattered the fragile ground Linc and I were walking on.The girl who smelled like Phoebe had been with Declan earlier, changing his diaper. Feeding him, burping him, and her hands all over him all day. She'd been in that nursery all afternoon. She'd never left, according to multiple people. I walked into the room where we'd confined her. I wouldn't allow them to keep her in the cold basement. She looked up, startled, and I could see her anxiet