Pain. Searing, all-consuming pain. It tears through every cell of my body like molten lava, reshaping me from the inside out. I try to scream, but my vocal cords are transforming, making my cries come out as half-human, half-wolf howls.The basement of Callum's penthouse spins around me, ancient runes carved into stone walls pulsing with an eerie blue light. Their magic contains my thrashing body, keeps me from hurting myself – or others – as the change takes hold. The metallic scent of my own blood mingles with sweat and fear, overwhelming my heightening senses.Through the haze of agony, I catch glimpses of Callum's face. His amber eyes never leave me, filled with a mixture of guilt and desperate love that makes me want to both cling to him and claw his eyes out. He did this to me. He took my choice away."I'm sorry," he whispers, the words falling uselessly between us. "I'm so sorry, love."Another wave of pain hits, and I arch off the bed, bones cracking and reforming. My fingers
The first breath burned like fire in my lungs. Every sensation crashed over me with brutal intensity—the scratch of Egyptian cotton sheets against my hypersensitive skin, the thunderous drumbeat of my own heart, the overwhelming cedar-and-rain scent that I knew belonged to Callum. My eyes snapped open, and the world exploded into painful clarity.Too bright. Too sharp. Too *everything*.I jolted upright, a primal sound ripping from my throat that I barely recognized as my own voice. The movement sent waves of dizzying information through my enhanced senses. Forty stories below, I could hear the rhythmic thrum of early morning traffic. The antiseptic tang in the air mixed with the metallic scent of blood—my blood—making my stomach roll."Easy." Callum's voice came from beside me, and I flinched at its intensity. He reached for me, but the moment his fingers brushed my arm, electricity shot through my transformed nervous system. The mate bond pulsed between us, stronger than ever, but i
My feet pound against cold pavement as I race through London's financial district, a cruel mockery of my usual confident stride in designer heels. Each step sends shockwaves of agony through my transforming body. The glass-walled skyscrapers that once represented my success now feel like prison walls, their reflective surfaces multiplying my distorted form as another wave of change ripples beneath my skin.God, the smells. The acrid stench of exhaust fumes burns my nostrils. The thunderous drumbeat of distant construction threatens to split my skull. Even the air tastes different – metallic, thick with the fear radiating from my own pores.A group of traders stumbles out of a nearby pub, their drunken laughter piercing my ears like shattered glass. I duck into a shadowy alley, pressing myself against rough brick as my bones begin to shift and crack."Turn right at the next intersection." Fiona's voice crackles through my earpiece, steady despite the urgency in her tone. "There's an ac
The scent of fear permeates my glass-walled office like a toxic cloud. My assistant Sarah's heartbeat thunders in my ears—the third time this morning I've caught her staring at me with barely concealed concern. The morning light streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows feels like needles against my sensitive skin, every sound amplified to excruciating levels. The gentle hum of laptops. The click of heels against marble floors. The thundering heartbeats of my subordinates.Two weeks. That's how long I've been trying to maintain this façade of normalcy since my world imploded. Since the night Callum Wolfe—billionaire CEO, alpha werewolf, and the man who turned my life upside down—saved me from certain death and awakened something primal inside me.I grip my Mont Blanc pen tighter, focusing on the feel of cool metal against my skin. *Control*. That's what Callum preached during our brief training sessions before I fled back to the safety of Blackwood Financial. Control your emotions. C
My heels clicked against ancient marble floors as I entered the Great Hall of the Wolfe Pack mansion, each step echoing like a drumbeat of doom. The weight of dozens of predatory gazes pressed against my skin. Werewolves. All of them. And here I was, the human who dared to catch their Alpha's eye.*Keep your chin up. Show no fear.* My INTJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging) brain cataloged every detail - the crystal chandeliers casting dancing shadows, the whispered conversations that my human ears couldn't quite catch, the subtle shifting of bodies as pack members positioned themselves. Strategic analysis was my comfort zone. Numbers, probabilities, risk assessments - those I could handle. Pack politics? That was another story entirely.A flash of red caught my eye as Fiona materialized beside me, her petite frame radiating protective energy. "Remember what we practiced," she murmured, guiding me forward. "You've got this, Olivia."We passed Alistair Blackthorn, his massive
My heels sank into the damp earth of Hampstead Heath as I followed Callum deeper into the woods, my newly enhanced senses overwhelmed by the symphony of night sounds. Every crunch of leaves beneath his feet sent shivers down my spine. The scent of pine and leather that clung to him made my wolf stir, despite my determination to keep my distance."Just a bit further," Callum's deep voice carried back to me. Even those simple words held too much power over me. I hated how my body responded to him – the way my heart raced, how my skin tingled with awareness. After James's betrayal, I'd sworn never to let another man affect me this way.The moon hung full and heavy above us, its silver light filtering through the ancient oaks. My fingertips tingled with the urge to shift, the wolf inside me responding to its pull. Fighting the change was like trying to hold back a tide with my bare hands."This clearing should work." Callum turned to face me, his amber eyes gleaming in the darkness. The m
Moonlight silvered my blood-stained hands as I stared at them in horror. Even my heightened werewolf senses couldn't comprehend how this had happened—how a moment of peace with Callum had shattered into chaos and suspicion."Show me your hands!" Callum's voice cracked with Alpha authority, sending shivers down my spine. The pack's heavy presence closed in around us, their judgment as thick as the fog rolling through Richmond Park.My heart thundered as I slowly raised my trembling fingers. The dried blood beneath my nails gleamed accusingly in the moonlight. *My* blood, from scaling that fence earlier. But how could I prove it?"Olivia Blackwood." Callum's words carried the weight of an executioner's axe. Each syllable seemed to physically pain him as his amber eyes burned into mine. "By pack law, you are confined to the sanctuary until this incident can be investigated."*An hour earlier...*The forest fight's aftermath had left visible marks—a tear in Callum's henley, mud streaking
My heels clicked against the marble floor of James's office building, each step echoing like a countdown in my head. The familiar scent of his cologne lingered in the air - bergamot and cedar, now tainted with something metallic. Blood.Security footage of his crumpled form played on loop in my mind. My ex-husband, the man who'd shattered my trust, now lay in a hospital bed because of what everyone thought I'd done. My newly heightened senses picked up whispers from the cubicles I passed. *Monster. Animal. Murderer.*If only they knew how right they were about the animal part.The glass walls of the executive floor loomed before me, a sterile fortress against London's rain-darkened sky. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, reading the tension in my muscles. Callum's training sessions echoed in my thoughts: "Control the beast, or it controls you." Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one being hunted by his own pack.I slipped into the security room, my corporate access card still valid. Eit
"Consider it done," Elena Volkov said firmly. "Go save your mate."Callum didn't waste time responding. "Alistair, organize the medical team. We need the anti-silver treatments developed by pharmaceutical. Fiona, coordinate from here." He was already moving toward the door."Where are you going?" Alistair asked, though he already knew the answer."To get Olivia.""Callum," Fiona called, her expression grim as she studied the biometric readings from Olivia's tactical gear. "Her heart rate's dropping."The Alpha paused, his face a mask of controlled fury. "Then I'd better hurry."I drifted in and out of consciousness, aware of voices around me but unable to respond. The silver burned through my system, preventing my werewolf healing from closing the wound."Stay with me, Olivia," Lucas urged, his hands pressing against my side. "The extraction team is coming."Silver poisoning was a unique agony—like acid in the veins, burning from within. I'd experienced it before, but never this sever
The damp air of London's underground tunnels clung to my skin, rank with the smell of sulfur and centuries of decay. I signaled the team to halt, my eyes adjusting to the darkness."Scent markers ahead," Lucas whispered, his military training evident in his precise movements. "Two hundred meters.""Everyone clear on the objective?" I asked, adjusting the tactical pack containing Amelia's stolen files against my back.Sophia nodded, her dark eyes gleaming amber in the low light. "Get in, confirm virus distribution points, get out. No engagement unless necessary.""And if it becomes necessary?" I challenged."Then we make them regret ever hearing the word 'werewolf,'" Lucas growled, his fingers flexing as if already imagining claws extending.The three younger wolves—Elliot, Zara, and Dominic—exchanged nervous glances. They were pack members Callum had reluctantly agreed to include after I'd insisted we needed their specialized skills."Stay focused," I told them. "Remember your trainin
Rain lashed against the windows of the executive suite of Wolfe Industries as I stared at the security footage playing on my tablet. My hands shook as I watched James-my ex-husband-stalk through the loading docks of our research facility."How did he get access?" I demanded, my voice sharp enough to make Fiona flinch."Amelia gave him the codes." Fiona's Irish lilt carried a growl. "She's been feeding him that experimental serum for weeks."My stomach lurched. The mate bond with Callum pulsed with shared anxiety-he'd felt my distress from across the city. "Show me the lab footage again."The video showed James injecting himself with a glowing blue liquid, his body convulsing as bones crackled with the transformation. But this wasn't a normal shift. The black wolf that emerged was grotesque, nearly twice the normal size."Olivia." Callum's voice came from the doorway, low with tension. He crossed to me in three long strides, pulling me into his arms. I breathed in his scent - pine and
James stood in Callum's office, and the mere presence made my skin shiver. His new form felt like ill-fitting skin with twitchy movements. Behind him, the full moon neared, cloaking everything in an ominous luminescence through the floor-to-ceiling windows over the panorama of London at dusk."I did this for you, Olivia," James said, shifting a step closer. His amber eyes flashed in that terrible rhythm of human and wolf. Terrifyingly too irregular. "To understand what you've become.""Back," I stammered, continuing my reverse pace. The shifting in James wasn't quite right - a perversely distorted sense in his energy - wrong."Afraid?" He let loose with a burst of manic-tinged laughter. "The great Olivia Blackwood afraid of her own husband?"Ex-husband," I corrected sharply. "And you're insane if you think this changes anything between us.""Everything's changed!" James lunged forward, grabbing my arm. His grip burned like fire. "You took everything from me when you chose him. Now I'l
I cross-referenced another bank statement, and the numbers on my screen all began to blur together. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, restless after hours being trapped in my office. But I had to find the connection. Had to prove Amelia's research wasn't just funded by concerned citizens."Got you," I whispered to myself, my fingers flying across the keyboard. Shell companies folded into shell companies, but they all connected to one base-PharmaCorp Global.My office door burst open. "Olivia." Callum's voice was tight with tension. Amber eyes locked onto mine, and instantly my wolf perked up at her Alpha's presence. "The board meeting's been moved up. They know."My heart stopped. "How?"Amelia." His jaw clenched. "She sent proof to every major shareholder.""I'll come with you." I stood, but Callum raised his hand."No. Stay here. Keep digging." His voice softened. "Please, love. This could save us all."He was gone before I could argue. I forced my attention back to my screen, the a
I quaked and replayed for the third time the recorded shot from surveillance cameras. Amelia's secret facility gleamed on screen in all clinical white and beige, and then he appeared-the figure of James meticulously recording how captured werewolves struggled and writhed through transformation."Olivia." Callum's voice held concern tight as he stood a step behind. "You really don't want to go over this again.""I do." It cut deeper than James's infidelity ever had. "He's working with Amelia to develop a 'cure' that's nothing but torture.""We have enough evidence." Callum's hand settled on my shoulder. "The pack alphas are waiting."Turning from the screen, I met his amber gaze. "How many did they experiment on?""Too many." His jaw clenched. "But we'll end this. Tonight."It was already chaotic when we entered. Five London alphas prowled the marble conference room, centuries of rivalry crackling between them."This is a waste of time," Marcus snarled, his massive frame towering over
My body shook with strange power coursing through my veins. Shattered glass crunched beneath my feet, scattered across the marble floors of Wolfe Industries' headquarters. The full moon's ethereal glow filtered through the broken windows, casting long shadows across the destruction."Olivia." Callum's voice was tight with concern. "Your eyes."I caught my reflection in a shard of glass. Where my green eyes once were, brilliant gold now blazed back at me. The power rising inside was ancient, primal-something far beyond the normal werewolf strength I'd grown so accustomed to."What's happening to me?" My voice shook as another wave of energy pulsed through my body.Callum took a step toward me, then stopped, once more. My mate was one of the most powerful Alphas in London, but even he acted cautious against the force emanating from my skin. Through our bond, I felt his amazement and uncertainty."The prophecy," he breathed. "It's actually happening."The screech of helicopter blades cut
Chapter 89: ConvergencePain rips through my body as another wave of silver fire courses beneath my skin. Through blurred vision, I catch my reflection in the penthouse window – ethereal symbols pulse across my arms in an ancient script I shouldn't understand but somehow do. My fingertips trace the glowing marks, each touch sending sparks of electricity through my nerve endings."She's burning up." Marcus's worried voice sounds like it comes from afar. "The Proto-Lycian markings are spreading at a speed I have never seen. At this rate.""At what rate?" I demand in my hoarse voice. "Tell me what's happening to me!"The pack healer gives a glance at his assistant. "The ancient bloodlines stir within you. But the blend of First Born and witch ancestry-it's unprecedented."I try to focus on the London skyline beyond the glass, but my enhanced senses are going haywire. The heartbeat of the city pounds in my ears-thousands of footsteps, whispered conversations, and. something else. A primal
The ancient Celtic runes swirled in front of my eyes as Emilia's fingers quivered across the worn leather journal. My heart crashed against my ribs, each beat a repetition of the omen to be. The heat from the lamp couldn't dispel the chill in my bones."Olivia." Her voice broke. "The prophecy. it's about you."Callum's presence behind me shifted, his warmth radiating against my back. The lamp's glow cast long shadows across the pack library's wooden shelves, making the ancient texts loom like silent witnesses."What do you mean?" I fought to keep my voice steady."Five bloodlines must come together under the power of the crimson moon." The pattern that outlined the runes glowed beneath the touch of Emilia's tracing finger. "The Blackwoods- which is your family. Should one of these five fail, the ritual has to. This can't-"I turned, and fell, nearly stepping back onto Callum, my face beet red."A werewolf," Callum completed in a growl. "Your bloodline is no coincidence, Olivia. The Ma