CAST - I was furious at myself. Marking Lila was a stupid fucking mistake. I should've known better. I should've known that dragging her back into my mess would only end with me sinking deeper into this chaos. Lila deserved better than what I'd given her.A broken promise, a rejection, and now this disaster with Selena. Selena. I should've seen it coming. She'd been unraveling, and I'd ignored it. Let myself believe I could control it, that everything would just... work out. But now, with Astin dead and Linc in the middle of a legal shitstorm, I couldn't keep pretending I didn't played a part in it all. Linc's voice carried from the office, his conversation with Luca echoing through the house. I could hear every damn word, his calm, steady tone as he talked about the case, about what needed to happen next. That was why I always took my calls outside. This house wasn't built for privacy, and I didn't need everyone hearing my messes laid out like that. Last night Lila told me to co
LINC - When I woke up that morning, I felt it in my bones. Something had shifted. The pack was mine. It wasn't official yet, but I knew once Astin was no longer an issue, no one would challenge me for the title. I could feel the power settling into place. Finally, I could take care of things the way they should've been handled all along.Cast wasn't in the bed when I woke up. He must have slipped out early, probably attempting to avoid the awkwardness. I was grateful for that. I wasn't sure what I would've done if I'd woken up to see him still there, lying next to Lila. My Luna. It had been easier to ignore before when I wasn't fully alpha yet. But now, I didn't know how I'd react if he touched her in front of me. There was a primal part of me that wouldn't tolerate it anymore.I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her. She looked so peaceful, curled up under the blankets, and I knew the day ahead would be anything but peaceful. She needed this rest. She'd been through enough, a
LILA - When Linc asked me to marry him, it felt like my world tilted. He was offering me everything. His pack, his future, his love...but I wasn't sure I could give him what he wanted. Not yet. Not with everything else, especially with the full moon coming. So I told him I would, but after the shift, there was no way I could handle both him and Cast transforming and then thinking about a marriage on top of it all.Linc seemed to understand, even if he didn't say anything immediately. I could tell he was a little disappointed, but I just couldn't bring myself to think about anything else right now. He told Cast to come shift on Oxford land, promising him safety. Still, I begged them both not to run free. They needed to be secured. I didn't care how confident they were that they could control themselves, that everything would be fine. I wasn't willing to take that risk. They'd tear each other apart if one wrong look passed between them in wolf form, and I couldn't survive losing eithe
Cast pushed me softly toward the back of the cell, his wolf form looming over me. I braced, pressing my hands against the cold metal wall behind me. His growl rumbled in my chest as he came closer, his muzzle inches from my face.I didn't move. His growls weren't meant to scare or intimidate me, not this time. His eyes locked on mine, and I could feel something in him pulling back. He was trying to communicate, trying to make me understand something.Then, his rough tongue swept over my cheek, a strange, almost gentle motion for something so primal. The tension in my body eased ever so slightly. He wasn't angry with me. This wasn't about control or domination. This was something else. His wolf was trying to say something, but I wasn't sure what.He whipped around, his body low to the ground, focusing entirely on Selena's wolf outside the cell. He snarled louder this time. He paced toward the front of the cell, standing in front of me like a barrier. His stance was all dominance now,
The sound of metal bending filled the air, and it was all I could hear. Linc was breaking through the bars of his cell, his wolf slamming into the metal with relentless force. Each hit was like a drumbeat in my chest, growing louder and more frantic. I couldn't stop shaking. I was scrambling for a way to fix this before it was too late. But Linc was out of control, and there was no stopping him once he broke free.Selena didn't seem to care. Her wolf paced outside the cell, her eyes locked on me and Cast. The growls coming from her were low and constant, almost like she wasn't even aware of what Linc was doing. She was so focused on us like something rabid had taken hold of her. The wildness in her eyes made me shiver, and the longer she stared, the more I realized she was waiting for something. Cast stood at the front of the cell, holding the door shut with his entire body. His muscles tensed with every crash of metal from Linc's cell, but he didn't move. He couldn't let Selena or
LILA - The way he looked at me, it was like he'd already resigned himself to hearing a decision that would break him. But I couldn't handle the demand right now, not after everything that had just happened. Both of them were slumped on the ground, naked and spent, barely able to keep themselves upright after shifting back."Don't do this," I snapped. "Don't make me pick right now. You won't like the answer."Neither of them replied. They looked just as torn apart as I felt. Linc seemed to be having trouble breathing, his eyes fixed on the floor like he was already losing a fight he hadn't even started yet. His shoulder was a solid bruise from where he'd repeatedly hit the bars. Cast leaned against the cell door, his skin bruised and streaked with dried blood. They were too worn out to argue further, but the strain between them was like an open wound."I'm getting help," I said as I made Cast shift so I could open the door. "Stay here, and don't do anything stupid. I'm not kidding."
CAST - Linc crawled across the bed, or at least tried to. The word fiancée burned in my ears, and before I could think, I shoved him back, sending him sprawling to the floor. I stayed where I was, barely managing to stay upright myself. We were both too weak to fight for real, but the adrenaline from hearing him call Lila his fiancée flooded me like fire. Fiancée? That meant they were already planning on getting married. Holy shit. The reality hit me hard. It would be so much harder to win her back if she became his wife. I had been clinging to the idea that there was still time, that I could somehow pull us back together. But if they were already talking about a wedding...Linc let out a low, pained breath as he struggled to sit up on the floor, glaring up at me. “You think you can just claim her because she’s carrying your baby? You threw away your chance when you cheated on her. Or have you forgotten that part?”“Don’t pretend like you’re the answer to her problems,” I snapped ba
CAST - I woke up with Linc sprawled on the floor beside the bed. He was completely out cold. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the fog from the night before. Lila hadn't stayed long after forcing us to share the bed. The instant we started bickering again, she'd left, leaving Linc and me to deal with our mess.Or ignore each other, which we'd both chosen.I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood. I couldn't sit around anymore. I headed for the cells. The pack's underground cells were damp and smelled strongly of blood. I found Selena sitting inside one of them, looking rough. She was awake, but her eyes were glassy, and she glared at me through the bars. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in bruises and blood."Look at you," she sneered, shifting up on the bench. "Here to gloat? Or did she send you to punish me?""Selena, you tried to hurt the mother of my child," I spat. "What did you expect?" I gripped the bars, staring at her.She shrugged. "I don't c
Gaia lunged at him. Ian didn't move. He braced himself, standing firm as her massive form slammed into him. The force of it sent a shockwave through the ground. He held his position, absorbing the impact, pushing her back with raw strength alone. His white fur bristled. Gaia struck again, snapping at his throat, but he dodged, twisting at the last second to drive her off balance. She hit the dirt hard, paws digging into the earth as she pushed herself back up in an instant. Her entire body shook, not from exhaustion but from pure, unchecked aggression. Ian snarled, lowering his stance, but he didn't strike back. He didn't need to. He was blocking her, stopping her, keeping her from finishing what she had started. Something shifted in Gaia. Her breaths came hard, her body still wound too tight, but the moment stretched longer, stretched too long. Then, finally, she stopped. Ian didn't move, waiting, making sure she was really done. I didn't wait. The second she hesitated, I forced
DECLAN -The trees blurred past as Gaia ran, powerful and sure beneath me. I gripped her fur tighter, not because I was afraid but because I had never felt anything like this. The wind cut sharp against my skin, my pulse pounded in my ears, and my body moved in sync with hers like we were built for this. Everything in me buzzed with adrenaline, with the rush of speed, the sheer force of her muscles coiling and flexing beneath me. Then I saw it. A shadow slipped between the trees, fast and silent, keeping pace with us. Suki. Not now. Not like this. I silently begged her to stay back, to leave this moment alone, to not push this any further than it had already gone. But she didn't. Her wolf stayed just on the edges of my vision, always there, always lingering, never letting me forget what was still tangled inside me. The pull. The connection that refused to break, no matter how much I willed it to disappear. Then Gaia saw her. Her muscles coiled. A ripple of tension passed through
DECLAN -I made it back to the house just as Gaia came tearing out the front door, furious. She was barely holding herself together. The second she saw me, she yanked her shirt over her head. My brain barely caught up. I froze as every muscle in my body seemed to ripple at once. I was still reeling from being near Suki. From the way she looked at me. From the way my body reacted even when my mind told me I belonged to Gaia. The confusion pulled me in opposite directions, turning every second into a battle. And now Gaia was storming toward me, tearing off her clothes, taking up every bit of space in my mind. "Damn, Gaia." I snapped my head to the side, forcing myself to look anywhere but at her. She stalked closer, bare feet kicking up dust. I frowned. Why the hell were her shoes off? She had stormed out of the house so fast that she hadn't even thought to put them on. That wasn't like her. She grabbed my chin and jerked my head forward. "We... werr 'dults. We... need to stop act
DECLAN - Suki stretched out on the rock beside me, legs extended, fingers tapping idly against the stone. She wasn't in a rush, and that only made everything worse for me."Why are you upset?"I stared at the dirt, exhaling hard. "You don't want to know.""Please. You rejected me. Nothing else you say can be worse than that."That shouldn't have hit as hard as it did. My hands tightened against my knees, but I kept my voice even. "Yeah... Sorry for that too."She shrugged like it didn't matter. "You did what you had to do. That doesn't mean I can't tease you about it."She smiled, not mean, not teasing, but something about it still made it impossible to ignore. I didn't push. Couldn't. Not right now.Some of the pressure in my shoulders eased. "You're handling it better than I thought.""What, did you expect me to run off crying?" She kicked a loose rock down the slope. "I don't do the whole helpless thing."I huffed. "I know. Takes a lot of strength to live out here on purpose all t
DECLAN - Mom knocked once before stepping inside, moving like she expected this to be a fight. Maybe she did. Maybe it was."Your dads worked out a deal with Jaed."I stayed where I was, back against the headboard, arms locked around Gaia. Keeping her here. Keeping her mine. "Doesn't matter. Nothing is changing."She did her best to ignore my attitude. "Gaia can still stay until her birthday."I scoffed. "You heard what I said. She was staying regardless of all the bullshit."Gaia sat up fast, then shoved off the bed completely. "Don't talk to your mother like that."Heat crawled up my spine fast. A burn that made my stomach wrench. Being called out pissed me off. Being called out by someone below me? Made my teeth ache.And I hated that I felt like that.Mom just watched, waiting. No reaction, no expression, no wasted effort. My breath felt thicker, slower, body bracing for something I wasn't even sure of. I forced my attention back to her instead of the fire sparking hot under my s
DECLAN - Jaed turned on his heel and stormed out, steps heavy enough to shake the floor. The door slammed hard enough to rattle the frame. Gaia moved fast, pushing out of the room after him without looking back. My body still burned, everything wound so tight I thought I might snap in half. There was no way in hell I was walking out there right now, not like this. I sat on the edge of the bed, planted my feet, and dragged both hands through my hair before forcing them down. If I kept doing that, it would only make everything worse. I needed to get it together. I needed to think about something else. Anything else. My breathing was too hard, too uneven. My pulse pounded in my ears. My entire body ached, my skin too hot, my blood thick and heavy. Every inch of me still screamed for her, for more, for everything I had been seconds away from having. I stared at the ceiling and tried to focus. No good. Every thought ran straight back to her. To the way she had felt pressed against m
DECLAN - By the end of the lesson, most of them had the alphabet down. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. More than that, it was proof that this was happening. That Gaia was becoming part of us, not just some outsider with no way to connect.As the room emptied out, I felt her before she even touched me. Gaia slid her arms around my waist from behind, pressing herself against my back."You're incredible," she signed against my chest, looking up at me.I swallowed. Hard. "Come on," I muttered, taking her hand and pulling her toward my room.The second the door shut behind us, she was on me. She dragged me down to meet her lips. I didn't hesitate. I kissed her hard, ignoring the dull ache still lingering in my ribs. My shoulder moved without protest, and most of the cuts had already faded into thin scars. I knew I should still be careful, but touching her made everything else disappear. The soreness, the exhaustion, the remnants of pain all vanished the second she was in my arms.S
I found Cast and Linc in the office, going over some pack reports. Linc leaned back in his chair while Cast was half-standing, flipping through pages with a scowl. They barely looked up when I walked in, but I didn't care. I had something to say, and they were going to listen."We're starting ASL classes," I said, crossing my arms. "Everyone is required to attend. That includes both of you."Linc's brow lifted slightly, and Cast set the papers down with an exasperated sigh. "You're giving us orders now?" Cast asked, folding his arms over his chest."Yes."They exchanged a look. Linc sighed first. "Declan, you don't get to just..."I cut him off. "I do. And I am. This should've happened the second we knew Gaia was deaf. Jaed made sure every single person in his pack knew how to communicate with her before they moved there. But here? We're still scribbling on notepads like it's the Dark Ages."Linc's jaw tightened. Cast clenched his teeth, looking more annoyed than guilty. But I wasn't
Life felt strange now. Not bad. Just different.The routine of school was gone, replaced by the quiet predictability of home. I woke up early, trained with Dad Cast and some of the others, then spent the rest of the day doing whatever needed to be done around the packhouse. The only difference now? I was healing far faster than I should have been.The gashes along my ribs had already started closing. My shoulder still ached, but nowhere near what it should have been given the damage Suki had done. Even the deep bruising felt more like old aches instead of fresh wounds. It was fast. Too fast.Gaia noticed it first. She was there when I peeled off my shirt after training, her eyes narrowing as she reached out, fingers barely brushing over the nearly-healed claw marks."That’s not normal," she signed, eyes flicking up to mine.I already knew that. "I heal fast now that I'm an adult alpha?""Not this fast," she countered . "Do you think,"I exhaled. "It’s you."She nodded slowly. "We heal