MasukMasonThe moment Lelia stepped into the corridor, her scent hit me.Fear.It was sharp enough to make my wolf surge forward before I understood what I was seeing. The sweet jasmine and wild honey scent I had recognized as hers was almost completely buried beneath panic, pain, and something bitter that made every protective instinct inside me rise at once.Mate.My wolf’s voice crashed through my head.Protect her.Lelia stood with one hand pressed against the wall as though she needed it to remain upright. Her hair had fallen across one side of her face, but it did not hide the angry red mark on her cheek. Her sleeve had been dragged low over her wrist, and the way she held that arm close to her body told me it hurt.I started toward her.Her eyes widened when she saw me move.Then the door behind her opened.Alpha Victor stepped into the corridor.He looked perfectly calm.His clothes were neat. His expression was controlled. There was no sign of anger or violence on his face, but th
LeliaThe walk to Father’s guest suite felt longer than it should have.Every step carried me farther away from the safety of the main wing and deeper into the quieter part of the mansion reserved for important visitors. The corridors here were almost empty. The servants had already finished preparing the rooms, and the guards stood far enough apart that no one would hear what happened behind a closed door.Father had chosen the location carefully.He always did.By the time I reached the suite, my palms were damp.I stood outside for a moment, staring at the polished wooden door.Maybe he only wanted to discuss the engagement.Maybe he had not seen me in the garden with Damon.Maybe the message had sounded colder than he intended.The lies came easily, but I did not believe any of them.I lifted my hand and knocked.“Enter.”His voice came from inside.I opened the door.Father stood near the window with a glass of amber liquid in one hand. He had removed his jacket, but the rest of
LeliaThe moment Damon’s eyes dropped to my wrist, panic rushed through me.I pulled my sleeve down so quickly that the fabric caught against my skin, sending a sharp sting through the bruise. I tried not to react, but my fingers tightened around the edge of the sleeve anyway.Too late.He had already seen it.Damon stood several feet away near the fountain, his expression no longer distant or guarded. Something darker had entered his eyes, and for one terrible second, I thought he was angry with me.My body reacted before my mind could reason with it.I stepped back.“It’s nothing,” I said quickly.His gaze remained fixed on my covered wrist.“That didn’t look like nothing.”“I hit it against a door.”The lie came easily.I had used it before.A door.A staircase.A fall during training.A careless servant.There was always an explanation people accepted because the truth made them uncomfortable.Damon did not look convinced.“What kind of door leaves fingerprints?”My stomach droppe
DamonThe room remained silent after Father announced the date.Two weeks.Fourteen days until Lelia and I would stand before powerful Alphas, council members, sponsors, and hockey officials while everyone celebrated a future neither of us had chosen.I looked toward her.She sat across from Father with her back straight and her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her expression was calm enough to fool anyone who did not know what fear smelled like.But I did.The faint bitterness beneath her perfume had been there since she arrived.Lelia was afraid.She simply hid it well.“Two weeks is too soon,” I said.Father leaned back in his chair as though he had expected the objection.“The arrangements are already underway.”“That does not answer me.”“It was not meant to.”My jaw tightened. “You expect us to become engaged in front of half the region after barely knowing each other.”“You are already engaged.”“According to you.”Father’s eyes hardened.“According to an agreement between two A
DamonThe name followed me long after Coach ended the meeting.It stayed in my head while the players changed out of their gear. It echoed through the locker room while everyone discussed the tournament, the scouts who would attend, and the teams we might face.Mooncrest.Each time I heard it, something shifted inside my chest.Not pain exactly.Something weaker.Fainter.A pulse that felt too distant to understand.I pressed my palm against the place where the mate bond had once burned brightly.My wolf lifted its head.For one second, I felt hope.Then the sensation disappeared.I pulled my hand away immediately.It meant nothing.Grief could make the mind invent impossible things. I had spent weeks imagining Elliot’s scent in empty rooms, hearing his footsteps in the arena, and expecting him to appear whenever the doors opened.This was no different.Elliot was gone.The trackers had searched.There had been blood at the border.His suitcase had been abandoned near rogue territory.
DamonThe call came before sunrise.I had been awake for hours, staring at the ceiling while the rest of the pack slept. The room was dark except for the weak light slipping through the curtains, and Elliot’s photograph was still lying on the bedside table where I had left it.I should have put it away.Instead, I had spent most of the night looking at it.The picture had been taken years ago, before everything became complicated. Elliot stood near the edge of the frozen lake, wearing a coat that was too large for him and smiling at someone outside the frame. He looked younger there. Softer. Unafraid.I barely remembered the last time he had looked that happy around me.My phone began vibrating against the wooden table.I reached for it immediately, expecting a message from Mason or one of the pack guards.Coach Grant’s name appeared on the screen.I sat up.“Coach?”“Morning, Damon.”His voice was serious.That was never a good sign.“Is something wrong?”“That depends on whether you
By the time training finally ended, every single part of my body ached with exhaustion and pain that ran deep into my muscles and bones. My arms throbbed from the endless drills, and my legs felt so weak they might give out beneath me at any moment. There was still dried mud caked on my clothes, a
Elliot POV Just like every day, the sharp ring of the alarm clock cut through the quiet morning and pulled me from my restless sleep. I groaned softly and tugged the thin, worn blanket up over my head, trying to block out the world for just a little longer. For a brief moment, I let myself pret
Elliot POVI woke up feeling awful.For a few seconds, I just lay there staring at the ceiling.My body felt strange.Heavy.Weak.Wrong.A dull headache throbbed behind my eyes.My stomach churned uneasily.Even sitting up made the room spin.I pressed a hand against my forehead and groaned.“What
The entire pack was celebrating tognight! banners hanging brightly across the pack square, and music blasting from large speakers set up around the open field. Food stalls lined the edges, their delicious aromas mingling with the excitement, while children ran around wearing Damon jerseys, their




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