Alina, a wolf shifter hiding from her past, lives a quiet life with her young son in a peaceful town—until reminders of his powerful, dangerous father start to surface. As her son’s first shift nears, Alina must face the truth she’s buried for years. Secrets are stirring, and soon, West Pond may no longer be safe.
Now is the part where, traditionally, the crowd breaks out of their dutiful stances and begins dancing the night away. There will be bonfires and drums and liquor, and people won’t stop celebrating until the sun comes up. But all I want to do is spend the rest of the evening with my little family.…
“And a drink to buy Zahra.” “That, too.” We keep walking, the river whispering beside us. Tomorrow, we’ll make our slow return to whatever our version of normalcy is about to become and take our place before the pack. We’ll begin again, properly. Together. But for tonight, I just let myself savor this. This moment.…
I wrap my arms around him and pull him closer. He slides into me with a slow, deep stroke that leaves us both gasping. It’s not frantic. It’s not about urgency. It’s about devotion and rediscovery. We move together in a rhythm that feels like something powerfully ancient, like something we’ve always known deep down…
“You’ve done everything you can,” a Beta I vaguely recognize assures me. He speaks gently, though his eyes are sharp and full of purpose. “Let us help him now, Luna. We will help your Mate.” Something about the use of my title-which is hardly a title at all, given that Rowan hasn’t claimed full leadership…
“I have an idea. It’s an old tradition,” she murmurs. “If we complete the official Mating ritual, it will help you heal faster.” I stare at her. Not because I didn’t think of it myself, but because it’s her saying it. Alina, who has spent a decade of her life hiding from me. My love,…
Now, in the first breaths of spring, it’s quiet. The only sound is the gurgle of water tumbling over smooth stones and the wind rustling in the tall grass. We haven’t had rain in a while, so the water level remains low and the ground is dry. The most important detail, however, is that the…
Everything is so impossibly perfect. The flowers, pretty little bluebells bursting free from the damp earth, cushioning our steps and dancing in the breeze. The fireflies, too, which seem to be dancing around Rowan as if eager to offer my mate a crown of starlight. Rowan’s hand is still cradling mine, wrapped around the carved…
My hands shake as I press down on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, trying to do something, anything, but it’s too deep. The bullet tore through him, and I can’t fix it. That doesn’t mean I don’t try, though. I lean over him, snatching at the bond as it tangles and frays. Pain…
There are no guards. No movement at the perimeter at all. All the chaos is behind me. Yet, my hackles rise, a flicker of warning brushing down my spine. I don’t pause, though. Not with Noah’s scent tickling my nostrils. I shift back mid-stride, chucking on a long flannel that I secured around my neck…
And the door explodes behind him. A blur of dark fur and curdled fury bursts through the shattered frame, slamming into Samson like a freight train. The gun clatters across the floor. Samson hits the wall hard, cracking wood underneath. A snarl of rage rips from his throat as claws tear into his shoulder. Rowan.…