LILA -Linc froze in the entryway, shoulders squared and fists clenched. I stopped mid-laugh. "What's wrong?" He sniffed the air and growled instantly. "Phoebe."Just hearing her name made my stomach drop. She wasn't supposed to be anywhere near us, let alone near Declan.Linc's head snapped toward the hallway. "Wady! Take Declan upstairs. Now."Wady appeared, wide-eyed but silent. She didn't ask questions. She scooped Declan out of his playpen and hurried up the stairs. Linc turned to me. "Why does it smell like her in here?""I don't know." My voice came out faster than I intended. "She shouldn't be here."He didn't wait for more. He stormed into the living room, his boots heavy against the floor. I followed, keeping my distance as he sniffed the air, the walls, and all nearby surfaces as his frustration grew with every step."It's everywhere." His voice grew louder as he moved to the kitchen. "Someone let her in. She rubbed herself on every damn surface. This whole damn house ree
CAST - Driving away from the packhouse, I could barely keep my thoughts straight. Everything felt like it was unraveling too fast to stop. Lila told me to leave. They actually believed I had something to do with Phoebe's scent being all over the house. They thought I let her in or worse, invited her. And Kat? There was no way she had anything to do with this. She was with me all night. Literally all night.I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles aching from punching the wall as I walked out of the pack house earlier. I hated this. Hated that I was being forced out of the situation before I even had a chance to talk to them about it. They'd just assumed and here I was, driving away from my current home, my 'best friend' and my son. It stung. Badly. The urge to turn back and demand they believe me warred with the sting of knowing they didn't. The packhouse was supposed to be my home, but now I was driving through Augusta's quiet streets like I didn't belong anywhere.Bec
LILA - The house smelled like betrayal. No matter where we went, Phoebe's scent clung to the walls, the furniture, even Declan's things. It felt invasive, almost violent, and Linc was unraveling. He stormed through the house like a hurricane, sniffing the air, gripping doorframes and counters like he could force the truth out of the wood itself."Who let her in?" His voice carried through the hall as he cornered one of the omegas, his movements sharp, his control cracking. "Tell me what happened."The omega stammered. "I don't know anything. I haven't seen her."I touched Linc's arm in an attempt to pull him back from the edge he didn't seem to care he was on. "That's enough. She doesn't know anything."He turned to me, his eyes burning with the rage I could feel through the bond. "Someone let her i, Lila. Her scent didn't just appear out of nowhere. This was deliberate. This was meant to mess with my mind, and it is. It fucking is.""We'll figure it out," I said, trying to steady hi
CAST - Lila climbed into my truck, her face streaked with tears she'd tried to wipe away. This wasn't how I'd planned for things to go. I needed her to believe me, to trust that I hadn't betrayed her or the family. I climbed in and turned the heater on full blast before returning to the office.Kat stood waiting, leaning against the desk. Her posture told me everything. Her arms crossed tightly, waiting for whatever explanation I could muster."Kat, listen... I need to take Lila home and sort this out. She's falling apart, and this whole thing is spinning out of control."She didn't look away. I hated what I had to ask, but it hung between us. "But before I go… Kat, you didn't do this, right? The scent in the house... You didn't have anything to do with that?"Her arms dropped as she pushed off the desk and stepped closer. "You're really asking me that? After everything... After I looked after all of you when you were sick? You're questioning me now?"I reached for her and wrapped h
LINC - The dreams hadn't stopped. Even though the fever had long since burned out, Phoebe still haunted my nights. She slipped into my thoughts when I was most vulnerable, twisting her way through my subconscious until I woke, drenched in sweat with her scent lingering even when she shouldn't have been anywhere near me.I could smell her everywhere, the scent clinging to every inch of my damn house. How much more personal can an attack get? The rage was hard to control. The omegas moved quickly under my orders, scrambling to clean every surface, every inch of space that had been touched by her scent. I didn't care if they were exhausted. This was our home, and it was supposed to be safe. I had a child here. A child that would already face issues his whole life due to his last name and genes. I guess I'd just hoped it wouldn't start until he was older. I should have known better.No one could tell me how it happened. Not even Jaed or Selena, who swore they’d barely left their room wh
LILA - I got out of the shower and found Linc sprawled across our bed, his frustration still simmering beneath the exhaustion. I crossed the room and climbed in beside him, slipping under the sheets and pressing close until our foreheads nearly touched. He pulled me against his chest. His body was still so tense. I knew he wasn't going to relax on his own, so I tilted my head up and kissed him. He grumbled something, but I kissed him again, and soon, he was responding, the tension leaving his shoulders slowly as my lips moved over his. He needed the distraction. He needed to feel something else besides the anger that had been controlling him all night. I kissed him over and over, each one lingering just a little longer, until finally, he softened into the mattress, his grip on me becoming loose. His breathing evened out, and I knew he was finally asleep. I brushed my fingers through his hair, lingering before slipping out of bed quietly, careful not to disturb the quiet peace he'd f
LINC - After waking up, Lila refused to even look at me. After a few minutes of trying to get her to say anything to me, I gave up. "I'm going to shower. Join me if you want," I muttered as I disappeared down the hall. The shower was running as I leaned against the counter, waiting for Lila to join me. I was hoping she'd come in and let me make things right. She'd always been my rock when everything else felt like it was spiraling. I needed that now, needed her with me. But she wasn't coming.I pushed myself off the counter and walked into the bedroom. She was standing by the window, staring out at the storm. She looked at me briefly before turning back out to the yard. I came up behind her, grazing her arm with my fingers. "Come shower with me," I murmured.She pulled away. It was like something had cracked, and I couldn't patch it up."Please, Lila. Come on. Let me take care of you." I tried to pull her back in, but she was determined. She just moved further from me, her back tur
CAST - The room felt oppressive, its stale air clinging to my skin as I sifted through a stack of books. The pages blurred together, the words swimming uselessly in my vision. The scent of aged paper mingled with the faint tang of coffee lingering from earlier, a weak attempt at focus that had done nothing to help. My efforts to understand why Phoebe's scent was suddenly in the house felt futile. I had grown as restless as Linc was, but neither of us had answers. I slammed the book shut.Behind me, the door clicked open. I tensed, recognizing the familiar rhythm of Lila's footsteps. She paused in the doorway before crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "Are you and Kat dating now? Or are you just dragging her along for fun?" I set the book down and looked at her. "I don't know, Lila. She's human. That makes things complicated."She scoffed. "Complicated how?"I sighed, leaning back against the table. "I want to move forward with her, but I'm scared. If I push too fast, s
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