MasukElla's POVI couldn't wait to pull up the test window and dive right back into the world of pharmacology I loved so much.I lost track of time. Right before the countdown hit zero, I finished the last question and hit submit.I stretched, stood up, and turned around to see Nathan leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. He was holding a cup of hot tea, his eyes fixed on me with a deep, intense gaze.Glancing at the wall clock, it suddenly hit me—Lily was still at school.I grabbed my phone. The screen lit up with dozens of missed calls, all from her teachers.I didn't even bother shutting down the laptop and bolted for the door, but Nathan stopped me."Whoa, where are you rushing off to?""Lily's still at school. That power outage messed up my whole day, and I completely forgot to pick her up!"The thought of her sitting at the school gates all by herself made me shake with panic."I already had someone pick her up," Nathan said. "Your brother, the guy who runs the gym... what's h
Ella's POVA chill ran through my body. I walked over and picked up the receiver."You've been out of the pack for three weeks. Have you cooled off yet?"Damien's voice was lazy, like he was coaxing a child throwing a tantrum. In his eyes, the rejection document I handed over was probably just a laughable stack of scrap paper."Now, get into the white van outside the cafe. The driver will bring you back to the pack. I'll forgive you and pretend this whole breaking the mating bond thing never happened."I bit my lip hard."Those shares under your name, the house in Cedarhill, and the ocean-view villa—I'm taking them all back."Boiling blood rushed straight to my head, and I screamed, "Damien, you already signed the agreement!"He chuckled low on the other end of the line."Don't be so naive. Everything you have, I gave to you. What I give, I can take away.""But you already signed it!" I roared into the receiver."Sorry, but I can turn any signed document back into scrap paper." His to
Ella's POVThe other end of the line went dead silent.The answer was obvious. If he had actually flipped through that binder, he wouldn't be calling me in such a panic right now."You sent someone to bang on my door in the middle of the night to force me on the phone. You want to save your son? Sure. But you have to pay.""Ella. Noah is your son! You're really trying to extort money out of him at a time like this?!"He enunciated every single word, like he was trying with everything he had to suppress his rage."Noah is five years old. He knows perfectly well what he's allergic to," I said."The only reason he's in the hospital right now is because he never listens to a word I say. He'd rather eat whatever anyone else hands him than touch anything I make.""Enough! I know all that, but his life is in danger right now!" Damien cut me off."If it's that critical, you should hurry up." My tone didn't shift in the slightest."Damien, it takes three seconds to transfer a million dollars.
Ella's POVHe turned his head to look at me with great effort, his voice breaking."What do you feed your daughter? An entire deer for every meal? How does she have so much stamina!""No," I said. "She eats the same things as any normal pup."He didn't buy it. Lifting an arm that wouldn't stop shaking, he held up two fingers.My heart tightened. "...What does that mean?""Two more classes," he stared at the ceiling like he was delivering his last words."Then send her to the advanced class. I've already taught her everything I know."Lily didn't really understand what we were talking about. She just knew the coach was lying down to rest.She squatted next to him and comforted him in a small voice, "You're actually really strong, Coach. Next time, I'll punch slower."After training, we walked out of the gym.Lily was still hyped up, throwing a couple of air punches as we walked. The sunlight caught her short golden curls perfectly.A black custom motorcycle was parked by the curb, its
Ella's POVLily stood there at a loss, her bottom lip quivering like she was about to cry. I quickly comforted her."Don't cry, baby. It's not your fault. I just haven't taught you how to control the strength inside you yet. We'll take our time and learn."She nodded hard.While I was grabbing a mop to clean up the floor, a bright flash of light suddenly caught my eye. I looked around and spotted a man with a camera hurrying away outside the window.Was he taking pictures of me? But this was my first time at this combat gym, and it was in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Nobody around here should know who I am.I frowned but didn't say anything.Two days later, a phone call from Chloe cleared up exactly what that mysterious man was doing there."Ella, it's me."Chloe's voice was as sweet as silverleaf tea with three extra spoons of sugar.I had blocked her number a long time ago. But she actually called me from an unknown number. She was honestly like a ghost I just couldn't shake.I didn'
Ella's POVI was just about to explain when a military-green SUV pulled up in front of us.The window rolled down, revealing a face with sharp, chiseled features. The raw, cutting edge he carried from the Thornvalley pack was impossible to hide.It was my older brother, Zach. He hopped out of the car and flashed me a huge grin."How's that, Ella? Right on time, huh!"Zach was nearly six-foot-three. His shoulders and back were as wide as a brick wall, and his black t-shirt stretched tightly over his chest and biceps.He was my brother, and also a notoriously high-ranking warrior in the Thornvalleys.He walked right up to Nathan and held out his arms."Give her to me."I thought he was being incredibly rude and quickly shot him a look to remind him to play nice, but he completely ignored me.Nathan's hold on Lily paused for half a second before he carefully handed her over."Drive safe," he said to me, gently patting my head. "Call me when you get home.""Yeah," I nodded. "Thanks."Zach







