I groaned softly, leaning my head back against the couch as she pressed her lips to my skin. I gripped her hips, torn between holding her still and letting her move however she wanted. She kissed my collarbone and slipped the last button free. She pushed my shirt open, exposing my chest, and trailed her lips lower, following the path she had started with her hands.She kept stroking me, her touch growing firmer and more purposeful. I moved my hips involuntarily, trying to match the rhythm she was setting. When she reached the waistband of my pants, she paused and glanced up, teasing me with a look that made my breath catch."You okay up there?" she asked, the playful lilt unmistakable."I'm not going to survive this," I muttered, letting out a laugh that felt more like surrender.She undid my pants effortlessly, freeing me from the unbearable restraint. She wrapped her hand around me, her grip unrelenting as she stroked skin against skin this time. The intensity of the sensation left
CAST - Inch by inch, I sank into her, her body stretching to accommodate me. The sight alone was enough to drive me wild...watching the way she took me, how her body trembled as I pushed deeper."Kat," I groaned, my voice barely more than a growl. "You feel...incredible."She leaned back slightly, her movement forcing me even deeper, and I let out a guttural sound, gripping her hips tighter. She turned her head, her lips finding mine briefly before whispering, "Then don't stop."So, I didn't. I growled softly, my hands gripping her hips as I kept moving. Every inch of her seemed designed to drive me mad. The way she tightened around me and drew me deeper. I bit down on my lip hard enough to taste blood, forcing myself to keep my pace slow.As long as I watched, I could control it. My eyes locked on the way I disappeared into her, inch by inch, then reappeared as I pulled back. The rhythm hypnotized me, and I clung to it like a lifeline, letting it maintain my control. But the moment
LILA -After I hung up with Cast, I stayed frozen on the edge of the bed, the phone still clutched in my hand. I kept staring at his contact photo as if holding onto that last sliver of connection to him would change anything. He was staying the night with Kat. I knew what that meant. I wasn't naive. I filled in the gaps easily, too easily, and each detail broke me a little more.I fought the tears threatening to spill over, but they came anyway.I loved him. I loved him so much it felt like a part of me was being carved out, leaving behind an emptiness I didn't know how to fill. But I couldn't keep him tethered to me when he needed this. Needed someone who wasn't wrapped up in the tangled mess of my own life. He deserved to move forward, to find his own happiness. I had to let him go, even if it felt like it was breaking me in the process.I slipped back under the covers, pressing against Linc's back. His steady breathing comforted me, pulling me out of the spiraling thoughts in my
LINC -Lila was on top of me, her head tucked beneath my chin, her body rising and falling gently with each breath. She'd fallen asleep in my arms hours ago after we'd spent most of the night just kissing. I didn't dare move her. She needed this. Needed the connection, the steadiness of feeling something solid while the foundation of what we'd built shifted yet again. Kissing her had been the only way to keep her from crying, from letting her thoughts spiral into places she didn't need to go.I knew this would be hard for her. I'd expected her to need me like this when Cast finally stepped up and started finding his way. What I hadn't anticipated was recovering from this damn illness while everything else unraveled. Still, the sickness brought Kat to our door, so I couldn't be too bitter about it.Morning came, and Lila shifted, sliding off me and settling onto the bed beside me. I sat up, leaning back against the headboard as she stretched and got up. She walked across the room, gra
CAST -I woke up to the sound of drawers opening and closing softly. Kat stood across the room, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she finished getting ready. Her scrubs clung to her in all the right ways, and I couldn't help the lazy grin spreading across my face as I watched her. She caught my eye in the mirror and turned, hands on her hips. "Are you planning to sleep all day, or are you going to get up? I've got an early shift, Alpha." I stretched, letting the sheets fall away as I propped myself on one elbow. "I'm up. Barely." "Prove it," she teased, leaning down to kiss me. Before I could respond, she bit my bottom lip playfully, pulling back with a smirk. "I had fun last night. I'm happy you came." "Me too," I murmured, leaning back against the headboard. "So, when can I see you again?" She tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness. "Hmm, tonight maybe? How about somewhere that isn't your packhouse? You know, the one with your exes and their mates?" I snorted. "Fair enough
LINC -I could have handled the case over the phone. Luca would have been more than capable of dealing with most of the preliminary nonsense if I had pushed him a little harder. But getting Lila out of the packhouse for a few days felt far more important than babysitting a junior associate. She needed a break from everything, and I wouldn't leave her there to spiral while Cast figured things out with Kat. I'd seen the way Lila was Just barely holding herself together. Getting away was the least I could do for her.Packing didn't take long. I threw together what I needed for three or four days. Lila was in the room, packing her things silently, while I stepped out to handle last-minute details with the omegas. Declan was staying with Wad until Cast took back over tonight. Selena had also agreed to oversee the packhouse while we were gone. I knew she could handle it, even if she acted like it was a burden.When it was finally time to leave, Lila held Declan close, whispering something
LILA -The first few hours in New Orleans passed with me lying across the hotel bed, my phone in hand as I texted Cast. The suite was beautiful, but I barely noticed it. Cast was bursting with excitement, sending me message after message about Kat and everything they'd talked about. He bounced between giddy enthusiasm and nervous overthinking. One minute, he talked about how he couldn't believe how easy it felt to be with her, and the next, he worried that we were drifting apart.I texted him back quickly. "Stop overthinking it and just run with it. I want to know the details, even if they hurt a little. I'm still interested in your life, Cast. That's not going to change."He took a minute to respond. "It feels like I'm talking to my best friend about it, but then I remember you're also my ex-mate. It's weird. I'm so happy, but I feel bad too. Like I'm hurting you just by sharing this."I smiled at the screen. "Best friend? I like the sound of that. It's cute. Kind of childish, though
CAST - I texted Kat as soon as I realized there was no way I'd make it to her place tonight. Linc and Lila had just left, and Declan was all mine for the next few days. Her reply came back almost immediately. "Cold feet already? At least you texted. Most guys would've just ghosted me."I laughed and responded. "Not cold feet. Linc had to go out of town, so I've got Declan full-time for a bit."She replied with a shrug emoji and added, "Sounds like you're busy. Another time?" I paused before typing. "How about tonight? At my place? Declan's asleep early, and Selena rarely comes out since she and Jaed are practically glued together these days."There was a longer pause before she answered. "You're inviting me to the packhouse? Bold move, wolf. Sure. I'll bring coffee. I just finished a 15-hour shift, so I'll need it."I smiled as I tossed my phone onto the couch.I thought about telling Lila earlier, but I'd already shared so much with her about Kat. She hadn't seemed phased when I'd
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
LINC - Phoebe's scent hit me hard, sharper, and more potent than ever before. It nearly dropped me where I stood, my wolf surging to the surface in chaotic waves. It rooted itself in my instincts and refused to let go. My entire body reacted violently, muscles tensing as my wolf clawed for control. I wanted to fight it, to reject every maddening urge it awakened, but the instincts were overwhelming. All I could think about was the need to hunt, to claim, to dominate. I hated all of it.The basement air carried the acrid tang of lingering shifts. The full moon always left its mark, draining energy from our bodies and our minds. I didn't want Lila away from me during the shift, but the plan had been the safest for everyone. She'd stayed upstairs with Declan while Cast and I had been confined below, locked in the reinforced cells to ensure no one else bore the brunt of our transformations.As my limbs ached from the shift, the exhaustion was intense. Knowing Declan was safe upstairs h