{~~Logan Grey~~}After the shower, I wrapped a towel securely around my waist and headed to the door to retrieve our dinner. The warmth of the bathroom clung to my skin, steam still rising off my shoulders as I moved through the cabin. The air outside the bathroom felt cool against my damp skin, but I barely noticed, focused on the thought of sharing a meal with Avery in the cozy intimacy of our cabin.When I opened the door, the delivery guy stood there, holding a tray of food with both hands. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight of my bare chest, and I noticed the way his cheeks tinged with a hint of pink. He looked bashful, maybe even a little flustered, as he quickly averted his gaze, pretending to focus on the tray instead."Thanks," I said with a smile, taking the tray from his hands. He offered a quick nod and a nervous smile in return, clearly eager to move on. I reached into my pocket, which was still slightly damp from the shower, and pulled out a tip, handing i
|THE PAST- TWO YEARS PRIOR|{~~Ava Sterling~~}I sat down on the cold, worn bench, the wooden slats creaking slightly under my weight. The park was quiet at this hour, the early morning sun casting long shadows across the ground. The silence was almost oppressive, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant chirp of a bird. I glanced left, then right, my eyes scanning the empty paths that wound through the park. I needed to be sure—absolutely certain—that I hadn't been followed. The last thing I needed was someone seeing me here, especially not him.My heart raced a little faster, a mix of nerves and anticipation churning in my stomach. I tried to calm myself, but the adrenaline was too strong, pulsing through my veins as I waited. I could hear the faint rumble of a motorcycle in the distance, growing louder with each passing second. My pulse quickened as I recognized the familiar sound, the low growl that meant Rex was close.A minute later, he appeared, cutting thr
{~~Avery Sterling~~}I woke up in a tight hold, and panic was the first thing that settled in. For some reason, my brain was trying to have me convinced someone else was in bed with me. Until I took a moment to relax, and the scent filled my nose. We really didn’t relax with our wolves the way we should have, but I had so much fun. I turned my body around in his grasp so I could get a good look at his face. Logan doesn’t lose his handsomeness and it’s a bit unnerving.No, I mean overwhelming. He’s truly handsome. His looks never fade away. Like youth only gets better for him.I ran my fingers against his chest. He made a small sound before opening his eyes. What a light sleeper.“Oh, you innocent pervert.” I bristled with laughter, and logan smiled. He still looked like he could sleep some more but we have to check out. And get back to work. And I have to change the bandages on my injuries.“Come on, we have to go.”“Can’t we just quit our jobs?”I scoffed. “I am only twenty-three. I’
{~~Avery Sterling~~}The king was nothing like I had expected. His presence filled the room with a heavy, almost suffocating tension. He wasn’t even supposed to be here with us, yet here he stood, commanding attention with every breath he took. The air seemed to grow colder as he entered, and I could see the color drain from Ava’s face. She had always been defiant, always had a sharp retort on the tip of her tongue, but now, for the first time, I saw her tremble. Perhaps, at last, she was realizing the gravity of her crimes.The king’s dark skin glowed under the dim lighting, a stark contrast to the rich, deep crimson of his robes, which draped around his tall, broad frame with an elegance that spoke of power and authority. His features were striking—high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and eyes so intense they seemed to pierce through you. His hair was neatly braided, and a thin golden circle rested atop his head, gleaming faintly. The intricate patterns embroidered in gold on his tuni
{~~Avery Sterling~~}Working in the basement of the hospital with Martin Miller had become a routine that I found oddly comforting. The sterile smell of antiseptic, the soft hum of machines monitoring vitals, and the quiet chatter of the medical team were all familiar now. Martin was lying on a gurney, his skin pale but his breathing steady as I checked his blood pressure and other vitals. He had been through a lot, and seeing the numbers slowly stabilize gave me a sense of satisfaction, a small victory in the midst of the chaos that had engulfed our lives.There were others with us, members of the team who were just as invested into finding this cure just like I was. Their presence was a comfort, a reminder that we were all in this together, no matter how dangerous the situation became. We worked efficiently, sharing small smiles and words of encouragement as we moved from task to task, each of us doing our part to keep things running smoothly.After what felt like hours, the work wa
{~~Logan Grey~~}Can you believe she wanted to think about the king instead of her kisses? She locked her mouth with mine and expected me to focus. Okay, maybe I was the one who kissed her. But who drags someone into a broom closet if they didn’t want us to fuck? How did I misread the signals?Wait, aren’t I doing something? Should my attention not be on that? I sighed and glanced at the screen of my monitor.I was deep into the files of one of my new patients when I noticed something that sent a chill down my spine. It wasn’t something that jumped out immediately, but the more I looked, the more uneasy I became. There was something off in her system, something that didn’t add up, something that made me feel like I should triple-check everything. It wasn’t just a hunch—this was the kind of gut instinct that only comes after years of experience, the kind that told me that if I didn’t dig deeper, I’d regret it later. I knew from the get-go that this wasn’t just a normal case. And now th
{~~Avery Sterling~~}I came back from my talk with Logan, my mind racing with the implications of everything we’d discussed. The king being here was seriously disturbing me. Something about his presence is throwing me off. The weight of the situation was pressing down on me, making it hard to focus on anything else. But there was no time to dwell on it; I had more pressing matters to attend to.I headed straight for the room where Ava was being held, my footsteps echoing down the dimly lit corridor. The cold, sterile walls of the facility seemed to close in around me, amplifying the tension that had been building since this whole ordeal began. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, a steady, relentless beat that matched the urgency of the situation. It was high time Ava told me what she knew. I couldn’t afford to let her keep silent any longer. Too much was at stake, and the clock was ticking.It’s time for her to tell me everything.As I approached the door, I took a deep breath
{~~Avery Sterling~~}I had to contact Logan. The moment I saw the blood pooling beneath my sister, the cold, hard reality of the situation hit me like a freight train. The surgery wasn’t going as planned—not by a long shot. The baby had been delivered, but something was horribly wrong. Her pulse was weak, her skin ashen, and the monitors were screaming with alarm. The doctors were doing everything they could, but it wasn’t enough. She was bleeding out, slipping away with every passing second, and all I could think was that this couldn’t be happening—not now, not like this.For a moment, I froze, watching the chaos unfold in slow motion. The nurses scrambled around her, hands moving frantically as they tried to stem the flow of blood. Doctor Shawn’s face was a mask of concentration, but even he couldn’t hide the worry in his eyes. My sister’s life was hanging by a thread, and if she died, everything we’d been working towards would be lost. She was the only key we had to Rex, the only p