I stepped into the office, my heart racing. Linc was behind his desk, gripping the edge like he needed it to stay upright. His tie was loose, his sleeves rolled up, and his muscles strained. The door clicked shut. He turned toward me, his eyes sweeping over me, taking in every detail. I froze, unsure if I should move closer or stay still. Something was there between us, something I couldn't ignore any longer. He pushed away from the desk and crossed the room. His steps were quick, closing the distance between us. "Lila," he said, and I couldn't respond. I knew where this was going, and part of me wanted to stop it, but I couldn't make myself move. He reached for me, brushing his fingers against my cheek. My breath hitched as he ran his hand through my hair, tilting my chin up. Then his lips touched mine. I kissed him back harder than I should have, gripping his shirt. It wasn't slow. It wasn't careful. His mouth claimed mine, and I pulled him closer. I forgot the complic
I pushed Linc away, scrambling for my clothes. "Cast..."He didn't wait. He turned and walked out, the door banging shut behind him. I yanked my skirt back on, barely pulling it up over my hips as I stumbled to follow him. I didn't even grab my shirt. When I hit the parking lot, I was barefoot, half-naked, and freezing in the cool air. Cast was already halfway to his truck.I ran after him, my arms crossed over my chest. I was trying and failing to cover myself from the eyes already locked on me. Downtown Augusta. Full of people. They watched, whispering to each other."Cast!" I called after him.He spun around then turned and he stormed back toward me. "What the hell are you doing out here like that?"I opened my mouth, but he didn't give me the chance. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to his truck. I tripped over the curb. He caught me, steadying me just long enough to shove me inside.I was shivering as he ripped his shirt off and threw it at me. "Put it on."The fabric was war
We pulled into a quiet neighborhood just off the Augusta Riverwalk. The streets were lined with old, towering oaks, and I could hear the distant sound of the river rushing nearby. We slowed down in front of a sprawling historical house. It stood like something out of a magazine, with its white columns and brick façade. It was the kind of place that had probably been here for over a century, with all the charm and details that came with that. The wraparound porch had hanging plants swaying gently in the breeze. It was gorgeous. Perfect, even.Cast pulled into the driveway, which led into a two-car garage. The door groaned shut behind us, trapping us in darkness. He turned off the engine but didn't move. Neither did I.I looked around the dimly lit space. "Where are we?"He let out a long breath before turning to me. "I bought it... for you and the baby."I couldn't speak. He bought this? For us? The house, the life I didn't know how to picture, was now right in front of me.Before I
I couldn't stop grinning as I flipped another pancake. Burned. Again. It didn't matter, though. Lila sat on the kitchen bar, her legs swinging, watching me with a smirk that told me she was enjoying this way too much. I wasn't about to give up. Even if I ruined every single one, I was having too much fun pretending I knew what I was doing."You missed a spot," she said, pointing at the mess of flour and egg splattered across the counter."I'm just adding character to the kitchen," I replied, tossing another glob of batter into the pan with exaggerated flair.She laughed and folded her legs up under her. The sleeves of my shirt were too long on her arms, making her look even smaller and more comfortable. Like she belonged here. In my space. In my life."You're enjoying this way too much," I said, flipping a pancake that barely stayed intact."I'm enjoying the show," she replied, resting her chin on her hand. "You're very… committed to this failure."I picked up a fork and stabbed
I stood there staring at him. "I have to reject you."I heard the words. I understood them. But I didn't feel them right away. I had hit a wall, trying to wrap around what he had just said. "What… what do you mean?" I asked.Cast started pacing, his face twisting in a way I hadn't seen before. Broken. That's how he looked. Like he didn't want to say any of this, but he had to.His eyes met mine, and I knew. He wasn't going to take it back."I don't have a choice," he said quietly. "Linc… he needs to mark you. You can't bear my Luna mark anymore."I couldn't breathe. The room spun like someone had ripped the ground from under me. He was serious. He was actually going to do it.Reject me.Tears appeared at the corners of my eyes, and I forced myself to look at him, searching his face for something, anything to hold on to. But all I saw was regret. Pain. He wasn't going to fight this.My hand instinctively went to my stomach. "Will it hurt them?" I blurted out in a panic. Our b
CAST"Tomorrow," I muttered, hating myself as the word left my mouth.Her whole body seemed to go still. Like she was holding back everything she wanted to throw at me. That I deserved to have thrown at me. She walked out of the kitchen, leaving me standing there staring at the floor. I followed her out to the living room. She was sitting on the couch with her knees tucked under her chin. "Why tomorrow?" she asked as I walked in.I swallowed hard. I didn't trust myself to speak. If I started, I wasn't sure I could stop the flood of everything I'd been holding back. "I need one more night with you." I was barely able to mumble the words out.She sighed, but she didn't argue. Instead, I sat down beside her. Despite sitting so close, she felt rigid and distant. I reached for her hand. She let me take it, but her grip was loose. She was already slipping away, and it hurt so damn bad. I was losing her already. My heart felt like it was being torn apart, piece by piece, and there wasn'
LINC Lila was finally divorced. It was official. She could be mine now. I'd waited for this moment for what felt like forever, but the excitement didn't hit how I thought it would. Instead, there was this hollow fear settling in my chest. It wasn't that I doubted what I wanted—what I needed—but because deep down, I knew. She wasn't in love with me yet. Maybe she never would be. And as long as Cast was still in the picture, I knew she couldn't be. How could I compete with him? They had a bond. A real one. The kind that ran deeper than I'd ever understand. She didn't choose it, but it was there. No matter how much I wanted to be the one to fill the space in her life, Cast was the one still holding her heart. I knew that. I'd always known it. But I couldn't stand still anymore, waiting in the background, watching them live a life together while I sat with nothing. Still, as much as I wanted to tear them apart for good, I couldn't help but think back to the stories. The o
CAST We had spent the entire night on the floor, wrapped around each other. Every time I closed my eyes, fear would claw at me. It whispered if I let go, I'd wake up alone. The bond between us pulsated, more present than ever. But it was fading, slipping away with every breath we took.She hadn't left me, not even for a second. She had stayed curled around mine, both of us on the cold floor, clinging to what we had left. She wrapped around me like I was something worth holding on to. Like I deserved her. I knew better. I wasn't worthy of this. Of her.I looked at her. She looked peaceful but sp worn outIt hit me.This was it. This was our last night like this. Tomorrow, we wouldn't be us anymore. After tomorrow, I wouldn't have her like this, so close, so unguarded. We wouldn't be able to just hold on to each other. It wouldn't be the same.I shifted, moving slowly to slide out from under her. She stirred a little but didn't wake as I gathered her in my arms. Carrying her back t
DECLAN -I couldn't stop staring at the bruises. They darkened her arms, deep purple patches against her skin. More bruises ran along her ribs, circling her sides, marking every place I fought her, every spot I had thrashed to get free. Each mark told me exactly how much I'd lost control.Suki didn't move away despite everything. She lay still against me, her breathing steady, calm. She hadn't flinched once through it all. She hadn't complained or tried to escape. She'd just held me down for an hour, refusing to let me lose myself completely. And why?Because I panicked.Because I convinced myself something was broken when the truth was obvious. The moment we were marked, I would hear her, and she would hear me. It wasn't complicated. It wasn't something to fear. But panic had overtaken me anyway, and she'd paid the price.The ache spread through my knuckles. The truth hit me again and again. I'd hurt her because I couldn't keep my fears in check. Those bruises weren't just from the
SUKI - Declan's wolf moved like nothing I had ever seen. I had spent countless moments wondering what he might look like. Would he carry his father's stark, shadowy appearance, or would the softer colors of his mother break through? He was a spitting image of Cast, so I was expecting him to be dark, tall, and strong. And a bit chaotic. The reality surprised me. His coat held the deep hue of Cast's fur, intense and powerful, but lighter shades wove through like lighter veins hidden beneath the darkness. He shimmered slightly as the faint light caught the streaks, giving him an otherworldly presence. He wasn't just a wolf. He was an embodiment of raw strength, each muscle carved for dominance, a predator poised at the peak of power. I was in awe.His eyes held me captive immediately. Those icy, striking blue eyes were the only thing truly familiar. They belonged to Declan. They had always belonged to him. Seeing him this way felt oddly comforting. He was beautiful, a creature perfe
DECLAN - Fire tore down my spine. It twisted through every limb. My bones cracked. They shifted under the surface. They broke apart and reformed in ways that weren't natural. A scream wrenched from my throat. It came out raw and ragged. My legs gave out. I fell forward. Suki caught me, arms wrapping around me, pulling me tight against her."Stay with me," she whispered.I wanted to. I wanted to hold onto her and never let go, but I couldn't. The pain grew worse. It tore through every inch of me. It turned me inside out. My hands clenched around her waist. My forehead pressed hard into her shoulder. Everything inside me screamed to stay close. To hold on. To let her keep me together. But the shift had other plans.Another wave of fire ripped through my body. It was stronger than before. My back arched. My fingers spasmed. A growl, deep, guttural, completely inhuman, tore from my throat."Suki..."She held on tighter. "I know. I know."I wanted to believe she did, but she couldn't. No
DECLAN - I tried to push past her, but she held her hands up. "You can't go inside. Not right now."I froze. "What do you mean we can't go in?""Something happened," she said. "No one's allowed inside."My stomach dropped. "What the hell happened?"She shook her head. "Linc, Lila, and Cast went to Linc's old apartment in the city to shift. If you want to go there, you can."Suki and I exchanged a look. That was too close to the city. Too close to people. I didn't know what this shift would be like, and I wasn't about to risk tearing through concrete walls because I lost control.I exhaled sharply, turning back to Selena. "No. That's not a good idea."She hesitated before speaking. "Go to the burned-down house."Every muscle in my body locked up. "You can't be serious."She didn't waver. "You need a place to shift. That's your option."My heart hammered against my ribs. "What happened here? Why can't I shift at the pack house?"She stayed silent.I stepped forward. "Selena—""Don't wo
DECLAN - I startled awake, breath catching hard. My body tensed, expecting the usual flood of images, the heavy, sinking feeling that came every time I crawled out of sleep. But there was nothing. No nightmares. No flashes of Gaia. Just quiet.Suki was still curled up beside me, the blanket barely covering her. She had gotten too hot in the middle of the night and tossed her shirt somewhere across the room. I stared for a long moment, wondering if she did it to torture me. Maybe it was on purpose, a test of how much self-control I had left. I had spent two weeks fighting every urge, pulling back when I wanted to push forward. That was ending tonight.The second I recovered from the shift, I was taking care of this. I was done waiting. She was mine, and I was going to make sure she knew it. In every way I could. I was relieved she was still asleep. Still so peaceful. I probably talked in my sleep the entire week. I did that a lot as a kid. I still did when I was stressed. Dad used t
DECLAN - I swore she was about to lean in and mark me. My whole body jerked, already reacting to what I thought was coming. Then she didn't. The absence of it hit just as hard. Something close to desperation cracked through my chest. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. Every breath felt heavier than the last. Every second dragged. I was losing it. Literally losing it.Suki straddled my lap, pushing me against the mattress. Pressure kept me there, but it wasn't enough to settle the fire running through me. My fingers tightened on her thighs, trying to maintain some level of control here. Nothing worked. The burn spread. Every nerve turned razor-sharp.Her hands moved down my arms like she could pull me back. "Breathe."I tried, but the air seemed to be stuck in my throat. "I can't."She dug her fingers in my skin. "Yes, you can."My teeth clenched. "Suki..."She kissed me, dragging me under before I could stop her. My body jerked into hers, chasing the only thing I could think of.S
SUKI - The night before the full moon arrived, and the energy in the air felt thick enough to choke on. His body didn't fully understand what was coming yet, even if he did. Every instinct in him was preparing for something it had never gone through before. Luckily, I was here to help.My shifts were different. The moon didn't force them on me. I chose when to let my wolf out, when to embrace what was inside me. On the full moon, I wanted to shift. It felt incredible, like everything inside me clicked into place. But I didn't have to. He did. And it hurt. Really bad the first time.I had never understood why werewolves got the short end of the deal. Why their shift had to be something brutal, something to survive rather than something to embrace. If I could take that part away for him, I would. But I wasn't the one in the family with connections to the moon goddess. Declan paced through the Riverwalk house like he was trying to outrun something. He stretched, rolled his shoulders, a
SUKI - We ignored Gaia's birthday entirely. Neither of us spoke about it. Didn't acknowledge the date when it came and went. I'd say I hoped she had a good birthday, but that would be a lie. Instead, we swam in the river.The water was cool and clear, wrapping around us like something separate from the real world. Declan came alive in it, shedding the weight he had been carrying for weeks, moving through the currents like his body was remembering what it felt like to be free.He caught me from behind, dunking me before I could react. I sputtered to the surface, wiping water from my face just as he dove again, disappearing beneath me. A second later, hands gripped my waist, dragging me under. I fought, twisting against him, but he was stronger. Faster.I let him win.He pulled me close, his mouth brushing against mine just as we broke through the surface again. His lips hovered, teasing, waiting. My breath tangled in my throat, but I didn't make him wait long. I pressed into him, wat
SUKI POV - The first few days at the Riverwalk house had been quiet. Not silent, Declan didn't do silent, but calmer. Softer. Far less dramatic. I had expected the grief to eat at him, to turn him sharp, reckless, and impossible to handle. And while the anger still lingered, and he did seem ready to snap at any second, he let me help him. Let me take care of him. Let me put him back together piece by piece.He let me shove him toward the hammock when he was too exhausted to argue. Let me force water into his hand when he was too stubborn to take care of himself. Let me sit beside him and force-feed him, watching to make sure he ate every bite. I cleaned the cuts on his knuckles when he got too lost in his head and hit something he shouldn't have. I massaged the tension from his shoulders when he just couldn't relax. I patched up every wound, physical and otherwise, without him having to ask.He just let me take care of him. Let me curl into him at night when I knew the nightmares wer