“Come on,” she pulled with a smile. We took off, Owen’s weight was heavier than it should’ve been, his steps sluggish and uncoordinated as we half-carried him to the car. He must have been hurting more then he let on. I could feel the bile rising in my throat as I glanced at him, buckling him int
Lauren I stared at the medical chart, my eyes scanning the numbers again, hoping they would somehow make sense. It couldn’t be right. It just couldn’t. I had my suspicions, sure. The kids, we all seemed to feel this... offness. But this? This was impossible. I ran my fingers over the chart, my
More silence. The air was thick with it, pressing in on us from every side. The seconds stretched into eternity. Finally, he spoke. His voice was strained, barely audible, as if the words were tearing themselves from him. “Lauren…” His breath hitched. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice
Sophia I was pacing in Owen’s room, my nerves fraying with every tick of the clock. The faint hum of the home me did little to mask the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears. Where was Alexander? What was taking him so long? He’d left so quick…for Lauren. The door creaked open, and there
“You’re done, Sophia.” His tone was final, each word a death knell. “You’re no longer part of this pack. You’re no longer part of my life. From this moment on, you are nothing. You’re a rogue.” The word slammed into me, a sentence more brutal than any blow. Rogue. Cast out. Forsaken. Stripped of ev
Alexander I leaned back in my office chair, arms crossed, my gaze fixed on Lauren. She stood in the center of the room, her posture rigid, her defiance radiating off her in waves. Her eyes, sharp and unyielding, seemed determined to cut through what little composure I had left.Even now, with her f
I stepped closer, closing the distance between us, my voice dropping to a low, rough whisper. “And what about me? You drop all this on me—that Abigail is mine, that Owen is ours—after years of believing you were dead. And now you expect me to just… let you all go?”My gaze locked onto hers, unflinch
Lauren The mansion felt unfamiliar the moment I stepped inside, despite the countless times I’d been here before. It used to feel warm, but now it was heavy, as if the air itself braced for the storm we were about to unleash.The walls were still the same pale gray, the sleek, modern furniture—Alex
AlexanderThe moment I stepped into the clearing, I knew something was wrong.Lauren’s scent was thick in the air, but beneath it—beneath the sweat, the earth, the raw, electric energy—there was pain.And then I heard her scream.The sound gutted me.“What the hell is going on?” My voice boomed as I
LaurenThe first thing I noticed when I woke up was warmth.The kind that sinks deep into your bones, the kind that lingers in the air, making it thick and heavy. My body ached in a way that left no room for confusion, and when I shifted slightly, the soreness between my legs confirmed what my hazy
Then Theo nudged me, near out of breath. “Hey, if things go south, you’re our distraction.”I turned slowly. “Excuse me?”He shrugged. “You’d make the best bait. You’re the slowest!”“I am not!” I hissed.Owen rolled his eyes, shoving us both forward. “Focus on you’re feet you two!”“You’re so right
Abigail I should have known Theo was up to something the second I saw him grinning like that.That particular smirk—the one that screamed, Hey, let’s do something incredibly reckless that may or may not get us in trouble.Owen knew it too. He sighed so hard I thought he might actually deflate.We’v
Alexander takes one breath, nostrils flaring—his entire body stiffens.“Lauren…” His voice is rough now, husky. “Are you—”I don’t let him finish.My arms go around his neck before I can stop myself, locking him in, pressing my forehead against his shoulder as I breathe him in, body shuddering. I kn
AlexanderLiam needs to leave. Now.I stand there, hands in my pockets, glaring at him like he’s overstayed his welcome—because he has.“Liam. Go.”Liam looked between me and Lauren, eyes flicking to her like he’s debating whether to stay. But Lauren doesn’t stop him. She’s standing stiff, tense, re
“Liam, I swear—”Something flickered in my peripheral vision, and I froze.A squirrel.A squirrel. Right in front of us.My whole body reacted before my brain could catch up. My eyes locked on the tiny creature, its fluffy tail flicking behind it like a tiny, furry metronome.Liam groaned, sensing m
LaurenMy brain felt like it was being dragged through a meat grinder. Seriously. There was no other way to explain it. My senses were on high alert, and the world felt like it was about to collapse into itself.I squinted at the bright sunlight filtering through the leaves above me and groaned, sho
I didn’t think. Instinct took over, and I moved instantly, stepping in front of Abigail. “Who the hell are you?”The boy raised his calloused hands in mock surrender, clearly amused. “Whoa. Easy, half pup. Just an innocent bystander witnessing some, uh… highly classified werewolf business?”Abigail,