LOGINVIVIANNEI forced a smile, though it felt stiff and awkward on my face. Why did it have to be him? Of all the Alphas in the world, why did it have to be the one man I knew through Yelena? I took a breath, trying to steady the sudden erratic rhythm of my heart. "I could ask you the same thing," Alpha Tristan said, his gaze sharp. He looked at me, then at Loren, his expression unreadable. He was trying to piece it all together... the Alpha of Crescent Pack sitting with the director of the hospital where his future wife worked. I cleared my throat, feeling the weight of the moment. It was surreal. My best friend’s soon-to-be husband was sitting here, waiting for a verdict from a man I was bound to by nothing more than a piece of paper. "Well," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "I’m the hospital director you were waiting for.""I know that," Alpha Tristan replied. Of course, he knew. He was a smart man, and he knew exactly who managed the staff where Yelena spent her days."And
TRISTAN"Really?" Yelena’s voice was thin, barely a whisper. She stared at me, her face pale as I laid out the truth about Livia and Selene. "I can't believe it," she said, shaking her head. The shock was slowly hardening into something sharper, something colder. "I had no idea Selene hated me that much. I didn't think she was capable of this." She looked up at me, her eyes flashing with a sudden, dangerous resolve. "She has to end up like Livia. It’s either she kills herself, or I’ll kill her myself."I didn't argue. I didn't try to soften the blow. I just stepped forward and gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. "Don't worry," I said, my voice low and grounded. "I’ve got this. She won't touch you again."She let out a shaky breath and leaned in, wanting to hold me, but she stopped, her nose wrinkling at the scent of dried blood still clinging to my skin."You need to wash that off," she said, her voice softening. "The smell… It’s not right."I stepped back, realizing
TRISTAN"Alpha, what happened?" Daniel’s voice echoed against the cold stone walls of the cell.He stepped over the threshold, his gaze darting from me to the cooling body on the floor. He didn't need to ask if she was dead... the way she lay, limp and final, told him everything.He knelt beside her, his eyes narrowing as he scanned her body. "How did she get a blade in here?"I stood there, my chest heaving, the adrenaline slowly draining out of me. I didn't bother answering his question. It didn't matter anymore. "I don't know, and honestly, she just made things easier for us."I reached up and pulled my shirt over my head. It was soaked in Livia’s blood, heavy and sticky against my skin. I dropped it onto the floor, the fabric hitting the stone with a wet thud. Daniel stood up, his face grim. He whistled for a guard standing in the hallway. "Get the Alpha a clean shirt," he commanded, then turned back to me. "Did she say anything before she went?"I looked down at my own body. My
TRISTANLivia refused to speak, even after Daniel had worked on her, she kept her mouth shut. She wouldn’t give up the name of the person pulling her strings, and it was becoming obvious why: she was being controlled, a puppet on a string dancing to someone else’s tune.But I was finished playing games. If she thought she could demand to see me and trade a few words for leniency, she was dead wrong. I hadn’t told Yelena that it was Livia who had attacked me instead of her. If I had, my Luna would have insisted on dragging her through the pack’s brutal judicial process, and that would have killed any chance of finding the true enemy lurking in the shadows. I reached the holding cells, the heavy air thick with the metallic tang of blood and damp stone.The guards bowed as I approached, and one scrambled to slide the heavy iron bolt back. The door groaned open, revealing the chamber.Livia was hanging from the ceiling, her wrists locked in silver chains that hissed against her skin. T
YELENAPregnant? My best friend might be pregnant.The word hung in the air, sweet and heavy. Vivianne leaned back on the couch, her expression softening into a rare, knowing smile. "That's what I meant. Your head is finally catching up, but we won't know for sure until you actually take the test.""Oh, moon! I really hope it's true," Nyra said, her hands pressed against her stomach as if she were already cradling a secret. I smiled, feeling a surge of genuine joy for her. "It would be such good news. We could use some more happiness around here."Nyra finished off the last of the pancakes, her movements hurried, and stood up. "There's nowhere I can get a test kit around here, I’ll just have to do it when I get home."Vivianne and I both nodded, our excitement lingering.Then, a sharp, ringing sound cut through the room. It was Vivianne’s phone. She pulled it from her bag, glanced at the screen, and her face darkened. She didn't hesitate; she reached out and swiped it away, cutting t
YELENA"Tyler is dead."The words had been ringing in my head for a week now, ever since the guard brought the news. It was a heavy, hollow truth. He wouldn't get to see Tyla. He wouldn't get to see the life he helped create. I sighed, staring down at my plate, lost in the quiet ache of it all, until a soft voice pulled me back to the present."Ma'am, I wanted to ask where I should put this."I looked up to see our new housekeeper, Aria, struggling slightly with a large, heavy flower vase. I smiled, the weight of the past fading as I gestured toward the wall across from the dining table. "There, put it there, Aria. It would be beautiful there," I said.She nodded, walked over to the spot, and lowered it carefully to the floor. She stepped back, tilting her head to admire the view just as I did. "Indeed, it's really beautiful. This house will feel so much more lively now.""Thank you, Aria. Have you eaten?" I asked.She turned back to me with a kind smile. "Yes, ma'am. I'm going to
NYRAI didn’t step into the hospital for days. I couldn’t. My body moved, but my heart stayed stuck in the moment Kenzie said the words that shattered me. I thought I was strong enough to handle anything... work, pain, stress but a mate’s rejection? That one punched straight into my chest and left
YELENAJackson stepped inside... and stopped.He froze for just a breath, but he didn’t look surprised. Not even a little. It was like he had already guessed I wasn’t alone, like he’d sensed it, the same way wolves smelled storms before they broke. His eyes dragged slowly over me and Tyler, the sp
YELENA"I'm sorry for my sister's behavior. I didn't know what came over her. She wasn't like that… please forgive her," he said gently, almost like he was afraid I would shout at him.I smiled. Not because I had forgiven the girl... Moon knew she didn’t deserve it, but because he said she was his
TRISTAN“I’ll just eat and we’ll leave,” I said, forcing the words out. My voice was flat, heavy, and dragging. My mood had died the moment Yelena walked out of that restaurant with that fool beside her. Every thought I had for business was gone. All I felt was anger sitting in my chest like fire.







