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
The soft hum of my laptop mingled with Declan's little coos as he chewed happily on a colorful teether nearby. Watching him discover everything with such genuine delight always sparked something inside me. A reminder of the simple wonders in this life, even while balancing paralegal studies, motherhood, and the tangled connections between Linc and Cast. This new chapter was challenging, but each piece brought me closer to feeling like myself again. To feel independent and ready to take on the world, no matter what happens in the future. I wasn't going to be caught off guard again. Getting my education was a big step towards that. They both understood and supported me however they could. I was so lucky to have them both, and I knew it. The coursework was invigorating, giving me something completely mine. A space for thoughts that didn't revolve around anyone else. Law had this grounding structure, a reassuring counterweight to the disruption that was my life. I'd catch myself
LINC - I stared at Dr. Tessa's message, reading over her words for what felt like the hundredth time. She wanted Lila and me to come to dinner. My first instinct was to decline. Between parenthood, pack duties, and a lingering unease shadowing me lately, socializing sounded like the last thing I wanted to do. But Tessa had been there for me through some of the darkest points in my life. I respected her more than words could capture. If she wanted to meet Lila, it wasn't something I could just brush off. Lila stepped into the room, curious and concerned as she noticed me staring at my phone. "What's up?" "Tessa invited us to dinner," I mumbled. "She wants to meet you." Lila eyed me. "Sounds like a good thing, right?" "Yeah," I agreed, though something about the invitation unsettled me. Tessa had mentioned introducing us to her family for a while now. It was overdue, and she'd been such a tremendous help that meeting her family felt only fitting. "Then we should go," Lila shrug
Gaia lunged at him. Ian didn't move. He braced himself, standing firm as her massive form slammed into him. The force of it sent a shockwave through the ground. He held his position, absorbing the impact, pushing her back with raw strength alone. His white fur bristled. Gaia struck again, snapping at his throat, but he dodged, twisting at the last second to drive her off balance. She hit the dirt hard, paws digging into the earth as she pushed herself back up in an instant. Her entire body shook, not from exhaustion but from pure, unchecked aggression. Ian snarled, lowering his stance, but he didn't strike back. He didn't need to. He was blocking her, stopping her, keeping her from finishing what she had started. Something shifted in Gaia. Her breaths came hard, her body still wound too tight, but the moment stretched longer, stretched too long. Then, finally, she stopped. Ian didn't move, waiting, making sure she was really done. I didn't wait. The second she hesitated, I forced
DECLAN -The trees blurred past as Gaia ran, powerful and sure beneath me. I gripped her fur tighter, not because I was afraid but because I had never felt anything like this. The wind cut sharp against my skin, my pulse pounded in my ears, and my body moved in sync with hers like we were built for this. Everything in me buzzed with adrenaline, with the rush of speed, the sheer force of her muscles coiling and flexing beneath me. Then I saw it. A shadow slipped between the trees, fast and silent, keeping pace with us. Suki. Not now. Not like this. I silently begged her to stay back, to leave this moment alone, to not push this any further than it had already gone. But she didn't. Her wolf stayed just on the edges of my vision, always there, always lingering, never letting me forget what was still tangled inside me. The pull. The connection that refused to break, no matter how much I willed it to disappear. Then Gaia saw her. Her muscles coiled. A ripple of tension passed through
DECLAN -I made it back to the house just as Gaia came tearing out the front door, furious. She was barely holding herself together. The second she saw me, she yanked her shirt over her head. My brain barely caught up. I froze as every muscle in my body seemed to ripple at once. I was still reeling from being near Suki. From the way she looked at me. From the way my body reacted even when my mind told me I belonged to Gaia. The confusion pulled me in opposite directions, turning every second into a battle. And now Gaia was storming toward me, tearing off her clothes, taking up every bit of space in my mind. "Damn, Gaia." I snapped my head to the side, forcing myself to look anywhere but at her. She stalked closer, bare feet kicking up dust. I frowned. Why the hell were her shoes off? She had stormed out of the house so fast that she hadn't even thought to put them on. That wasn't like her. She grabbed my chin and jerked my head forward. "We... werr 'dults. We... need to stop act
DECLAN - Suki stretched out on the rock beside me, legs extended, fingers tapping idly against the stone. She wasn't in a rush, and that only made everything worse for me."Why are you upset?"I stared at the dirt, exhaling hard. "You don't want to know.""Please. You rejected me. Nothing else you say can be worse than that."That shouldn't have hit as hard as it did. My hands tightened against my knees, but I kept my voice even. "Yeah... Sorry for that too."She shrugged like it didn't matter. "You did what you had to do. That doesn't mean I can't tease you about it."She smiled, not mean, not teasing, but something about it still made it impossible to ignore. I didn't push. Couldn't. Not right now.Some of the pressure in my shoulders eased. "You're handling it better than I thought.""What, did you expect me to run off crying?" She kicked a loose rock down the slope. "I don't do the whole helpless thing."I huffed. "I know. Takes a lot of strength to live out here on purpose all t
DECLAN - Mom knocked once before stepping inside, moving like she expected this to be a fight. Maybe she did. Maybe it was."Your dads worked out a deal with Jaed."I stayed where I was, back against the headboard, arms locked around Gaia. Keeping her here. Keeping her mine. "Doesn't matter. Nothing is changing."She did her best to ignore my attitude. "Gaia can still stay until her birthday."I scoffed. "You heard what I said. She was staying regardless of all the bullshit."Gaia sat up fast, then shoved off the bed completely. "Don't talk to your mother like that."Heat crawled up my spine fast. A burn that made my stomach wrench. Being called out pissed me off. Being called out by someone below me? Made my teeth ache.And I hated that I felt like that.Mom just watched, waiting. No reaction, no expression, no wasted effort. My breath felt thicker, slower, body bracing for something I wasn't even sure of. I forced my attention back to her instead of the fire sparking hot under my s
DECLAN - Jaed turned on his heel and stormed out, steps heavy enough to shake the floor. The door slammed hard enough to rattle the frame. Gaia moved fast, pushing out of the room after him without looking back. My body still burned, everything wound so tight I thought I might snap in half. There was no way in hell I was walking out there right now, not like this. I sat on the edge of the bed, planted my feet, and dragged both hands through my hair before forcing them down. If I kept doing that, it would only make everything worse. I needed to get it together. I needed to think about something else. Anything else. My breathing was too hard, too uneven. My pulse pounded in my ears. My entire body ached, my skin too hot, my blood thick and heavy. Every inch of me still screamed for her, for more, for everything I had been seconds away from having. I stared at the ceiling and tried to focus. No good. Every thought ran straight back to her. To the way she had felt pressed against m
DECLAN - By the end of the lesson, most of them had the alphabet down. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. More than that, it was proof that this was happening. That Gaia was becoming part of us, not just some outsider with no way to connect.As the room emptied out, I felt her before she even touched me. Gaia slid her arms around my waist from behind, pressing herself against my back."You're incredible," she signed against my chest, looking up at me.I swallowed. Hard. "Come on," I muttered, taking her hand and pulling her toward my room.The second the door shut behind us, she was on me. She dragged me down to meet her lips. I didn't hesitate. I kissed her hard, ignoring the dull ache still lingering in my ribs. My shoulder moved without protest, and most of the cuts had already faded into thin scars. I knew I should still be careful, but touching her made everything else disappear. The soreness, the exhaustion, the remnants of pain all vanished the second she was in my arms.S
I found Cast and Linc in the office, going over some pack reports. Linc leaned back in his chair while Cast was half-standing, flipping through pages with a scowl. They barely looked up when I walked in, but I didn't care. I had something to say, and they were going to listen."We're starting ASL classes," I said, crossing my arms. "Everyone is required to attend. That includes both of you."Linc's brow lifted slightly, and Cast set the papers down with an exasperated sigh. "You're giving us orders now?" Cast asked, folding his arms over his chest."Yes."They exchanged a look. Linc sighed first. "Declan, you don't get to just..."I cut him off. "I do. And I am. This should've happened the second we knew Gaia was deaf. Jaed made sure every single person in his pack knew how to communicate with her before they moved there. But here? We're still scribbling on notepads like it's the Dark Ages."Linc's jaw tightened. Cast clenched his teeth, looking more annoyed than guilty. But I wasn't
Life felt strange now. Not bad. Just different.The routine of school was gone, replaced by the quiet predictability of home. I woke up early, trained with Dad Cast and some of the others, then spent the rest of the day doing whatever needed to be done around the packhouse. The only difference now? I was healing far faster than I should have been.The gashes along my ribs had already started closing. My shoulder still ached, but nowhere near what it should have been given the damage Suki had done. Even the deep bruising felt more like old aches instead of fresh wounds. It was fast. Too fast.Gaia noticed it first. She was there when I peeled off my shirt after training, her eyes narrowing as she reached out, fingers barely brushing over the nearly-healed claw marks."That’s not normal," she signed, eyes flicking up to mine.I already knew that. "I heal fast now that I'm an adult alpha?""Not this fast," she countered . "Do you think,"I exhaled. "It’s you."She nodded slowly. "We heal