LOGINTRACY Crystal chandeliers dripped from the vaulted ceiling of the Grand Hotel ballroom.A string quartet played a frantic, sweeping waltz in the corner, but the music barely pierced the dense, oppressive wall of Alpha auras clashing in the room. Hundreds of the region’s most powerful shifters wore custom tuxedos and glittering gowns. The smell of roasted duck, expensive perfume, and pure, predatory tension filled my lungs.Every single eye tracked us.Walking beside Sean, the crowd literally parted. His dominance wasn't a suggestion; it was a physical force. Men lowered their gazes. Women stepped back. Walking through this room with Chandler used to mean keeping my head down, making myself invisible so I wouldn't embarrass his fragile ego. Tonight, wrapped in emerald silk and anchored by the most feared man in the territory, I stared directly back at them."Elder Thorne is glaring at you from the ice sculpture," I noted, grabbing a glass of sparkling water from a passing silver tray.
TRACYTHE NEXT WEEKSilk squeezed my ribs like a vice.Sarah yanked the corset strings again, bracing her knee against my lower back. Sharp pain flared across my spine. The heavy, humid July heat bleeding through the apartment windows didn't help. Surviving the Silver Moon Gala tonight meant projecting absolute, untouchable power, but right now, breathing felt like an Olympic sport."Hold still." Sarah tied a vicious knot at the base of my spine. "You want to look like the lead developer of a billion-dollar AI or a charity case?"Gasping, I gripped the edge of the mahogany vanity. "I want to keep oxygen flowing to my brain. Loosen it.""Not a chance." Sarah stepped back, clapping dust from her hands. She wore a bright yellow cocktail dress, her hair pinned up in elaborate curls. "Alpha Sean’s entire pack is going to be there. The regional elders. Chandler. You need armor tonight, Tracy. This dress is your armor."A heavy knock rattled the bedroom door.Marcus, Sean’s lead security gua
SEANThe damp chill of the mountain air finally began to numb my bare shoulders, but the woman resting her head against my chest was perfectly warm. Wrapped tightly in my oversized flannel shirt, Tracy looked peaceful, her breathing even for the first time in days. My shirt engulfed her small frame, the hem reaching her knees.I stroked her hair, my fingers tangling in the dark strands. The raw, physical bond we had just forged felt deeper than any legal mark. She had trusted me with her body while she was at her weakest, and I had proven I could control the monster inside me to keep her safe.A sharp, high-pitched electronic shriek shattered the quiet night.Tracy jolted upright instantly. Her smartphone, sitting face-up on a flat rock near our discarded clothes, flashed a violent, piercing red. The digital alarm echoed loudly over the steady rumble of the waterfall."What is that?" I asked, sitting up and reaching for my combat pants."The mainframe," Tracy whispered, her face turni
AUTHOR'S POVThe scream shattered the tension in the room.Tracy slammed her laptop shut. The loud crack echoed over the blaring alarms outside. She stood up, her fists clenched at her sides. Her breathing was ragged, her chest heaving, and the dark circles under her eyes looked stark against her pale skin."Shut the fuck up! Both of you!" Tracy pointed a shaking finger directly at Sam. "I am not your partner, Sam! I am your employee! You ambushed me with the press today. You touched me without asking, and you used my face to inflate your stock prices!"Sam blinked, his arrogant posture faltering. "Tracy, I was just trying to build the brand—""You built a target!" she yelled, her voice cracking. Pivoting on her heel, she turned her furious gaze on me.I braced myself."And you!" Tracy stepped forward, jabbing her index finger hard into my chest. "You storm in here with armed guards like a warlord! You command me to drop my life's work! You don't ask what I need. You just issue orders
SEANThe sweat pricked the back of my neck despite the blasting air conditioning in my packhouse office. The July heat outside baked the asphalt into a shimmering mirage, matching the absolute, violent fury boiling in my gut. Keeping Tracy safe from Chandler’s hitmen was my only goal today. But looking at the eighty-inch flat screen mounted on my wall, the real threat wore a custom Italian suit.Sam Zach."Turn the volume up," I commanded.David, my Beta, grabbed the remote and hit the button. The news anchor’s voice filled the room, loud and entirely too cheerful.*"Dubbed the 'Tech Savant,' this unknown developer's algorithm correctly predicted a massive server failure and diagnosed a critical patient three minutes faster than the hospital's top medical team. The leaked footage already has ten million views."*The screen cut to a shaky cell phone video. Tracy stood in the center of the hospital testing floor, her eyes glued to a tablet, rattling off medical jargon while alarms blare
AUTHOR'S POVHeavy June rain hammered against the corrugated iron roof of the underground bar, drowning out the low thumping bass.Yvonne crossed her arms over her expensive trench coat, shivering as the damp, stifling humidity clung to her skin. The subterranean tavern smelled of wet dog, stale beer, and raw ozone from the thunderstorm raging across the city. Sitting across the sticky wooden booth, a man with a jagged scar down his neck lazily counted the stacks of crisp hundred-dollar bills. Securing her position as Luna meant cutting out Chandler’s obsession at the root, and this human mercenary was the only blade sharp enough to do it."Fifty thousand," Silas said. He tapped the thick envelope against the table. "This covers the entry fee. But hitting a pack hospital? That’s suicide. Alpha Sean has his elite guards blanketing the entire VIP wing.""You aren't going in through the front door with a gun," Yvonne snapped.She reached into her designer purse and slid a forged plastic
SEAN"Did you end up buying that new private helicopter?" Aiden asked, looking up from his thick stack of legal files."Yes, the black model arrived this morning," I answered simply. Leaning back in my comfortable leather chair, I took a slow sip of hot coffee. "It cuts my travel time in half betwe
TRACYThe modern throne room felt like a giant icebox. Cold air pumped silently through the ceiling vents, chilling the white marble floor beneath my bare feet. I stood a few feet away from Chandler in the center of the massive space. Neither of us spoke a single word.Stepping forward, the Pack Se
AUTHOR’S POVHeavy footsteps pounded against the expensive hardwood floor. Chandler paced back and forth across the massive master bedroom. His face was bright red with anger, and his fists were clenched tight at his sides. Usually, the quiet luxury of the modern room calmed him down. Today, howev
TRACYTwo days later, a crisp, cool morning breeze swept across the sprawling grounds of the Northern Pack. Feeling much stronger, I decided to leave my luxury suite. The private doctor had finally cleared me for light exercise, hoping the fresh air would help my lungs recover from the lingering Lu







