The run had been invigorating, an ecstatic blur of speed, wind, and the primal joy that came with the shift. For the first time in years, I had Trevor running beside me. Louis, too. It felt like a reunion of souls, a moment of unspoken brotherhood we'd all longed for but never articulated. Yet, as the house came into view, a magnetic pull started to hum in the background of my thoughts. It whispered promises of relief and escape.The stash in the truck calling out to me like a siren song.I hesitated, torn. I had promised to turn over a new leaf, to be better. But the call was insistent, a dark melody woven into the very fabric of my being. With a sense of inevitability, I found my feet carrying me towards the truck. I was so engrossed in my internal struggle that I didn't even notice Lexi was outside, too.As I cut the powder into lines on the seat, my thoughts spiraled. "You idiot," I chastised myself. "A momentary high in exchange for what? Trust? Love? What's wrong with you?"I w
From the window, I watched Lexi struggle to guide Luke toward the front yard swing. Each step seemed laborious, a wobbly dance that seemed like it could collapse into chaos at any moment. There were a couple of times when I thought Luke would topple over, taking Lexi down with him, and I was ready to intervene.I could feel the anger building. I imagined Lexi's small frame crushed under Luke's weight, both of them getting hurt, and something clenched in my gut. The devastation that would wreak on Luke, already fragile and teetering on the edge, would be immeasurable. Far more damaging than any substance he was ingesting. A sigh of relief left my lips when Lexi finally settled him into the swing, her body acting like an anchor to his instability.Turning away from the scene, I faced Trevor. "Hey, you interested in going to your land? Clear your head a bit?""Yeah," he paused, looking at me, "but not alone. Not with everything that's going on right now."Louis chimed in, "We'll take him
Hand in hand with Clay, I looked at the old settler house before us. Its timeworn features whispered secrets of history I was still getting to know, each creaking floorboard and aged stone a testament to the long, complex legacy of the pack I'd joined. Yet, as I stood there, caught in the weight of that legacy, I couldn't shake the nagging sense that Clay and I were falling behind somehow.So much of our time and emotional energy had been channeled into helping Luke lately. Each moment spent worrying, strategizing, and just trying to keep him afloat felt like a small withdrawal from the emotional savings account Clay and I had. A nagging question loomed in my mind: Were we sacrificing our own relationship's growth for Luke's well-being?Finally, unable to contain it any longer, I turned to Clay. "I've been thinking... it feels like we've been so caught up in helping Luke that we might be neglecting us—our emotional connection. Do you feel that way?"He looked at me with those depthles
I was jolted awake, my pulse racing as an unmistakable sensation surged through me. The primal currents of intimacy—desire, pleasure, connection—ricocheted inside me, intensifying as they looped through the invisible mate bond that tethered me to Clay and Lexi. For a moment, I basked in it, letting the warmth of their love wash over me. It felt like I was touching the very essence of their connection, a secondary participant in a private act.Excitement swelled within me. Eager to join them, I sprang from the couch, my bare feet barely touching the ground as I darted through the house. My heart pounded in my ears like a rhythmic drumline, each beat echoing my escalating anticipation. I scanned every room, my eyes darting from corner to corner, but found no trace of them. Living room, empty. Kitchen, vacant. Our bedroom, untouched. Bathroom, quiet and dark.They weren't here.A knot tightened in my stomach, my earlier enthusiasm ebbing away, replaced by a cold tide of disappointment
As I worked in the dim light of my office, a gentle wave of tranquility pulsed through the mate bond. I felt Lexi's and Luke's consciousness drift toward sleep, and I couldn't help but smile. It was a moment of pure, unfiltered peace that we all desperately needed. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was well past dark.I closed the ledger I was poring over, capped my pen, and went outside. The sight that met me was so idyllic it almost stole my breath away. Lexi and Luke were nestled together in the hammock, their faces calm. Luke's lips rested on Lexi's forehead. The same blanket that he had earlier used as an emotional shield now wrapped around them, becoming a part of this beautiful scene.My heart swelled at the view. How quickly despair could be turned into hope, fear into comfort. Walking over to them, I gently shook Luke's shoulder. His eyes fluttered open, blinking awake with surprising grace."Hey, man, let's go inside. I won't fit on that with y'all," I softly suggested,
Heat enveloped me, and as I stirred awake, I felt as though I were tucked inside a furnace. Both Luke and Clay were practically lying on top of me, their arms cocooning me tightly as if shielding me from some invisible danger."Guys, you've gotta let me up, or I might just wet the bed like a three-year-old," I joked.Their grips slackened almost simultaneously, and I wriggled out from between them, heading for the bathroom. The cold tile felt good against my feet, contrasting with the warmth I had just left.I caught sight of myself in the mirror as I washed my hands and paused. The woman staring back at me looked older, her eyes reflecting a kind of wisdom that wasn't there a month ago. I was no longer that wide-eyed college student; now, I saw a Luna in my reflection. My eyes landed on the mark on my neck. It occurred to me that Clay, despite feeling everything through our mate bond, wasn't marked like Luke and I were. A shadow of discontent crossed my mind.As I emerged from the ba
The silence in the office was almost a physical entity, thick and smothering, filled with tension that neither of us could articulate. My wolf prowled restlessly within me, its growls a ceaseless litany of disapproval and unease. Every fiber was screaming that Lexi shouldn't be out without us, not after what she'd been through. I looked at Clay, who seemed lost in a similar turmoil."Your wolf is uneasy too, isn't it?" I finally said, breaking the stifling silence.Clay nodded, his jaw clenched. "Can't blame him, considering.""I know," I sighed, feeling like an iron band was constricting around my chest. "But she needs this, Clay. She needs her freedom, her space.""Yeah," he said softly, almost wistfully. "Doesn't make it easy, though."We tried to work. We really did. But every document I looked at, every email I tried to compose, the words swam in front of my eyes, transforming into a jumbled mess that made no sense. My thoughts drifted back to Lexi, to the way her eyes twinkled w
The car ride back home was a mixture of excitement and, oddly enough, tension. Moro's revelation left me oscillating between shock and a newfound closeness. It was like stumbling upon an old photograph you never knew existed. When we pulled into the driveway, the trunk full of shopping bags and one oddly wrapped package, I could feel my anticipation building. Moro popped the trunk, and we began hauling our finds inside. I gripped the enigmatic, heavily wrapped package tightly, its form secure yet oddly shapeless under its multiple layers of bags. I headed straight for the bedroom, the mysterious package swinging lightly in my arms. I set it down on the bed with a sense of reverence. Then I turned to help Moro hang the cascade of new clothes in my closet. The colors and fabrics spoke of future days, of experiences not yet lived. There was an undeniable thrill in that, a promise of something more. As we were knee-deep in a sea of tissue paper and new clothes, Luke walked into the roo