LOGINSEANIron bars groaned under the brutal pressure of my bare hands.Finding the rat inside my own house remained my absolute, singular goal tonight. Stifling July humidity crawled through the damp stone corridors of the packhouse dungeons, mixing with the foul smell of stagnant water and unwashed despair. Martha and Elise huddled together against the wet back wall, shivering violently beneath the dim, flickering torchlight."Look at me." My voice dropped into a dark, grinding millstone. "You told my guards you didn't touch the tray. Start talking again, and leave nothing out."Martha gripped Elise’s shaking shoulder, pulling the younger maid closer. Tears tracked through the grime on Martha’s wrinkled face."We didn't poison it, Alpha!" Martha choked out, her voice rising to a frantic, cracking shriek. "I swear on the moon! I made the broth, I put it on the counter, and I turned around to check the roast!""And then what?" Marcus stepped out of the shadows, resting his heavy hand on th
SEANBeatrice stared at the golden liquid. Her dark eyes widened in absolute horror. "Alpha, please.""If you didn't poison the food, Beatrice, then it is just chicken broth." I held the spoon up to her face. "Eat a spoonful right now. Or I will throw you in the dungeons and let the guards flay you alive for treason."Her hands shook so badly the broth sloshed over the rim, burning her fingers. She looked at Elise. She looked at Marcus. Nobody moved to help her.Taking the spoon from my hand, Beatrice scooped up a tiny amount of the liquid."A full spoonful," I growled.Whimpering, she filled the silver spoon completely. She lifted it to her mouth, closed her eyes, and swallowed the broth.Silence descended on the living room.The heavy ticking of the grandfather clock echoed against the drywall. Ten seconds passed. Twenty seconds. Beatrice opened her eyes, letting out a , shuddering breath of relief."You see?" Beatrice offered a nervous, frantic smile. "It is fine. I am perfectly fi
SEANThere she was again, picking at her plate but not eating anything.She needed to eat.Tracy sat cross-legged in the center of my mattress. Wearing one of my oversized black t-shirts, she looked entirely swallowed by the fabric. Her skin lacked all color."I cannot eat this." Pushing the silver tray away, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "My stomach is completely tied in knots. I will throw it right back up.""You need the calories." Sliding the tray back across the duvet, I stopped it right against her knees. "You nearly died of shock two hours ago. Your blood sugar is on the floor. Eat the broth.""Stop ordering me around." She glared at the steaming bowl. "Sarah is lying in a medically induced coma downstairs because someone tried to put a knife through my ribs. Forgive me if my appetite didn't survive the blood loss.""Starving yourself does not help Sarah heal." Leaning over the bed, I rested my knuckles on the mattress. "It makes you weak. It makes you a liabili
AUTHOR'S POV"You are safe here." Wrapping his thick arms entirely around her back, he tucked her head beneath his chin. "Declan is locking down the perimeter. David is interrogating the lower staff. I have thirty elite guards surrounding this wing alone. A ghost could not walk through those doors without my permission.""I am so tired of being hunted.""You are not prey." Shifting his weight, he rubbed his wide hand slowly up and down her spine. "You are under my protection. The Southern Valley cannot touch you."Pulling back slightly, Tracy tilted her chin up.Her breath hitched.Sean stared down at her, his silver eyes darkening into pools of liquid mercury. His pupils dilated rapidly. The scent of rain, pine needles, and pure, untamed musk rolled off his skin in heavy, intoxicating waves. His jaw ticked."Sean," she whispered."Do not look at me like that," he warned softly, his gaze dropping to her bruised, swollen lips."Like what?""Like you want me to make you forget."Sliding
AUTHOR'S POVRed warning lights spun violently across the sterile white tiles of the Intensive Care Unit.He needed to keep her alive, but the shrill, unbroken scream of the heart monitor signaled total catastrophic failure. July humidity pressed against the frosted glass of the hospital windows, utterly banished by the freezing air conditioning blasting from the ceiling vents. The smell of raw bleach completely vanished beneath the heavy, metallic stench of fresh blood."Push one milligram of epinephrine!" Dr. Evans barked.Slipping on the slick floor, Nurse Clara grabbed the crash cart. "Epi is in!""We lost the clot." Dr. Aris shoved his bloody, gloved hands directly into the open surgical wound. "The hepatic artery ruptured again. The pressure from the initial transfusion blew the sutures right off.""Pressure is tanking," Clara reported.Ripping a massive roll of white gauze from the tray, Evans packed it tightly into the cavity. Blood soaked through the thick cotton in three sec
TRACY "I need to see her.""Five minutes." Evans dropped his hand. "Do not touch the tubes. Do not wake her if she is sleeping."Nodding quickly, I pushed the heavy wooden door open.The room was freezing. Sarah lay in the center of the mechanical bed, looking incredibly small. A thick white bandage wrapped entirely around her chest. Clear plastic tubes snaked from her arms to a rack of dripping IV bags. An oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose, fogging slightly with every shallow, rattling breath.Her skin lacked all color. She looked exactly like a ghost.Pulling a plastic chair to the edge of the mattress, I sat down. My knees shook so badly I almost missed the seat."Sarah."Reaching out slowly, I rested my fingers lightly against the edge of her cold hand. I didn't dare hold it, terrified of dislodging the needles piercing her skin.She didn't move. The steady rise and fall of her chest was the only sign of life.Tears burned the corners of my eyes. Hot, angry drops spilled ove
Tracy Xander’s POV Sam Zach had been two years ahead of me back when I was still in school, a name that carried weight even then, someone whose work people followed long before they ever met him in person. Years ago, when his company reached a point where progress stalled and nothing seemed to mo
Tracy Xander’s POV When I returned from the restroom, the meal was already coming to an end, the earlier warmth fading into the quiet sounds of departure as conversations softened and chairs scraped lightly against the floor, one after another, until the private room gradually emptied. I said my
Tracy Xander’s POV Back at my desk, I set the documents down and carefully pulled out the bond dissolution agreement from the stack. My fingers lingered on the paper for a brief moment, as though grounding myself in the reality of what I had already set in motion. There was no need for devices or
Tracy Xander’s POV “Luna Xander, the results confirm Lunar Decay, and it has already spread through your body. Are you certain you do not wish to inform your family?” “It is not necessary,” I replied, my voice calm, almost detached, as though I were speaking about someone else’s fate instead of m







