LILA - The last thing I remembered was looking up at the dark sky, lightning shooting across it in jagged bursts. Cast and Linc hovered above me, their faces tense as they screamed out for help.Then everything went black.In the void, dreams took over. Nightmares, vivid and horrible, clawed at the edges of my mind, dragging me deeper with each breath I took. I saw Cast being ripped away from me, his hands straining to reach mine as Kat's cruel grip yanked him back into a darkness that swallowed him whole. His calls faded too quickly, leaving only the echo of my own screams.Linc's turn came next. Phoebe's mocking grin hovered over him, her nails digging into his shoulder as she dragged him into an endless abyss. I reached for him, but the void between us grew larger.Declan was there. He was just a baby, barely able to sit on his own, his tiny hands curling and uncurling as he turned away from me. His back seemed impossibly small, yet it was rigid, unyielding like the alpha he was.
LINC - The first thing I noticed was the blood. It spread too fast, seeping through the fabric, painting everything in a color that shouldn't have been there. My heart pounded hard enough to rattle my ribs as I watched her trip, her body lurching forward until her stomach slammed hard against the edge of the steps. It didn't matter how many times I called her name; she didn't stir. Cast was already shouting for help, but I couldn't hear him. All I could focus on was the blood seeping out from between her legs. Her breathing was shallow, almost nonexistent, and I couldn't stop my mind from racing to the worst possible conclusions. Not her. Not the twins.The hospital was chaos. People moved around me, shouting orders I barely registered. The nurses took her from my arms and rushed her behind the doors, leaving me standing there with blood still on my hands. Cast gripped my shoulder, steering me to a chair before I collapsed, but sitting didn't help. The ache in my chest grew with eve
CAST - The hospital room blurred into a routine over the week she was in the coma. Machines beeped endlessly, marking time I barely felt pass. Lila remained still, her body fighting a battle none of us could see. I stayed, keeping one eye on her and the other on Linc, who hovered near her bedside like a ghost. He was unraveling, and no matter what I tried, I couldn't get him to stop. He hadn't eaten in days, ignoring every attempt I made to bring him food. Earlier, he grabbed my arm, yanking me closer. His hand slammed mine onto Lila's stomach. "You need to help me keep the pain away," he demanded.I stared at him, stunned, but his grip didn't loosen. "Picture pulling it out like a thread. All of it," he instructed. His hands hovered, ready to take over, but he didn't. I nodded tightly and tried, feeling the tension pass through me as I focused on her. I wasn't as good at it as he appeared to be, but I did notice how she seemed to relax just a little.I'd done what I could. I kept
LINC - The elevator doors slid shut with a metallic groan, trapping Kat and me in an uneasy silence. I leaned against the wall, keeping my arms folded across my chest to shield the rising tension between us. "You look terrible," she started.I'm fine," I replied, deflecting quickly. "How's the pregnancy going? Are you eating more now? You don't seem nearly as aggressive as Cast described you were last time."She hesitated for a moment, her eyes dropping briefly, but she played along. "Better. My pack's been helping me stay on track. I'm doing what I need to do. For the baby."I nodded, keeping my focus anywhere but her. "Good. You should be. Cast doesn't need another thing on his plate."She turned her attention toward me sharply, but she stayed quiet for a moment before speaking. "You know there aren't many of us who know about wolves at the hospital, right?"I shifted slightly, looking at her directly for the first time since we got in the elevator. "Makes sense. Easier to keep t
CAST -Her breathing shifted sharply as her body jolted upright into my hands. I looked up at her face just as her lids flew open, and the machines around us erupted into chaos. Her unfocused movements sent a pulse of disoriented fear through the bond that almost knocked me back. I'd been marked for maybe 45 minutes before she was injured, so everything was still so new. Pulling her pain into myself moments earlier had been a desperate attempt to ease her burden, but it felt like I had yanked too hard, too fast. The shock seemed to have forced her awake, her body reacting violently to the sudden release of pressure. I leaned in, brushing back the strands of hair that stuck to her damp skin."Lila," I managed, pushing past the tightness in my chest that was no doubt hers. Her head snapped toward me. The bond trembled with her confusion, wave after wave of fear crashing into me as the alarms screamed.The door burst open before I could reassure her. Nurses hurried in, issuing commands.
LILA - The room remained quiet, punctuated only by the low hum of the monitors and the soft snoring on either side of me. Cast sprawled out on the bed as his head rested against my shoulder. His breathing was steady, a rare moment of calm in his otherwise restless nature. Linc was slumped in the chair next to me with his head tilted awkwardly onto the mattress near me. Their hands were joined together and resting on my stomach.Watching them so unguarded and connected, was more than a little bittersweet. Their fingers were laced together, and they were holding on for dear life. They'd forged something deeper, something unshakable. I smiled faintly. They needed each other just as much as I needed both of them, and it was starting to show.The faint beeping of the monitors drew my attention to the screen. Two steady heartbeats on top of mine. My girls. My little fighters. I shifted carefully, the hospital bed creaking faintly beneath me. Cast mumbled something in his sleep, his grip
CAST - The pain hit me like a freight train, tearing through my stomach with relentless force. It was sharp, searing, and so consuming that the world around me often blurred. My only thought was how anyone could endure this without breaking. It was easy to miss how damn strong she really was. She had been put into that coma to avoid this very agony. The moment I felt it, I knew I'd take it again and again if it meant sparing her. No hesitation. This pain was mine now, and I welcomed it. I'd do whatever was necessary to keep her awake and this pain far from her. The doctors had cleared her and the twins with flying colors. Of course they had. Everything she had endured had been shifted to me, the bond ensuring she carried nothing but what was absolutely necessary now. I couldn't take everything, but I could take enough. Linc wasn't happy with me about that part, but oh well. He shouldered all the pain the week she was in the coma, plus when she was giving birth to my son... Now, i
LINC - The house had fallen into a rhythm, though it was a strange, unsteady one that seemed to shift like a pendulum. It was never quite balanced but undeniably ours. Cast spent most of his time asleep next to Lila, their bodies entangled in the cocoon of pillows and blankets I'd carefully arranged for them. He carried his pain quietly, his jaw tightening occasionally in moments when he thought no one was looking. He never spoke of it aloud, but the bond between us was a constant reminder. I tried to do what I could, but he would never allow me to touch him long enough to really do anything meaningful. He was determined to do this alone. Declan had become my shadow, his boundless energy filling the house with a kind of chaos I had no choice but to embrace. Wady and Cece pitched in when they could, but most of the responsibility fell to me. I didn't mind, not really, though keeping up with him was another challenge altogether. Earlier, I'd barely turned my back before he was rollin
DECLAN - We took the long way back to the packhouse. It took far longer than the ten minutes I'd agreed to. Suki was going to give me hell for that. She’d probably time it down to the second and bring it up at dinner, then again at breakfast. I was already prepared to ignore the first three times before I gave in to whatever atonement she had planned. Honestly, I was looking forward to the punishment. Gaia and I fell into old habits. She challenged me to spot tree knots shaped like animals. I told her she was making them up when she did. She called me arbitrary and pronounced it correctly. I lobbed a pinecone at her head. She caught it, grinned, and tucked it into my hood when I wasn't looking. It was familiar. Just two people who used to know every inch of each other, finding the quiet rhythm again without forcing it. When the porch came into view, I slowed. "You and Dorian should stay," I paused. "The east wing at the Roman packhouse is yours if you want it. No strings. Just.
DECLAN - "I'm sorry." I looked over. She kept her eyes forward. Hands shoved into the front pocket of her hoodie. Shoulders stiff. We walked side by side. The trees closed in around us while the porch lights faded behind. Neither of us said anything for a long time. Our feet crunched through the undergrowth. The breeze rolled between us. I didn't try to close the space. Neither did she. But neither of us veered away either. The remains of the old house peeked through the trees. Blackened beams and collapsed stone still scattered across the clearing. A skeleton. A memory. "For how I rejected you. And for not telling you why." I didn't answer until we reached the house. "You didn't just reject me. You vanished." She flinched. "I know." "So why?" She took a deep breath and stopped walking. Her eyes stayed on what was left of the front steps. "I'd gotten the call. The implant was finally approved, and they found a werewolf doctor who could do it. It was scheduled. It was final
DECLAN - That was her fated mate.It was written in the way he tracked her every move, in how he hovered just close enough to guard but not crowd. His posture said protector. His eyes, sharp and constantly scanning, said no one would get within reach unless she wanted them to. He moved like he'd been made for that role. Like every instinct in his body had clicked into place the moment he met her.He moved like he already belonged next to her.Judson finally spoke. "This going to be a thing now? Fated mates falling out of the sky onto your porch?" Then he squinted. "Wait. No way. Dorian?"The other man stepped forward, arms crossed. "Judson."Judson huffed. "Damn, talk about the sky falling. Of course it's you."Gaia looked between them. "Wait. How do you know him?"Judson tilted his head toward Dorian but didn't look away. "Med school. He was top of the class. Never let anyone forget it. Ever."Dorian crossed his arms. "And you were always one sarcastic comment away from getting kic
DECLAN - "You're not gonna pout if I drink the last one, are you?"Judson didn't even glance over. "Only if you waste it."I reached for the bottle closest to him, smirking when he didn't try to stop me.Crickets chirped loudly in the trees. The house behind us had finally gone still. It was peaceful.A lazy row of empty beer bottles lined the railing like some halfhearted scoreboard. Judson leaned back again, one ankle hooked over the other, shoulders loose. That rare kind of settled that only happened when nothing needed to be said.We were both quiet. Not the kind of silence that needed filling, just the kind that held space. The kind that made it really easy to notice how much I liked having him here. Judson wasn't soft, but he didn't crowd either. There was something about the way he held space, like he understood exactly how not to mess it up. I hadn't realized how rare that was until I felt it.Until headlights swept across the tree line.Judson didn't move, but I straightened
DECLAN - I squinted. "So... you left your pack?"Judson shook his head. "Not really. My sister's mate stepped in. Human guy, believe it or not. Doctor. Weirdly chill. He helps now with the medical side, which freed me up to go to college and train properly. They all said it made sense. I guess... I just haven't thought much about what I was gonna do after."He paused, then shrugged. "Now I get it. I wasn't supposed to leave the South yet. I was supposed to be here. Meeting her. If I'd been back in North Carolina, this wouldn't have happened. Or it would've taken years."He looked out toward the trees. "So no. I didn't leave them. I just followed where I was needed next."I blinked. "You live on the Riverwalk."He grinned. "I know. Kind of perfect, right? It's loud on the weekends and peaceful at sunrise. Plus, amazing food within walking distance."I stared at him.He raised his bottle. "Look, I didn't plan to meet my mate while helping chart bloodwork samples in a borrowed lab, but
DECLAN -When we pulled into the driveway, Dad and Linc were already waiting.They didn't speak, but I felt something in the way they stood there. At the time, I'd figured they were just sizing up Judson, doing the protective dad routine. But now, after everything Judson had said, it clicked in a way that made my chest feel too tight.They already knew.Not just about Judson. About what he might be. About how important he was going to be. Just like they'd known about Mom. Just like they'd kept it all quiet. For me.I'd spent so long thinking I was figuring all of this out on my own. That the timing was random, or fate, or whatever the hell else. But maybe it wasn't. Maybe Cassy hadn't just guided me.Maybe my whole damn family had. Perhaps they'd been walking beside me the entire time, keeping quiet so I could come to it on my own.Judson wasn't the surprise.I was.They stood at the edge of the porch, arms crossed, matching unreadable expressions locked in place. The second we still,
I stepped forward and stifled the growl as best I could. "Hey. Get up. Now!"The guy startled awake. "What?"Tory shot up in the bed, wide-eyed. "Declan, no! No, wait! This is... this is Judson."She looked panicked. But not afraid. Not at all."He's... he's my..."I stopped. Everything shifted. I looked at her. Looked at him. Looked back."You're mate."She nodded.I took a breath. Held it. Then stepped forward and stuck out my hand. Judson stood, still looking like he expected me to deck him. He shook my hand. I shook his harder.Tory glanced between us, then spoke up. "He's a nurse practitioner here. Was walking past the ICU when I first came in. Caught my scent in the hallway and almost dropped his coffee."Judson rubbed his hand where I'd gripped it "I tried to play it cool. Avoided eye contact, walked the long way around, you know, the usual 'don't poke the angry fathers and big brother' protocol. I thought I was being slick about it too. Barely even looked at her. Just nodded a
We didn’t leave the woods.Not that day. Not that night. I didn’t want to, and neither did she.We ran until our legs trembled. We played, circling and snapping at each other’s heels, tackling and wrestling in the mossy patches of clearing. We swam again, slower this time, more tangled up in each other than anything else. We lay in the grass and the sun, curled together, drowsy and content.And then we shifted.Over and over.Human, wolf, back again. Each shift smoother than the last. No moon. No pain. Not really. Not like the pain I had braced for my entire life. Just choice. Pure choice and ability. The power that came with it was almost addictive. I always wondered what they meant when saying the power overtook the pain. It was raw. It was strong. I loved it.And I loved her.We didn’t talk much, not out loud. But we didn’t need to. We were in each other's heads and had no plans to leave. When we shifted back to skin, we couldn’t stop touching. Couldn’t stop reaching. It was like
It hit all at once.One second I was halfway to my knees, still trying to breathe through the pull of her shift. The next, my ribs cracked outward and my body folded. I didn't fall. I collapsed.The pain was nothing like the moon-forced change I'd endured before. This wasn't guided or timed. This was raw. A hundred fractures all at once, my limbs pulling and twisting, muscles screaming as they rearranged.I couldn't stop the sound that tore out of my throat."Cassy!"I didn't even know what I was asking. Just that I was begging. My mind reached for her. I was desperate and frantic.Her voice came, faint and steady."You're never selfish, so you would've never asked."Bones popped in my jaw. My fingers stretched, then broke, shifting in crooked bursts. I slammed my hand into the dirt and gritted my teeth against the next snap. My skin burned. My eyes blurred.Oh shit.Did she make me...Cassy... Did you do this?Another bone cracked somewhere deep in my back, cutting the thought in hal