He groaned, and I felt his hands go limp in mine. His body relaxed against mine as he opened his eyes to look at me. He wasn't seeing anything but me. He wasn't thinking about anything but me. I was his world. His everything. He was mine. All mine. "Thrust."He obeyed instantly, his hips lifting off the bed just enough to push into me. I could feel the strain in his body, the way he struggled to maintain the control I demanded. His muscles tightened beneath my thighs, and a low groan escaped him as he fought to hold back."Good," I whispered, trailing my fingers over his wrists still locked behind his head. His chest rose and fell fast. Every inch of him screamed for release, but I wasn't letting him have it. Not yet."Do it again. Slower this time."His entire body shuddered as he lifted his hips, inch by inch, drawing out the movement like it was torture. The power I had over him, the control pushed me to the edge along with him. My body was on fire, each movement making my skin
LINC - I collapsed against the headboard, trying to catch my breath. My body still thrummed, my skin tingling with the intensity of what had just happened. Lila remained on top of me, her body trembling slightly, her palms resting on my chest after she untangled them from my hair. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She'd taken control in a way that shattered every illusion I had of owning the moment. I thought I was in charge. I thought I could hold it together. She showed me just how wrong I was.She leaned down, brushing her forehead against mine. "You good?"I let out a shaky laugh. "Lila, you don't even know what you just did to me."She brushed her lips along my neck, making it clear that she wasn't finished playing with me yet. "Oh, I know exactly what I did."I smiled like a fool. Every inch of me was still on edge, ready for her next move. I had nothing left to fight her with. I was hers, completely, and we both knew it."I think I might die," I muttered.She laughed softly a
CAST -I woke up feeling empty all around me, the bed cold, just like every second since I dropped her off. It hadn't felt right since then, but today, it was worse. My thoughts went straight to her the second I opened my eyes, the same as they had every morning. The warmth I used to feel was gone. She had taken it with her when I drove away from that house.I grabbed my phone, hoping for a message, a missed call, something from her. My chest tightened as I looked at the screen, praying it would light up with her name. But there was nothing. No texts. No calls.I tossed the phone onto the bed, trying not to let it get to me. She was with him. She chose him. Linc had what I wanted, and I was just the afterthought, left behind to pick up the pieces.I sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, burying my face in my hands. Lila was with him. The idea of her being with Linc, waking up next to him, hit harder than I'd prepared for. I wasn't ready to lose her like this. Not to hi
LINC - I stared out at the trees, not really seeing them. The sun had just started to dip behind the line of oaks. This territory was undoubtedly beautiful. That was one thing the Romans knew how to do well. Lipstick on a pig. Cast stood there in silence, waiting for whatever was about to come out of my mouth. It was the longest we'd ever been this close without one of us starting something. I was wound tight, every nerve on edge, thinking about what Lila had asked of me.She wanted me to tolerate him. Not just tolerate, but humor him, allow him into her life more than I ever thought I'd have to. It didn't sit right with me, but I couldn't deny the truth behind her reasoning. She wanted to be Luna of the Roman pack at the same time as being my Luna. Said Cast couldn't hold it together without her, that it would all come crashing down if she didn't step in.That's what killed me. That's what made the jealousy hard to choke down.She was right. He wasn't strong enough. As much as I h
LILA - As I stirred the sauce on the stove, I couldn't help but think I might be crazy for taking all of this on.I had to be. There was no other explanation for why I thought, even for a second, that I could manage to be Luna of two packs. And not only that, but keep them both afloat while Cast and Linc figured out how to become the alphas they were meant to be. I was signing myself up for chaos, and I knew it.Linc was solid, but even he had cracks he didn't see. Things buried so deep he didn't realize how fragile he could be. He carried the right ideas and intentions, but I knew all too well how quickly he could fall into the same traps his family laid for him. He'd told me enough about his upbringing, I could see the patterns. The rigid dominance, the old ways of thinking. That was always lurking, and if I wasn't careful, it would pull him down fast.Then there was Cast. He was just... Cast. Continuously walking the line between magnetic and reckless. He'd begun to see the ligh
LILA - The dinner ended without much fanfare, but Cast was getting restless. He stood, stretching his arms, and glanced between Linc and me. "It's late. You can stay here tonight. I'll have the omegas set up a wing for both of you."Linc didn't even pause. "No. I've got work back home that needs handling."Cast's disappointment showed, but I didn't comment. Linc was buried in commitments, and neither of us could afford distractions. Cast, though, knew better than to push.Before we could leave, Linc's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, Luca's name flashing briefly before his demeanor changed. "I'll be back," he muttered, heading outside to take the call.I gave him space, then told him I'd catch up. He waved me off, not looking back.Once Linc was out of sight, I turned to Cast. The calm vanished, replaced by something fragile. I stayed still, waiting for Linc to fully disappear before moving closer. Cast didn't resist when I wrapped my arms around him. He leaned into me, like
LILA - Linc was in full lawyer mode, dressed to absolute perfection. His dark hair was styled just right, complementing his strong jawline and the crisp lines of his suit. The fabric hugged him in all the right places, accentuating the muscles beneath. I couldn't help but admire every damn inch of him. The past few months had blurred into a routine of casual looks. Polos, jeans, and t-shirts that made him approachable. More of the sweet person I'd fallen in love with.But this was different. This was the Linc who commanded attention, walked into a room, and made heads turn.As he navigated the road, I watched him. He was on his way to face a court case that mattered, and that sense of purpose made him even more attractive.When he caught me staring, he started smirking. "What?" he asked, glancing my way.I shook my head, unable to tear my eyes away from him. "Nothing, you're just... hot as hell."His chuckled. "Nice to know I'm still worth looking at."More than worth it. The way
LINC - The courtroom buzzed around me, but I focused on the lawyer across the aisle, his voice dripping with self-satisfaction as he rattled off another misleading argument. "Objection," I cut in, trying to keep my tone even. The judge raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue. "That's a misrepresentation of the evidence."The judge motioned for the other lawyer to rephrase, but I knew that didn't change the dirty game they were playing. This case had been a mess from the start and wasn't improving. Sitting just behind me, Luca sighed loud enough for me to hear, sliding a note across the table. I glanced down. Case notes. Again.I sighed, leaning back in my chair as the opposing side went on. This case would go on for weeks at this rate, maybe longer. It wasn't complicated, just a spoiled CEO's son trying to cover up his embezzlement, but the kid's dad had deep pockets. The millions he was throwing at the defense kept them dancing around the truth, hoping to drag this out long
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
CAST - The morning of the full moon was chaotic. Lila was a mess, and it wasn't just her—it was everything. She was overwhelmed, emotional, and I could tell the energy from the twins was making everything worse. Her emotions bounced all over the place, and it was impossible to know what would set her off or calm her down. Linc and I spent most of the day in and out of the bedroom, trying to comfort her. She couldn't settle, and every time she reached a moment of peace, something seemed to bring the turmoil back.I knew why she was on edge, and so did Linc. The full moon brought too much baggage, especially after what happened with Jaed. Her need to protect Declan overrode everything else. She didn't want to leave him alone, not with the energy vibrating between all of us. Finally, when it was getting too late to keep waffling, she pulled me aside, her gaze distant as she looked toward Declan's room."I can't go. Wady is great, but I can't leave him." Her hand rested over her stomach.
LINC - The moon was nearly full, adding another layer to the issues we were dealing with. Cast and I sat on the back steps of the pack house, watching the omegas finish their chores outdoors. We'd been stuck in this limbo all week. Ever since Phoebe's scent had clung to our walls like a stain, everything had shifted. It was just in our nature to doubt one another as bloodline Alphas. Conversations were heavier, movements slower to make sure we didn't trigger one another. It felt like we were wading through sludge, trying to decide who we could trust."So, we're splitting up again?" I finally asked. "Full moon in separate spots to keep from killing one another?"Cast nodded, his thumb tapping rhythmically against his knee. "Yeah. I'll head down to the basement here, and you can go back to the old place. It's the best way to keep things stable. Will Luca be here this time to keep an eye on things upstairs?"I nodded. "And Indy. Lila wants someone she trusts here with her and Declan."
LILA -The full moon crept closer, and we needed a plan. A week had passed since we returned to find Phoebe's scent clinging to the house like an infection. None of us had shaken the unease it left behind. Cast and Linc had been restless, their tension crackling through the air as they tried to make sense of it. For me, the days had become a battle against a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Every time I thought I'd found solid ground, something else rose to unsettle me. The pregnancy only added fuel to the fire. The energy coursing through me prickled under my skin, relentless and demanding, urging me to protect and take charge.Cast had been slipping out more often, heading to see Kat. He wasn't exactly hiding it, but his efforts to keep it subtle weren't lost on me. He wanted to keep the peace and spare me any unnecessary friction. I understood his intentions, even if they didn't sit well. Kat had seemed kind enough before her entanglement with Cast, but things were different now.
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