Elara When I returned home that night, Alaric wasn’t in bed. Not that I expected him to be; when I pulled into the driveway, I could see his light on inside his study, indicating that he was likely up late working. Knowing him and the nature of this most recent problem, he’d spend all night in his
It wasn’t long, however, before they decided to take matters into their own hands. “Family game night!” Zoe announced one evening, practically dragging Alaric from his study and into the living room. Ella followed close behind, grinning up at him expectantly. “You promised, Daddy.” For a brief
Elara Alaric’s arm tightened instinctively around my waist, his hand pressing firm against the small of my back. I stared up at him, my breath caught somewhere between my lungs and throat. I couldn’t tell if the thudding pulse in my ears was his or mine, the bond flaring unexpectedly between us af
“How… How much do you remember?” I found myself asking, bracing myself for the response. He merely shrugged and stood, tossing the sandwich in the nearby trash can. “I just told you not to worry about it.” But I did worry. I worried about a lot of things when it came to him—the way he shut me ou
Elara “Smile, Mommy! Smile, Daddy! Please!” My breath caught at the sound of those words, all the heat in my chest suddenly cooling like a flame snuffed out. Smile. Our little ritual. The one thing that had always, always, cheered me up when things couldn’t possibly seem to get worse. Some
His gaze snapped up, sharp as a dagger. “He’s not who you think he is, Elara.” “And maybe he’s not who you think he is either.” Alaric exhaled sharply, as if trying to keep his patience in check. “You don’t know him like I do, Elara. You didn’t grow up with him. You didn’t see what he was capabl
Elara Alaric’s hand was warm around mine, his thumb brushing once against my knuckles before he started toward the stairs. He didn’t answer right away, but the hesitation I saw briefly flicker in his eyes was gone just as quickly as it came. Whatever had been holding him back just moments ago se
Alaric The cold metal of the watch glinted under the harsh lights of the interrogation room. I held it between my fingers, thumb brushing over the engraved initials for what felt like the millionth time that morning. A.S.D. Asher Samuel Donovan. The watchmaker had confirmed the watch’s owner wit
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