LOGINStanding on the other side of the door, one hand already raised as though he had been about to knock, was a familiar face.It was none else, but Beta Raphael.He lowered his hand slowly, and looked at both of them in the doorway, taking in the scene behind them, the scattered room a bit visible over their shoulders, and then back at their faces.“Beta Raphael?” They both said in unison, completely surprised."Mr. and Mrs. Johnson," he said quietly. "I'm sorry to come at this hour."His expression, which was usually carefully composed, was a bit different from what neither of them had seen from him before."May I come in?" He asked, respectfully. "There's something important I need to talk about."“Yes, please come in.” My father said as they led the way and he followed behind them.Beta Raphael stepped inside, and my parents led the way to the sitting room.He followed behind them, and the moment he crossed the threshold into the sitting room, he stopped.His eyes moved slowly across
Having seen the security guards in such a large number through the room window and now hearing them at the front door, my parents exchanged confused and questioning glances. They couldn't contain their shock.“An order from the Alpha? What could be going on?” Mum muttered, and dad shrugged, still confused.“I have no idea. Everything seemed normal when I was on my way back from the factory. I mean, nothing looked out of place.” He responded, whispering too.“OPEN UP! IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW, WE'LL BE FORCED TO BREAK DOWN THE DOOR.” The voice yelled again, banging at the door.Father quickly rushed to the door, with mum following closely behind him. And within seconds, the door was opened.The leader of the security team then barged in with his troops rushing in too, leaving mum and dad utterly stunned.“Search everywhere. Every nook and cranny. Search every single place.” He ordered his team members.“Yes, sir.” They nodded, and instantly got to work, searching everywher
"Shhhh..." Father's hand flew up to mother's mouth faster than she could finish the sentence, his palm pressing gently but firmly against her lips, cutting off whatever she had been about to say next.She immediately froze, her eyes widening.He turned to look at her, and deliberately but slowly shook his head.Her eyes held his above his hand, and she was confused at first, but then after reading him, and understanding what his actions probably meant, something different shifted in her gaze.He held the silence for another moment, and then carefully lowered his hand."Don't say such things out loud, Stella," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do you understand me? You can't say things like that out loud. You should know this by now."She blinked. "What? Why not? It doesn't matter if anyone hears me saying it. Hearing it doesn't mean they know the truth behind it." She shrugged."That's exactly the point." His voice dropped even lower, his eyes moving toward the window briefl
~RED FLARE PACK~The moment father stepped in through the front door, he immediately noticed the pitch darkness in the house. Still in his work clothes, with the faint smell of the pack's iron factory still clinging to his shirt, he flipped the switch and the lights came on. His eyes then scanned the empty and very quiet sitting room.He had worked a long shift, longer than usual, and all he had thought about on the walk back home was sitting down, eating a warm dinner, and checking on his wife, my mother."Stella?" He called out to her, dropping his tools by the door, but no one answered him.He walked into the sitting room and stopped abruptly as he noticed that mother's breakfast was still on the small table by the window, exactly where he had left it arranged for her before heading out that morning. The bowl was full, the bread untouched, a thin film of cold having settled over everything long ago. It was obvious that she hadn't eaten a single bite of it since morning.“She hasn't
"What issue?" I asked, making sure to keep my voice low.Mira turned back to face me, her expression hinting that she was trying to choose her words carefully."Elena," She said slowly, "I want to help you find Jake. I genuinely want to, but something just struck my mind.”“And what is it?” I asked, almost impatiently.“Just think about it for a moment." She paused for a very short moment. "You've told me a lot about your son. You've told me what he is like, how he speaks, how he acts and his favorite things to do. But if I'm going to be walking into that section looking for a specific child among however many kids are being kept there, I have to be able to recognize him." She held my gaze steadily for a moment and said, "But I've never seen him. I don't even know what he looks like."I opened my mouth to speak but she continued before I could say anything."A description only goes so far. It can only do so little." She continued, trying to speak quietly. "Young pups can look alike,
Tristan didn't need a soothsayer to tell him what that moment meant. He immediately knew that he had struck a nerve and Alpha Dwayne had no intention of speaking anymore."I'll take my leave now." He said quickly and exited the room without thinking twice.Alpha Dwayne stared at his ink-stained fingers after Tristan had left. He looked at the barrel of the pen still in his hands and hissed."What a way to ruin my mood." He muttered and got up with the ruined pen still in his hand.He walked to the trash and tossed it in. He then headed to his room.********The door to the slave quarters creaked open, and I slipped inside as quietly as I could manage, but it didn't matter.Mira's head snapped up from her mat the moment I stepped through, her eyes going wide in the dim light."Elena?" She was on her feet before the door was even fully closed behind me.She crossed the room quickly, her eyes scanning me from head to toe as her hands flew to my arms, checking, pressing, and searching. "
Honestly, I had no answer to Jake's question, because I didn't know how to explain to my son why his father kept making another woman's child his priority.That evening, after putting Jake to bed early, I went to find Jackson. He was in his study, reviewing some pack document plans."We need to tal
"Mama, why doesn't Papa like us?"Jake's question hit me like a physical blow. I stopped brushing his hair and met his innocent eyes in the mirror."What makes you think that, sweetheart?" I asked him."He's always with Lily and her mama," Jake said, his bottom lip trembling. "He bought Lily a new
I picked the pieces left of my clothes, and fled to my room. I locked myself up in bathroom, scrubbing and washing myself up as I cried until sunrise.The next day, just like I expected, Jackson didn't remember. He walked past me in the hallway without a second glance, discussing pack business with
RED FLARE PACK The hospital smell made me want to vomit. Or maybe that was the illness eating away at my insides. I couldn't tell anymore."We need to discuss payment," the pack doctor said, his voice cold and clinical. "The treatment isn't cheap, and your family—""We'll find a way," my father in







