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
CAST I stood outside their apartment, my hand hovering over the door. It was 5 a.m. I knew I shouldn't have come here like this. Disheveled, a wreck, with nothing to offer but the mess that was my life. I wasn't thinking straight. I barely slept. But I needed to see Lila. That was all I could think about.The door swung open before I could knock. Indy stood there, still in her pajamas with her hair tied up. "What the hell, Castor?""Where's Lila?" I asked, stepping past her before she could stop me. "I need to see her."Indy moved in front of me, blocking my path. "She's not here."I froze. "What?""She couldn't make it up the stairs after she was released from the hospital. She was too weak, so…" She trailed off, rubbing her temples like she didn't want to deal with any of this. "Linc took her to his place."Linc? She went to him?I tried to speak, but nothing came out.It made sense. Of course, she wouldn't come to me. Coming back with me would mean coming back to my mother, and
Castor lay face down beside me, snoring loud enough to shake the walls. I sat up in bed, watching him, my fingers trailing slowly down his spine and then back up again. His breathing stayed steady, deep, as long as I kept the rhythm slow. He needed the sleep, and I didn't mind giving it to him, even if I couldn't sleep myself. I traced another line down the center of his back, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my touch. My mind was a mess, as tangled as everything between us. How could I still want this? After everything, after all the hurt, I still felt this need to protect him. It wasn't fair. He didn't deserve it, not after everything he'd done. But here I was, trying to keep him from waking and give him peace when I couldn't find any myself. I glanced out the window as the light outside faded. I could feel it coming. Tonight was the full moon. Both Cast and Linc would shift. And now, Cast didn't have any pack land to do it on. My hand stilled on his back for a second,
The chains rattled as I locked Castor into his bay, the weight of the metal clinking against the cold concrete floor. Linc stood on the opposite side of the room, already securing his own cuffs. He didn't look at me, and I didn't say anything to him. This wasn't a moment for words. The full moon was high, and we had no time to waste.I stepped back, checking the locks once more. Both bays were old, built for emergencies, for wolves with nowhere else to go when the moon took hold. The building had been werewolf-owned for generations, and these cages were for situations just like this. I was relieved because I didn't have any other options tonight.Cast watched me as I moved between the cages. His eyes followed every step I took, the tension in his body growing with each passing second. Linc, on the other hand, had already closed his eyes. He was breathing slowly, preparing for the shift. They were both alphas, and I knew once they shifted, there wouldn't be anything calm about this.
It took them over an hour to shift back. I sat in that chair, frozen, as I watched them, their forms twisted and contorted in pain. I'd never seen it take this long. But I knew why.Both were alphas, fighting the shift with everything they had, refusing to back down. And both of them wanted me. They could sense that as wolves.Castor snarled, pacing inside his cage. Linc followed every movement. They couldn't shift back until they accepted the inevitable, and I could feel it dragging out, minute by minute. It felt like it would never end.Finally, they started to break. Castor's body began to change, the fur retreating, bones cracking back into place, his form shrinking into the man I knew. Linc followed soon after, the same agonizing process tearing through him. Their bones snapping echoed in the small basement, and I clenched my fists to avoid reaching out. I couldn't comfort them now. Not like this.When it was over, they lay naked and broken on the floor, both gasping for a