Alaric The brooch was more expensive than I had anticipated. The bidding war had started innocently enough, some woman across the room casually tossing her paddle up in the air after I’d already made a couple of bids, but she hadn’t backed down since. I adjusted the cuff of my tuxedo sleeve,
some reason, Elara not being here yet made me a little nervous. I frowned slightly, turning and scanning the room. Elara wasn’t anywhere in sight. “Did she say where she was going?” Zoe shook her head, wiping cookie crumbs on the front of her dress before I gently grabbed her hand to stop he
Elara The first thing I felt was cold. It felt like someone had dumped ice water all over me, the cold seeping into my bones. My joints ached, my head throbbed, and my throat felt cracked and dry. For a moment, I almost wondered if I had somehow been hit by a bus. But then my eyelids slowl
I slumped back against the cushions, dazed and shaking. “Why are you doing this?” I whispered, barely able to form the words. He said nothing—not a single word—and instead grabbed my leash with one hand, his other closing around my upper arm. I tried to resist, but my limbs refused to listen.
Elara The world around me swam as the man carried me out of the buzzing auction room and into another private room. Before I could say or do anything, he practically tossed me down like a sack of potatoes, and I collapsed onto a large, unfamiliar bed. A moment later, he reached down and roug
Elara Thankfully, when we exited the basement where the illegal auction had been going on, the main floor of the venue was in such chaos that no one noticed Alaric carrying me. Officers ran back and forth, escorting auction patrons out and leading criminals away in handcuffs. The illegal auc
from mine. “Elara,” he finally said, his voice low and rough. “What are you…?” “You,” I mumbled, my words tumbling out before I could stop them. “I want you, Alaric. I’ve wanted you since the moment I met you.” His breath hitched, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim light of the bathroom. “E
Elara The sharp pain of Alaric’s fangs sinking into the buttery skin of my throat suddenly brought me crashing back to reality. My eyes flew open, and the feeling of Alaric—his lips brushing against my neck, his teeth sinking into my skin, his manhood slowly filling me—hit me like a tidal wa
The school was bustling when we arrived, the parking lot teeming with parents and kids, all hurrying toward the bright red doors at the front of the building. Alex’s grip on my hand tightened as we approached, his eyes wide as he took in the sea of unfamiliar faces.“It’s okay,” I whispered, crouchi
ElaraThe house was alive with the all-too-familiar chaos of a school morning. Somewhere down the hall, Ella was shouting at Zoe about taking too long in the bathroom, and Zoe’s shrill rebuttal wasn’t far behind. The smell of toast lingered in the air, mingling with the faint bite of fall that crept
ElaraThe air that night was quiet—quieter than it had been in weeks. The house had settled into the kind of stillness that only came with exhaustion, the last embers in the fireplace flickering softly behind the glass. Even the wind outside had gone still, barely rustling the edges of the curtains
ElaraThe lanterns flickered softly against the night sky, their warm glow swaying in time with the breeze that danced through the courtyard. Even from this distance, I could still hear the faint music from the reception, the low murmur of conversation punctuated by bursts of laughter.But out here,
ElaraThe music was soft and sweet, drifting lazily over the twinkling lights strung across the open-air pavilion. Everything felt golden—the warm glow of lanterns, the hum of conversation over glasses of bubbly champagne, the faint crackle of the bonfire flickering in the distance.But none of it c
“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice cracking ever so slightly. “Thank you for giving me this.”I ran my fingers through his hair, gently pushing it back from his forehead. “You don’t have to thank me for anything, Alaric. This baby… it’s part of both of us.”His hands remained on my stomach as he li
ElaraThe house felt different as we stepped inside, the soft click of the door behind us sealing out the world beyond. It wasn’t just the warmth that greeted me, or the faint glow of the early morning sun filtering through the windows—it was something deeper. A stillness. A kind of quiet I hadn’t r
I wanted to tell her she was wrong—that this wasn’t some grand destiny I had been walking toward all my life. But I couldn’t. Not when I had felt it myself. That surge of power that wasn’t entirely my own. The way it had shattered the chains and driven Sarah back like she was nothing more than air.
ElaraThe sunlight hit harder than I expected, even though it had only been hours since I’d been trapped in that cavern. I squinted against the sudden golden rays of the morning sun, blinking rapidly as my eyes adjusted. But the others—the moonwolves—weren’t as fortunate.They stumbled as they emerg