Novels by Calliee

OLIVIA It was a small laugh, kind of rusty, like something that hadn't been used in a long time… but it was real, and it moved across his face and made him look, for just a moment, like someone I remembered from a long time ago. Someone from before everything went wrong.From the doorway, Axiel was no longer pretending the cough was a cough."I'm going to accept it," I said, "and I'm going to make my own changes. Real ones. Not adjustments to the existing structure — a genuine rebuild from the ground up. New resource strategy, new alliance approach, new internal policies. The council will advise but they will not override me. Everything gets examined." I looked at my father directly. "All of it. Including things that have been done a certain way for thirty years simply because they've been done a certain way for thirty years.""Yes," he said, still recovering from the laugh. "Yes. Anything you need.""Good." I stood up, and he looked momentarily startled. "But not today.""Not—""I

OLIVIAThe drive back to the main pack grounds felt different in the morning.Yesterday, coming in, everything had looked like a wound… the peeling paint and the overgrown paths and the hollow-eyed pack members had landed on me like evidence in a case I was still deciding whether to take. This morning, with proper sleep and Axiel's eggs and the particular clarity that comes from having actually made a decision, it looked different.Not better, exactly. The problems were all still there, plain as ever in the early light — a loose shutter hanging off the community hall, a fence line that needed replacing, a garden that wanted serious attention. Nothing had changed overnight.But it looked like a list now instead of a verdict.*That needs fixing. That needs replacing. That needs someone who actually cares to spend three hours with it and a set of tools.*Manageable problems. Hard, expensive, time-consuming, emotionally loaded… but manageable.I'd spent the drive making mental notes, and

AXIELThe pack grounds were quieter now, the last lights going out in the windows as I crossed back toward my chambers. Overhead the sky was clear and I stopped for a moment and looked up at them.Two months I'd been living in this place, watching it slowly come apart and holding the whole operation together. Two months of careful conversations and long evenings and learning which elders were reachable and which were calcified beyond help. Two months of not knowing if any of it would work.And today Olivia Hunter had walked back through those gates and in the space of an afternoon had looked at a seven-year-old boy on a fence post and shaken his hand like a promise.Yeah. She was going to say yes.I walked back inside, and she was exactly where I'd left her… one hand tucked under her cheek, the covers pulled to her shoulder, breathing slow and even.I gently carried her to my room, placed her on the and laid beside her.I kept to my side, but the moment I settled against the pillow Ol

AXIELShe was asleep.I noticed the exact moment it happened… the way her breathing changed, slowing and deepening, the slight release of tension across her shoulders that had been there all day like something she'd been carrying and hadn't been able to put down. One moment she was watching the film with that expression she had… and then her head drifted, and then she was simply gone.Her head was on my shoulder.I stayed very still.I was aware that I was smiling in a way that probably looked ridiculous, and I was equally aware that there was nobody here to see it, so I let myself have it anyway. She's here.After everything… after months of living in a deteriorating pack and having difficult conversations with a dying Alpha and navigating the very delicate question of how to reach a woman who had every justifiable reason to want nothing to do with anything connected to the situation… she was here. In my space. Asleep on my shoulder, with the film still playing softly in the backgro

OLIVIAHe drove us off the main pack grounds to a smaller cluster of residential buildings on the territory's north edge… newer construction than the main residence, less grand but better maintained. He parked and led me to the second floor of the end unit, and when he opened the door I stopped in the doorway for a moment.Okay. He hadn't been exaggerating.It was warm, first of all… genuinely warm, with soft lighting. He'd rearranged the furniture into something that actually made sense for the space. There were books stacked on the side table and a decent rug under the coffee table and curtains that matched, which given what I'd seen of the rest of the pack's current state of resources seemed almost miraculous."Did you just… bring all of this?" I asked, stepping inside."Some of it. Some I found in the pack's storage." He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it by the door. "There's a lot of decent furniture buried in that storage building on the west side. Nobody's been using any

OLIVIAAxiel was waiting in the hallway outside, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed."How'd it go?" he asked."He wants me to take over as Alpha."Axiel blinked. "Well. That's... not a small ask.""No. It is not." I started walking and he fell into step beside me easily, matching my pace. "He's also in worse shape than I thought. The famine is real, the pack numbers are down, and half their alliances have dissolved." I glanced at him sideways. "You knew all of this when you came to get me.""I knew some of it.""Axiel.""I knew most of it," he amended. "But I also knew that if I led with *your father's pack is in famine and falling apart and he wants you to take over as Alpha,* you might have said no before you'd seen it for yourself.""You were probably right," I admitted. "I'm still slightly annoyed.""Noted."We walked in silence for a moment, down the corridor toward the main entrance. Through the windows, I could see the pack grounds… the overgrown paths, the building

KAYLAHis car pulled up exactly on time, which felt deeply unfair. Late would have given me an excuse. Late would have meant I could text Zara saying he didn't show and spend the day aggressively reorganizing my closet instead.But no. Seven fifty-nine, and there he was.I grabbed my bag and walked out before I could think too hard about it.He was leaning against the passenger side when I stepped outside, looking all casual. Like a man with an entirely clear conscience, which was offensive."Morning," he said."Morning."I reached for the door handle at the exact same moment he did. Our hands landed on top of each other.I pulled back like I'd touched a stove. "Sorry."He opened the door without a word. I got in without looking at him.The drive started fine. Zara's voice filled the silence through his phone speaker, talking about paint colors and whether the accent wall should be sage or terracotta, and I contributed exactly the right number of mm-hmms and I like the sage to sound l

KAYLAI spent the entire morning telling myself I was ready. I was not ready.But that was tomorrow's problem. Tonight, I just had to survive getting home.The cab ride back from the café felt longer than it should have. I kept my eyes on the window and watched the city blur past, buildings and streetlights and strangers living completely unbothered lives, and I envied every single one of them.By the time I got to my floor, I had almost convinced myself I was fine.Then Mrs. Cassia's door swung open."Kayla!"I stopped walking. "Hi, Mrs. Cassia."She was already in the hallway, arms open, slippers on, reading glasses pushed up on her forehead. She pulled me into a hug before I could prepare for it. She smelled like shea butter and rice and everything warm, and some stupid part of me nearly teared up."You're back," she said, holding me at arm's length to look at me properly. "You look thin.""I'm not thin.""You're thin. Come, let me give you something.""I just ate…""You ate café f

KAYLAI woke up exhausted. Not physically… morally. The second my eyes opened, last night came crashing back .The kiss. The panic. The look on Darius's face before he left.I groaned and immediately buried my face in my pillow. "Nope."Unfortunately, my brain wasn't interested in cooperating. Every embarrassing second replayed itself anyway.I kissed him. The realization hit me all over again.Not only had I kissed him. I had kissed my best friend's boyfriend.I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. "Okay." I pointed at the ceiling. "We are not doing this today."No flirting, staring, thinking about him, or replaying the kiss.Last night was a mistake. A massive, catastrophic mistake, and from this moment forward, I was going to act like a mature adult with functioning self-control.My phone suddenly rang. I reached for it, and the screen lit up.Zara was Calling.I closed my eyes. "Of course."I considered pretending to be dead. Instead, I answered. "Hello?""Good morning,

KAYLAI didn’t even know what I was thinking anymore. That was the terrifying part.It felt like my brain had completely disconnected from the rest of my body. Like every logical thought inside my head was screaming that this was wrong while the rest of me stood there melting anyway.Zara was my best friend. His girlfriend.Every single fact was still there in my head, clear as day, and somehow none of it was enough to stop whatever this was.I opened my mouth to speak. To tell him to leave. To finally say it properly this time.“I…” The word came out uneven. “You should…”But the sentence died completely when Darius suddenly pulled me closer again.A soft gasp escaped me as my body pressed fully against his this time.His hand slid slowly up my back, firm and warm through the fabric of my dress, and every tiny movement sent another wave of heat through me.God.Every single hair on my body rose instantly.He noticed that too. Of course he did.His head dipped slightly, his eyes fixed

KAYLAI was unsettled.Completely. Deeply. Irritatingly unsettled.The moment Zara said she was sending Darius back, my entire body had reacted before my brain even caught up. My pulse had jumped. My stomach had tightened. And the worst part is I hadn't recovered from the way his hand had felt on me earlier.That stupid squeeze had burned itself directly into my brain.I exhaled sharply and hurried upstairs again, clutching the folder against my chest.“Nope,” I muttered under my breath. “Absolutely not.”If he was coming over here acting stupid, then I was at least going to make sure I looked as unappealing to him as possible.I went straight to my suitcase and yanked out the longest dress I owned. It covered me from collarbone to ankle like I was preparing for winter in another century.Perfect.I changed quickly, then stared at myself in the mirror afterward. There was nothing visible, tempting and nothing for him to look at.And somehow that realization annoyed me too.I brushed m

KAYLABy the time the food was gone and the tea had been refilled twice, something in me had unclenched properly for the first time since the plane landed.This… Zara talking with her whole body, both hands moving, nearly knocking her mug off the counter twice. Her laugh filling every corner of the room. I'd missed her in a way I hadn't let myself fully feel until right now.Darius had been quiet for most of it, he laughed when something was actually funny. Asked exactly two questions, both of them good ones. Refilled my mug once without being asked and I told myself that meant nothing and I almost believed it."Okay." Zara stood up suddenly. She stretched both arms above her head and groaned. "We have to go.""Already?""It is… " She checked her phone and made a face. "Kayla. It's almost midnight.""It is not.""It genuinely is and you just got off a long flight and I have a seven AM and if I don't leave right now I'm going to keep you up until three talking about nothing and you're

RAINAHis mouth moved to my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin just below my ear. I gasped, arching into him. His tongue soothed the bite, then he moved his lips lower, trailing hot kisses down the column of my throat.I gripped his hair, pulling hard. "You're…" My voice broke as he sucked a mark just above my pulse. "You're an asshole.""Mm." He dragged his mouth lower, over the neckline of my dress. "Tell me something I don't know."The fabric of my dress was thin, and flimsy. He pulled it down, exposing my breasts to the cool air. My nipples tightened instantly, and I saw the hunger flash in his eyes.He didn't wait. His mouth closed over one nipple, and I cried out. His tongue circled the peak, then he sucked hard, making me scream. His hand came up to cup the other breast, flicking across the sensitive tip with his thumb. "Elias…" His name came out broken from my lips."You like that," he murmured against my skin."Shut up."He laughed softly, and slid his hand down my s

RAINAMia led us through several hallways before stopping in front of a large double door.She pushed it open, and my mouth fell open.The room was enormous. No. It was bigger than enormous.I stepped inside slowly, my eyes widening as I took everything in. There was a sitting area, a fireplace, a dining space, a massive bed positioned against the far wall, and another door that probably led to a bathroom bigger than my entire old apartment."This is a room?" I muttered."It looks more like a mini flat," Elias said beside me.Honestly, he wasn't wrong. Even his room back in the human world wasn't this large.I slowly turned in a circle, still taking everything in.Mia smiled at our reactions. "Make yourselves at home," she uttered. "The ceremony will begin in two hours. After that, you're free to return to the human world if you wish."Elias nodded."But," she continued, her expression becoming serious, "this pack is your responsibility now. You'll have to return."My stomach tightene

RAINAWe ran out of the room before I even fully understood what was happening.The hallway was chaos.Voices overlapped. Footsteps thundered against the floors. Doors were being thrown open and slammed shut again. Elias didn’t slow down. He moved straight through it all like he had been built for moments like this. Then Mia appeared, pushing through a crowd of people until she reached us.“Elias,” she said quickly, out of breath. “Some of the guards stationed at the border were attacked.”My stomach dropped.She shook her head. “The rogues didn’t fully get in, thankfully, but the guards are badly injured. There are too many of them… and the healers don’t have enough equipment.”Elias’s jaw tightened instantly. “Where are they?” he asked sharply.Mia pointed down the corridor. “East wing. Old medical building.”That was all he needed. He turned without thinking and started moving again.I followed.We reached the building within minutes, but the moment we stepped inside, I stopped. T

ELIASI looked at her sitting on the bed… she looked so small and vulnerable.And it was my fault. All of it.She'd been through hell today and before that, I'd treated her like she meant nothing.My chest tightened painfully. I didn't even know how to begin processing the Alpha situation. Leading a pack? Have I even led anything that important before?Anyways, right now, that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was the woman sitting in front of me, trembling slightly, still trying to hold herself together.I took a deep breath and walked over to her. "Raina," I said quietly.She didn't look up."I know you don't want to talk to me," I continued, "but I need to say this."She still didn't respond.I dropped to my knees in front of her, taking both of her hands in mine. Her wide eyes finally lifted to meet mine."I was a fool," I said with a rough voice. "For how I acted, how I treated you. For pushing you away when all you did was give me everything."Her jaw tightened, but she didn'

RAINAI couldn't breathe properly.My hands were shaking. My whole body was shaking.I kept replaying it in my head- the cars surrounding us, the glass shattering, the hands grabbing me, dragging me, the needle piercing my neck, the burn of whatever they'd injected into my veins.The terror. The absolute, bone-deep terror of not knowing if I was going to die.And now I was sitting here, in this massive hall, surrounded by strangers who were bowing to us, and someone was apologizing like they'd merely inconvenienced us instead of traumatizing us.My throat was tight. My chest felt like it was being crushed.I couldn't process this. I couldn't…"Raina."Elias's voice cut through the fog of my thoughts. I looked at his hand that was still on mine. "Breathe," he said softly. "Just breathe."I tried. In through my nose. Out through my mouth… but my hands wouldn't stop shaking.The woman bowed her head again, this time toward Elias."My name is Mia," she said clearly. "And we are all wolve

ELIASI was exhausted.Completely, utterly drained.Six hours of Raina pushing me harder than I'd ever been pushed in my life. Lap after lap. Drill after drill. Corrections shouted across the track with zero warmth, zero encouragement, just cold precision."Lean more into that turn.""You're braking too late.""Again.""Faster.""Again."She'd made me repeat the same sequence seventeen times until I got it exactly right. Seventeen.And I deserved every second of it.I knew I was a pro. I'd been racing for years. But Raina had intentionally made things hard for me today, and I couldn't even be mad about it.This was what I got for hurting her. This was what I deserved.I stood under the shower in the track facility's locker room, letting the hot water beat down on my sore muscles.My body ached, my hands were cramping from gripping the handlebars for hours and my legs felt like jelly. But none of that compared to the weight sitting heavy in my chest.She still wouldn't talk or look at