LINC I stared out my office window. I couldn't stop thinking about Lila. Seeing her collapse in front of me, clutching her stomach, had hit me harder than I wanted to admit. She was stronger than I'd given her credit for. Stubborn, determined, but so damn strong. And now, she was carrying Castor's child, stuck in a nightmare she couldn't escape. All she wanted was to be the best Luna she could be, and all Castor fucking Roman did to her was drive her into the ground.I tried to shake the image of her out of my head, but it clung to me. Sitting there, I swear I could still feel her crying against my chest. Still feel how damn protective I became over her and the baby instantly. She wasn't just some case. She wasn't like the others. And that was the problem.Getting involved with her meant one thing. All-out war with Castor Roman. He wouldn't take it lightly if I represented her in the divorce, especially not with his child on the line. And then there was Selena. She wouldn't si
I couldn't get rid of Castor. Every morning, he showed up at the diner. Every single morning, like clockwork, there he was, sitting at the counter. Watching. By the time my shift ended today, the dizziness hit me hard. I grabbed the edge of the counter, trying to steady myself, but my legs felt shaky, like they couldn't hold me up any longer. Castor noticed, of course. He was at my side in seconds. "Lila, sit down. You need to rest." I pulled my hand back. "I'm fine." "You're not fine." He didn't back off, his presence pressing in on me. "You don't understand the strain carrying an alpha's baby puts on you. You need to take better care of yourself." I didn't have the energy to fight. He guided me to a table, practically forcing me into a chair. My head pounded, the dizziness refusing to ease up. "Let's eat lunch," Castor said, settling into the seat across from me. "You'll feel better if you eat. Trust me." "I don't trust you," I shot back, pushing my hair away from my face.
I sat outside the courthouse, my hands resting on my knees to keep from shaking. Weeks of preparation had come down to this. Linc was next to me, and he was the only thing keeping me from losing it. We'd been working side by side for weeks, sorting through every twisted, convoluted detail Castor's lawyers had thrown our way. Every night, after we went over the case files, he would walk me to the door with his hand on my lower back and kiss my forehead before saying goodnight.It was the only way he would kiss me since that first one.I wanted more. But I also knew it wasn't the time for distractions."You ready?" Linc leaned in closer, just enough so his arm brushed mine subtly. He was trying to steady my stomach. I nodded. Ready?I didn't think anyone could ever be ready to fight for their life. And that's precisely what this was. A fight for my future, for my child's future.The door to the courthouse swung open, and Linc and I stepped inside together, his hand at the small of m
Linc sat beside me on the hospital bed, our hands loosely intertwined. I leaned against the pillows, trying to focus on him, but everything felt heavy. The court case, the constant stress, and now Castor's endless games had worn me down. Linc had been here for hours, refusing to leave my side since I collapsed at the courthouse. I appreciated him for it, even if I couldn't fully express it.He paused. "Are you okay?""I'm fine," I replied, trying to manage a smile. "Just tired."Before Linc could respond, Cast walked in. His eyes locked on where Linc's hand resting in mine. I pulled my hand back, but it was too late. "What the hell is this?" Castor growled."Not now," I muttered, the exhaustion seeping into every word. "Please."Linc stood up, moving in front of me to shield me from whatever was about to come next. "She doesn't need this right now. You're going to upset her more.""I'm upsetting her?" Cast barked. "You're sitting here holding her hand like you're something more than
I leaned against the car door as Indy pulled up outside my apartment. The exhaustion that settled over me wasn't just from the hospital stay.It was deeper than that. Weeks of stress had drained me, but I couldn't let it take over. I had to keep moving and stay strong, even if every part of me was screaming to rest.Indy parked, glanced at me and sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this? We could go somewhere else, maybe somewhere with fewer stairs.""I'm fine," I said. "I just want to be home.""Home," she repeated, eyeing the narrow staircase leading up to our second-floor apartment. "Alright, but take it slow."I nodded, opening the car door and stepping out. The first step was fine. The second, too. But by the time I reached the middle of the staircase, my chest was burning, and my legs felt like they were weighed down by lead. I gripped the railing, willing myself to keep going.Indy hovered nearby. "You sure you're okay?""I've got it," I insisted, forcing myself to take an
CAST I stormed through the gate of Selena's house. She'd gone too far this time, slipping copies of our old conversations under my office door, a veiled threat hanging between the lines. I'd had enough. No more games. No more manipulation. She couldn't control me anymore.The door swung open before I could knock, and there she stood, wearing that smug, calculated look I had grown to hate. "You always show up when you're mad," she said, stepping aside for me to enter.I didn't say a word, just pushed past her and walked inside. "You want to tell me what this is?" I asked, holding up the stack of papers. "What are you trying to pull now?"Selena didn't flinch. "I'm not pulling anything. I'm reminding you of what we had. What we could still have if you'd stop pretending like you don't need me."I laughed. "Need you? That's rich, Selena. This isn't about us. This is about control. Do you think you can blackmail me with these conversations? I've moved on. You should as well."She scoffe
LINCI stepped into my office, dropping my briefcase onto the desk, ready to wrap up the day. I barely had room to think between Lila's and Castor's never-ending mess. But I was getting close. So close to pulling her out of that damned prenup, close to finally getting her some peace. At least, I thought I was until I noticed the envelope. It sat on the floor, just inside the door, with my name scribbled on the front. No stamp, no sender. I tore it open, and a stack of printed messages spilled onto my desk. Selena's name was at the top of the first page. I skimmed the first lines. They weren't just old messages. They were dangerous. I dropped into my chair, scanning the pages. The texts were between Selena and Castor, going back years. But this wasn't about them. This was about Castor's family. His mother, to be exact. The more I read, the clearer it became. These weren't just complaints or idle thoughts. These were confessions. Castor had been venting to Selena, and he had no idea
CAST I stepped out of the car and stared at the estate, its looming walls suffocating even in broad daylight. The familiar anxiety tightened around me, knowing that woman controlled my entire world. I hated it. I hated that I couldn't do anything to stop it.The front door swung open before I could take a step. My mother stood there, hands clasped in front of her, wearing that icy, practiced smile. "Castor," she said, scanning me like a stranger."Mother." I climbed the steps. The moment I passed her, the door closed with a soft click behind me."She dropped something off," she said. I didn't ask who. I already knew. She followed me down the hallway. "Selena came by earlier."I stopped at the edge of her office door, my back still turned to her. "What did she want?"A pause. "To make sure I saw everything."Oh shit. I stepped inside, and the papers were on her desk. I didn't need to pick them up. I knew what they were. Printed copies of my conversations with Selena, every message
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