LOGINJacob*“That is not what I said.”“It’s exactly what you said!” Her voice rang through the room.I could feel my wolf growing restless beneath my skin now, irritated by the escalating tension. “Laurel,” I said firmly, “Elder Lenore has served this pack faithfully for decades. She would not fabricate something like this.”Laurel scoffed loudly. “Of course she would if it meant restoring Krista.”“She gains nothing from lying.”“Oh please. Have a care for my intelligence.” She began pacing again, faster now. “She adored Krista, just like everyone else in this fucking pack,” Laurel snapped. “Most of the Elders did. Krista was their precious Luna. Their perfect little symbol of unity and loyalty and sacrifice.”“And now Krista is back,” she continued bitterly, “and suddenly the Goddess still considers her your mate? Suddenly she must spend time with you? Sleep beside you? Be close to you? She’s being pushed right back into my place while everyone pretends this is about the wish of the Go
Jacob*Then, more to herself than to me, she muttered, “So this means Krista is still your Luna, isn’t she?”The question settled heavily between us. I nodded once and Laurel laughed again. This time, there was something brittle in it that immediately put me on edge. She began pacing again, rubbing both hands over her face before letting them fall to her sides. Annoyance blazed openly in her eyes now, hot and restless.“Surely,” she said tightly, “Elder Lenore gave some sort of solution to this. There has to be a way to fix it.”“There is,” I replied carefully. “Or at least, we hope there is. We’re going to try to draw Krista’s wolf out.”Even as I said the words aloud, they sounded absurdly complicated and ridiculous. If someone else had been telling me this story weeks ago, I might have thought the Goddess herself was playing some cruel joke.Laurel folded her arms across her chest tightly.“It won’t be easy,” I continued. “But we have to try.”“With all due respect,” Laurel said s
Jacob*I shaved in silence, dragging the short blade carefully along the sharp plane of my jaw while steam curled lazily through the bathroom. The room smelled faintly of soap, steel and cedarwood oil, scents so familiar to me that I barely noticed them. My focus remained on the mirror in front of me, on the precise movement of my hand, even when I heard the door to my chambers open without ceremony.There was no knock and no greeting of ‘Alpha’ – there was only one person who would dare to enter my rooms this way: Laurel. I did not turn toward the sound. A second later, I caught sight of her from the corner of my eye. She stood leaning against the bathroom doorway with her arms folded tightly across her chest, watching me with an expression that was difficult to read from this angle.“Was the meeting with Elder Lenore successful?” she asked.I grunted in assent, drawing the blade down the curve of my cheek.The answer clearly was not enough for her, but Laurel did not immediately pr
Jacob*Despite myself, I smiled again. The memory of our kiss still lingered between us like heat under skin, and Elder Lenore’s instructions loomed heavily over everything. But as Krista walked beside me with amusement softening her expression and sunlight catching against the strands of her hair, it became painfully easy to understand why my wolf refused to let her go. A smile tugged at my mouth despite myself as I glanced sideways at her.“What makes you think I was ever caught,” I asked lazily, “just because I happened to be part of the prey?” The late afternoon sun filtered through the trees around us, painting shifting gold across the path as we walked back toward the manor grounds. The breeze carried the scent of pine and earth. “It’s truly a pity we weren’t childhood playmates,” I continued. “You would’ve known then that I always led the prey to victory.”Krista rolled her eyes with immediate disbelief, though there was laughter in it. “Always?” she repeated dryly. “If you’re
Jacob*The sunlight filtering through the trees caught against the strands of hair escaping her ponytail, and for one dangerous moment, all I could think about was pinning her under me again and kissing her until that same breathless warmth filled her eyes. I dragged my thoughts away with effort. Krista caught me looking at her, and her smile faded almost immediately as awareness flashed between us. Color rose faintly into her cheeks again before she glanced away.Luke, thankfully oblivious to the strange tension between us, tugged lightly at my sleeve. “Alpha?”I looked back down at him.“If taking the stream is bad,” he asked seriously, “what would you do?”An idea came to me then. I crouched until I was eye level with Luke, then crooked two fingers at the other children. “Come here.”That alone was enough to silence them almost instantly. Pups always loved feeling as though they were being entrusted with something important, and judging by the way they crowded around me with wide
Jacob *The walk back to the manor was quiet in a way that felt heavy rather than peaceful. The path through the grove curved between tall trees whose leaves whispered softly overhead, but neither Krista nor I spoke for several minutes after leaving Elder Lenore behind. The seer’s words lingered between us like smoke that refused to clear.Krista had folded her arms around herself tightly, her fingers curled into the fabric at her elbows as if she was trying to hold herself together. She kept her gaze fixed ahead, her expression unreadable, but I could see tension in the set of her shoulders and the rigid line of her mouth. I understood it well enough.Lenore had practically suggested we resume behaving like mates after years apart and after all the damage I had caused. Even for me, the idea had been jarring. For Krista, it had to feel unbearable.After another stretch of silence, I finally said, “We do not need to do anything yet.”She did not look at me, but I saw her brows pull to
Krista *Jacob’s expression twisted, first a flash of guilt before confusion took over in his searching eyes. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice rough. “That’s impossible. Our wolves don’t just—” He shook his head as if trying to clear it. “They don’t just die, Krista. They’re part
Krista*Despite my harsh words, Jacob stepped closer, and the moment he did, I felt my breath hitch.I didn’t want to look at him—goddess help me, I didn’t—but my gaze had a will of its own, and it was drawn helplessly to the broad planes of his body. Droplets of water clung to his tanned skin, tr
Krista *I set the basket down and knelt by the water, scooping some up in my hands and letting it run through my fingers. The coolness of it sent a shiver up my spine, and I smiled faintly. This stream, this place—it would always be a part of me, no matter where we went.After a moment, I stood a
Krista*Luke felt so small and warm in my arms as I lifted him from the couch, his steady breaths brushing against my neck as I held him close. Every instinct in me screamed to keep him there, cradled against my chest, where no one could take him from me. I moved carefully, each step deliberate, s







