SELENA - The bitter taste of bile still lingered as I closed the bathroom door. I pressed my palm against my stomach, trying to steady myself. Days of this had worn me down. Early mornings, late evenings, and now even the afternoons weren’t safe. Jaed was starting to notice.I hadn’t told him. Not yet. Jaed didn’t need this on top of everything else. His laughter carried from the living room. I moved slowly, bracing myself on the wall as I walked in. His face lit up when he saw me. He stood, arms outstretched.“You look better than this morning.” He moved toward me, but I took a step back before he could kiss me.“Don’t,” I muttered, raising a hand to block him.He stopped short, and I rested my hand on his chest. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing,” I lied, brushing past him toward the kitchen. I made it to the counter and had to stop, forcing myself to steady my breathing. He followed me quietly as I stalked away from him. “You’ve been off all week.” He stopped just behind me. “Don’t tell
LILA - The house felt far too quiet. Every creak of the floorboards beneath my bare feet sounded like a betrayal, threatening to wake one of them. I kept my steps light, avoiding the spots I knew would groan the loudest. I had a scheduled stress test with the healers this morning, and I’d left a note for the guys before slipping out. They hovered so much that sneaking away like this felt almost illicit, but I needed to make it to the clinic on my own for once. My feet had barely touched the floor since I came home. I left the house early, the note I’d written for the guys still on the bathroom counter. The clinic wasn’t far, just a short path through the woods, and I knew it well enough to walk it alone. I paused to look at the stairs where I had tripped before. I pushed the door open to find the healer already waiting. She looked up, her brows pulling together as she studied me. “You’re lucky they didn’t catch you leaving again,” she murmured while setting up her tools. I eased on
LINC - I pushed up from the bed, my arms straining under the effort, but the sharp sting in my side flared instantly. It stole the air from my lungs, leaving me gasping. Lila moved toward me. “Don’t,” I snapped.She paused, but she didn’t back off. “You can barely stand. Let me go with you.”I straightened, ignoring the tremor in my legs. “No. Stay here.”“Linc, don’t be...”“Enough,” I cut her off. “You’ll stay in this room like I said.” I reached for that thread of dominance, the one I used sparingly but couldn’t avoid now. Her defiance burned, but I turned away before she could say anything else.Cast hovered near the doorway. He stepped forward as I made my way toward him, taking my arm without a word. I let him steady me, the sharp pull in my side making my steps unsteady. The hallway stretched long before us, the walk more of a battle than I cared to admit.“You didn’t have to be such a bastard about it,” Cast muttered as we reached the stairs.“She wasn’t going to listen any o
LILA - They thought they were protecting me. Of course they did. Noble, self-sacrificing idiots. They hadn’t even given me a choice. I shifted in my seat, gripping the armrests tightly as I tried to roll and pop every possible muscle and joint. My knuckles cracked under the pressure. Sitting still ate at me, but pacing wasn’t an option. Barely holding myself back from moving felt like a fight in itself. The whole thing replayed over and over. I’d been stupid enough to think I could just walk away from the chaos without it spiraling. Without it causing both my guys to fall over a cliff. A cliff that would be difficult to pull them back from with this much restless energy. Linc had set up the portable office in the bedroom without a word, guilt evident in every meticulous detail. Now, it felt less like a workspace and more like a shrine to his inability to leave me alone. And it wasn’t just the desk. Everything they did now seemed wrapped in the same guilt. Neither of them had gone
CAST -I raced through the dense forest. Shadows of trees streaked by, their skeletal branches clawing at the moonlit sky. The pack followed close, their pale white bodies glowing in the moonlight. Their eyes burned with a sickly green hue, eerily similar to Kat's human eyes. Her voice was louder than the cacophony of snapping twigs and guttural growls. She sat on the back of a massive white wolf, her hair whipping wildly as she screamed at me. “You kill them, or we will!”I couldn’t stop long enough to turn around to see her. My body stretched and lunged, every muscle of my wolf body screaming as I pushed forward. I wasn’t running for me. It was for her. For them. For Lila and the lives she carried. I had to lead them away.The pack was just a breath behind me. They weren’t going to stop. Kat grew louder, venom lacing every demand. “If you won’t do it, Cast, then it’s on us! You hear me? We’ll finish what you won’t!”It hit me. She wasn’t talking about some abstract enemy. She was ta
CAST - Chaos erupted the moment Linc collapsed. A bowl of soup tumbled from the tray he was carrying, the scolding hot contents splashing across the floor and burning my arms as I tried to shield Lila. The searing pain bit through my skin and made me hiss. I failed to shield Lila, and she was screeched as it hit her. His head struck the floor with a sickening crack, louder than the bowl clattering on the hardwood.“Get the car!” I barked at Lila. She froze, her wide eyes locked on Linc’s unmoving body beside mine. Red splotches had begun forming on her skin where the soup had splattered on her, but she didn’t seem to notice. When she didn't move, I reached up and pulled her face up to mine. I kissed her lips. "Baby, listen to me. Go get someone to get the car. I got him." I slid my arms under Linc’s shoulders and heaved. His body, unnervingly limp and hot to the touch, refused to cooperate. My feet skidded across the slick tiles, but I gritted my teeth and dragged him toward the d
CECE - Cast called me early that morning. “Cece, it’s Linc. He’s in the hospital.” I snapped awake. “What happened?”“Lila won’t leave his side,” he added. “I need you to take care of Declan full-time for me. Just for a few days.”“Why me?”There was a pause. “You’re the only one I trust with him,” he admitted finally. “He’s not easy, and you seem to be the only one he will calm down with besides us.”I almost said no. Almost. But Lila needed someone. My Luna needed someone. Declan needed someone. And Cast had asked me, of all people.The packhouse felt different when I stepped in. The usual hum of energy was missing, replaced by an unsettling stillness. Wady had explained it was from the lack of alpha energy due to having five in the house, but it was still so unsettling when it happened. I reached the nursery just as Declan started wailing. My steps faltered, but I forced myself forward. He stood in his crib, red-faced as he bounced up and down.“Alright, kiddo. Chill out, I'm her
CAST - The cracks spread faster than I could patch them as I remained by Linc and Lila's side at the hospital. As much as I wanted to stay there full-time, two packs had lost their alpha, and it was causing issues. Arguments erupted in both packs the second Linc was declared to be in a coma. It wasn't a day before whispered disputes escalated into snarled accusations that turned into physical fights. With the moon so close to full, everyone was on edge, and it showed. Territory. Resources. Everything seemed up for debate. Every one of them demanded attention to maintain the equilibrium between Oxfords and Romans. Without Linc to balance that, the packs looked to me. So did the council. It wasn't three days before I was called to a meeting with them. I tried to politely decline but was told I didn't have a choice. Lila barely even hugged me before I left. I strode into the meeting hall, still wearing the same clothes I had worn at the hospital. A sharp exchange between two pack mem
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