Hael’s P.O.V.We now stood in the foyer, too far from the front door to bolt, yet close enough to feel it’s pull. The last thing I wanted to do was play overprotective brother with Elijah of all people considering Violet definitely didn’t see me as a sibling.“I appreciate that more than you know. It was good talking to you boys. I’ll try to catch up again soon. Hopefully after the chaos settles.” Elijah winked, straightened his bowtie, and headed into the dining room, towards the sound of my mother’s voice.Up until I spotted Violet in the crowd, the rest of my day had been one big blur. Even the obnoxious flashing of cameras couldn’t block her from view. The mark she’d left on my neck, a delicate sliver of a moon entangled in a sea of stars, throbbed whenever she was nearby.I couldn’t stand to look at her for too long, not with how she ripped the breath from my lungs. There was nothing gentle about her effect on me, and I couldn’t risk letting my father see the truth ahead of sched

Violet’s P.O.V.A slew of images and sounds flashed through my head. They were tethered to a golden thread that my soul recognized and reached out to touch. It slipped from my body, following the brilliant light until it swallowed us whole.Each image was tainted in a misty film that reminded me of the poison rushing through my veins.Perhaps they were nothing more than drug induced hallucinations. I didn’t particularly care, not when Hael’s face filled the darkened corners of my mind. His murderous expression somehow eased my fear, filling me with an odd peace I prayed I could hold onto.‘I’ll storm every home, every business. I’ll burn this entire pack down to get her back.’Even if it weren’t real, I held onto his promise.‘I’ll find you, Violet. I’ll find you and set you free.’Slowly, my soul descended back into my body. The sounds I heard next didn’t come from the depths of my mind, or from some ethereal chord of light. They trickled into my ears, astoundingly real and terrifyin

Hael’s P.O.V.It was pure pandemonium once word about the decaying corpse spread. People surged left and right. Women squealed, clinging to their mates. Warriors were on high alert even though the body had been dead long before the party began. They had no clue the murderer wasn’t in their presence, rather she’d been kidnapped by another.Sometime during the chaos, someone must’ve recognized Blaze behind the mess of blackened flesh. Things only got worse from there. Panic blanketed the crowd, following them as they were escorted back into the ballroom by security. In the past I would’ve waited for my father to arrive to survey the scene. I would’ve stuck by his side, offering my knowledge when prompted. Not this time, though. Not only did I not give a shit about Blaze’s corpse, but I had way more important things to do than cater to my father yet again. A bleating chime sliced through my thoughts. I thought my heart might stop at the sound, but the name on the screen wasn’t Viole

Violet’s P.O.V.It wasn’t until my memories began resurfacing that I felt this pull towards the past. At first it was faint, easily ignorable. The more I remembered, the more that feeling continued to grow.With every face, that frayed chord hardened into something unbreakable, something I couldn’t fight even with the help of my medication. I’d been trying so hard to outrun the avalanche that was my past, not realizing that with every memory I regained, the snow I trudged through only grew deeper.All of it accumulated to this moment. The moment when my past finally caught up to me.The wall that protected me for so long came tumbling down.Time was no longer real. I was both here and there, human and beast. Smothered by the shock that I now stood on four feet, stark white fur sprouting from my massive body. I’d never felt so strong, packed with muscle that propelled me towards my kidnappers.I could see Lorenzo’s scarred face, his one eye bright with genuine fear, just as I could see

Hael’s P.O.V.Cole took one look at Violet, covered head-to-toe in blood, and whistled under his breath. I shook my head, warning him away.She was still on edge. Still whispering about fragments of her past. Some I understood, while others seemed like the confused ramblings of a child. My presence was the only thing that seemed to pull her out of her mind. She didn’t even seem to notice her professor following just a few feet behind, Macon’s head dangling from his hand, keeping an eye out in case anyone had survived.Before we left, I searched what was left of Lorenzo’s pants for Violet’s old cellphone. I found what I’d been looking for, ignoring the fact that half of his left leg remained in the pants.After helping her into Marcel’s suit jacket, which I planned on burning the second we were home, I wrapped her in my arms and made a silent promise never to let go. I would’ve given her my own if it hadn’t been soaked through with blood.On the walk back to the car, I thought only abo