The revelation is only the beginning. With the rogues pressing in, and Frank’s personal world unraveling, his next steps will determine not just the fate of his relationships, but also the future of his pack.
TYLERMy heart clenched as I slammed on the brakes. I cursed under my breath and threw the door open. The smell of rot and decay hit me like a punch to the gut, and that’s when I saw it–well, them. Rogues moving through the trees toward Mila’s direction. Rogues were known for their chaotic nature, but lately, their attacks had become more coordinated, more calculated. Someone was pulling the strings, and I’d bet my rank Alpha Gregory was involved.My instincts flared, the beast inside me rising to the surface. I had to get to her before more of them showed up. Without hesitation, I shifted mid-stride. My bones snapped and rearranged in the familiar yet painful shift, my skin giving way to fur and muscle as Declan took over. The rush of power flowed through me like fire in my veins, and Declan hit the ground running, paws digging into the dirt as I sprinted toward the wreckage.Two rogues were moving around her car which had been flipped upside down. Declan bared his teeth, his growl ru
MILAAs we approached the cemetery, we saw him–a man crouched over a grave, his back to us. The idea of a rogue risking his life to be here struck me as odd. Though, the fact I still felt strong enough to take him on was odd too. Using Rayne’ healing powers usually took a toll on us, but we were able to heal three people and only felt a little weak. Hell, I was sure we could take down a small army if needed. “His scent is familiar,” Rayne said. “Maybe there's a connection.”As I drew closer, I watched as he placed flowers carefully on the grave. I couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling crawling up my spine. My instincts kicked in. Rogue or not, we had no idea what this man was capable of. I saw Tyler readying himself to step forward so I beat him to it.“Hey!” I called out.The man didn’t flinch. Just kept his gaze on the grave. “I’m not your enemy,” he said, his voice quiet, but filled with sadness. “And the others are not my friends. I just wanted… to be in her presence.” Slowly, he
MILAAnd neither did my body. Even running back to the packhouse, Rayne couldn’t resist brushing against Spencer who didn’t seem to mind.Rayne, stop instigating before things heat up,” I reprimanded her.“What? It’s not like he minds,” Rayne joked. “It’s not like his stupid Luna’s satisfying him.”“So what? We’re not looking to fill that position.”The moment we shifted back when we made it to the packhouse, I could barely take my eyes off of him. I never took Gabe as a domineering kind of man, but more susceptible to ideas and ‘do-whatever-I-wanted’ kind of man. Though, the way his muscles moved when he stalked up the steps, commanding his warriors had me, or rather I say, Rayne feeling way too hot and bother. Even with Alex and Tyler at my back, I could feel Gabe’s presence tingling all over me. I tried ignoring her, but the next part nearly threw me at his feet.The door to the packhouse and Beta Brian rushed out, looking a bit panicked. “Alpha, I was just about to–” In a flash,
MILAGabe was still crouched by the tombstone, his brow furrowed as if trying to puzzle out the same haunting riddle. I couldn’t stay there anymore. The weight of the truth was suffocating, and I needed space. Away from Gabe. Away from everyone.I turned and started toward the woods, my footsteps quickening, but Gabe was fast. He caught up, his hand clamping down on my arm once more. “Mila, stop. You shouldn’t be alone.”“I have a safe place, Gabe,” I snapped, jerking my arm free. I wasn’t really mad at him, just this whole situation. “I just… I need to get away from here, Gabe. I need space. From you. From this pack. From everything.”“And you think that hideout is safe?” He challenged me. “At least, at the packhouse, you’ll be surrounded by people who want to protect you.”I let out a hollow laugh, stepping back from him. “Protect me? I’ve never truly been protected, Gabe. Not with you. Not within the pack. If I were, I wouldn’t be here, standing over my own grave, would I?”That hit
MILASo far so good. I thought, checking that everything was ready for the show. Transitioning everything to the greenhouse was seamless, especially with Gabe helping out. He was the brains behind the entire construction, so he picked the prime location for each of the models. Each location had a model staged by a specific flower that was perfectly paired with my dresses, scented to match.There was a satisfied smile playing on his lips and my heart did a flip as I watched him work. I couldn’t help but admire the way his expression shifted when he was thinking deeply, how every thoughtful "hmm" seemed to weigh the world around him. He was so in control, effortlessly authoritative, and it took everything in me not to get distracted.This is pathetic, Mila. Why are you even pinning for this guy? Just reject him already. My internal monologue was relentless, but there was no escaping the memory of that night. The moment our lips collided, the surge of heat that followed–it wasn’t somethin
MILAAri flashed a smug smile, glancing around the room like she owned it. Well, I guess she did since she was Luna of this pack. “Milan, your show seems to be going well,” she said, her eyes still scanning for someone.“And you’re back here because…?”“I wanted to wish Chelsea good luck,” Ari said, her smile growing wider, “but it seems I can’t find her. I do hope there wasn't any... drama that made her leave.”“Oh, I have something that will make her leave permanently,” Rayne growled in my mind.Ignoring both the urge to respond and the sharp retort on my tongue, I shifted my focus to the one I actually needed.“Amber,” I said, sidestepping Ari, “just the ‘it’ girl I was looking for,” “Me?” Amber blinked, glancing around nervously. “Why?”“It seems as if we lost a model,” I said, noticing her reaction as if she already knew.Amber raised her chin, nose in the air. “What’s that got to do with me? I had nothing to do with it.”“I don’t care about that.” I waved off her comment. “Right
GABEMila was amazing–for the company that is. I skimmed over the reports again, marveling at the publicity and revenue her spring show had generated. Not to mention how she was able to get her clothes to smell like the actual flowers without the overly use of perfumes. If she kept this up, we’d be out of the red and above ground by next quarter. It was a miracle, really. I should have been fully focused on the documents in front of me, but my mind kept wandering.From the corner of the room, I could hear Noah humming softly as he watched his shows and scribbled with crayons. His quiet presence was a constant reminder that life had shifted in ways I hadn’t quite prepared for. It was spring break for the kids, and while most of his classmates were probably out climbing jungle gyms or chasing each other around playgrounds, Noah had chosen to spend his time in my office. Part of me wanted to push him outside, tell him to go play, to run wild and be carefree like other kids his age. But a
MILA“Argh!!!”I threw the stack of sketches off my desk in frustration. I could barely focus on anything with my mind going over everything that has happened. I stood up, pacing, feeling my skin starting to heat up. I just wanted a moment of peace, a moment to forget it all.I closed my eyes and tried to pull myself together, but I couldn’t forget that my dad was alive. And yet, he looked at me like I was no one–a stranger. It hurted more than I realized, and Rayne’s simmering fury under my skin made it hard to keep it all contained.“I’m not angry,” Rayne protested. “I’m horny, and staying near HIM is not making this easy, Mila.”I scoffed at her, rolling my eyes. “I thought you were strong, Rayne.”Rayne huffed in frustration. “Strong? Oh, I’m plenty strong, Mila. But even the strongest of us have needs.” Her tone was edged with a dangerous hunger, a barely-contained desire that made my pulse quicken. “You keep holding back, pretending you can handle all this alone,” she continued,
MILAI stared at the elegant gold printed acrylic invitation with a velvet black pocket adorned with a circular crest and thought how tacky. I walked towards the entrance where VIP guests stopped on the makeshift red carpet, cameras flashing. I bypassed it all, wanting to get this day over with. I had one goal and that was to get Amira back on my team. Deveaux fancied her and he loved her and I used it, I would be one step closer to being better than Arianna.I walked over to the bouncer when I noticed Randall and Leo having a very tense conversation.“Come on, Randall, just this once,” Leo said, gesturing towards the entrance. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked. I deserve to be in there.”Randall scoffed, adjusting the cufflinks of his designer jacket. “Deserve? You don’t get it, do you? That place isn’t for people like you. You don’t walk into a room like that unless you belong there–and you, Leo, don’t.”Leo gritted his teeth. “I’ve worked for this. I’ve done the dirty jobs, handle
GABEEarlier that dayI had finally caught up with Frederick, tracking his movement any time he got close to my pack. I needed to find him for Mila. Figure out why he thought she was dead and why he would run away.Hopefully, I could convince him to come back to the packhouse to clean up. Then I can arrange a meeting with Mila. Honestly, I just wanted to see her again. Anytime I had business at the Aliz building, which wasn’t a lot, I would catch glimpses of her and her scent would torment me. A torment I deserved no doubt. But maybe this could happen.I had just stepped inside a roadside diner not too far from the pack’s borderline, when I spotted them. Frederick was sitting in a booth, talking with my mother. In daylight he looked vastly different. His dark curly hair was littered with streaks of silver, his brown eyes–so much like Mila’s–were dull and distant. My mother stopped talking the moment she saw me and almost shot out of her seat.“Gabriel, what are you–what are you doing
MILAI leaned back in my chair, tapping a pen against my chin as I studied the sketches laid out before me. The designs were flawless, innovative–exactly what will impress Deveaux. Yet, none of it would matter if I didn’t have the right model to bring them to life. Good thing, I had the perfect person.“We have a problem.” Camila rushed into the room, tapping away on her tablet.“You say that like it’s something new.”Camila laid the tablet in front of me. The screen cycled through different news outlets of my past work with many models.“Why are you showing me pictures of my past work?”“Because of this, Amira backed out and now.”Camila tapped the screen and pictures of Amira and Arianna popped up everywhere. She was working with Arianna now.I dropped the pen onto my desk, looking at Camila. “What?”“The contract we sent failed through.” Camil crossed her arms, a mix of frustration and concern in her eyes. “Word got to her that you once chose Zuri over her a few years back. Amira
ARII could see everyone’s eyes on me. Once Tyler left, Emily moved us to the Alpha’s office. Troy sat in the chair with Emily standing behind him. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her arms crossed tightly across her chest as she looked between us.I sat in one of the chairs as Gabe stood by the door, his jaw set tight, his eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the window. I knew this moment would come, I was hoping for it. Maybe his parents could talk some sense into him.“Gabriel,” Emily finally broke the silence, her voice carefully controlled but trembling at the edges, “surely this is something we can talk through? Divorce is… drastic. Unnecessary.”My heart pounded in my chest. “Yes,” I added quickly, stepping closer to Gabe. One look from him made me stop. “We can fix this. I can fix this. Gabe, please.”His expression was blank. He didn’t flinch or soften. “No, Arianna. This isn’t something to fix. It’s over. My decision is final.”Final.The word echoed in my mind,
TYLERI played with the egg yolks on my plates, the fork scraping softly against the porcelain. My appetite had long since disappeared, replaced by a gnawing ache in my chest that had nothing to do with hunger. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get Mila out of my head. The heat of her skin against mine, the way she compelled me to bid her every command, the way her touch trembled with a desperation neither of us could name–a fire that burned between us but never seemed to satisfy her. I knew it was because of her bond with Gabe. It was always him.Even with me, she was still tethered to him. But if she kept coming to me instead of him, didn’t that mean something? I clung to that shred of hope like a fool, convincing myself that maybe–just maybe–she was waiting for me to prove I was the better choice.Then her words came back, slicing through my fantasy.“If I ever become someone’s Luna… it will be with someone who doesn’t cover up other people’s messes.”My jaw tightened. The mem
MILAThe sweet scent of sweat and sex hung heavy in the air, mixing with the faint, lingering traces of pine and earth drifting through the open window. The warm breeze did nothing to cool the fire raging beneath my skin. If anything, it only stoked it.A muffled sound pulled me back to the moment. I glanced down to see Tyler shifting beneath me, his wrists tugging against the bindings securing him to the chair and the gag in his mouth. Right. I had come here, needing a release. How long have we’ve been at this? I wondered. I straddled him, my skin slick with perspiration, but the fire in my veins refused to die down. My heat clawed at my insides, demanding more. “It won’t stop until he accepts our rejection,” Rayne voiced inside my head, edged with frustration. “You know this.”I bit back a growl. I knew. Goddess, I knew. Fucking Gabe. Even thinking his name made my chest tighten with something that was equal parts anger and longing. My body burned for his touch, for his scent, for
MILAA sharp beep woke me up in the middle of the night. One of the many computers I’ve been watching lit up. The motion detector feed from the cemetery flickered to life. I watched the screen until a scrappy figure moved towards the tombstone. The shape was unmistakable.Him.“Got you.”I geared up before leaving, making sure I had everything to keep my presence concealed. Couldn’t have Zeke or Tom or any of the patrols knowing I was there. Then there was Gabe. I hadn’t seen him since that day. I shook my head. No time to think of him.Moments later, I found myself at the cemetery, moving towards my faux grave. Just as I hope there he was, blending with the shadows before settling on the two graves.Frederick.The man who cradled me as a child. Who once carried me on his shoulders, feeding me cotton candy. The man who mourned a fake daughter as I did a fake father. The necklace around his neck glowed as he placed more flowers on the grave.Flowers for his mate.Flowers for me.The ac
GABEI leaned back in my chair, eyes fixed on the laptop screen. The shit that happened a few weeks ago burned into my memory as I watched Arianna beat Mirabella senselessly, and Gregory standing there with a cruel smile. My jaw tightened. I had the evidence–proof of their true nature. But what now? Exposing them would definitely bring a fallout, but the thought of protecting Mila outweighed the risks. With a deep breath, I clicked send, forwarding the video to Mila. The ball was in her court now. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. He expected more paperwork, another demand that Gregory had over the transition of the company. With the recent investigation over Alpha Frank’s dealings the board made an unanimous vote to make me the face of the company. Though I knew Gregory needed a safety net to place all his holdings with me and keep the council from seizing it. The door opened and Laura walked in. Her eyes scanned the room before settling on me with a knowing look.“Laura,
TYLERI swear I could feel the coldness from Arianna’s stare from the other side of the room. She leaned into Randall, whispering something before casting another glance my way. A knot in my stomach. Were they plotting something against Mila? I needed to stop them before they had a chance.“Right, Tyler?”Mila’s voice pulled me back to reality. I blinked, realizing I had completely turned out of the conversation. Desperate to cover my distraction, I said the first thing that came to mind.“Of course, anything you say.”Laughter rippled through the press around us, an inside joke I wasn’t in on. I turned to Mila, silently asking for an explanation.“I told them you’d say exactly that if you weren’t listening and that’s how I get my way,” she said with a knowing smile.I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. “Caught me. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”“I bet,” one of the press members said. “I hear you’re in for some serious competition now that your brother is taking over the Mora company