Pulling on black pants and a white button-down, I surveyed my reflection in the full-length mirror against the bedroom wall. My fingers grazed over a sleek, dark tie resting on the counter, but I hesitated. I glanced in the mirror at the mark on my neck, exposed to anyone who bothered to look closely. It was tempting to button up the collar and hide the intimate brand that linked me to Clay and Lexi. The werewolf world didn't know about us, not in the way that mattered. Yet, even as I considered the tie, I pushed it aside.I could almost hear the whispers and feel the questioning glances, each one a stab at my newly complicated identity. But there was no real point in hiding it. Our kind wasn't easily fooled. Their senses would alert them to the oddity among us. Rumors spread like wildfire, especially about a prodigal Alpha-to-be who left for the human world and returned...different. My shirt stayed open, and the mark remained exposed. A symbolic, if futile, 'come and get me' to anyon

My eyes locked onto the savage ballet unfurling below, a heart-wrenching dance of snarls, fur, and fangs. Clay and Trevor circled each other, predatory and feral, in a pit now an arena of ancestral rites and simmering rivalries.Every part of me was in a state of upheaval. My brother had been rash and arrogant, traits I recognized because they lived in me, too. But it was Clay in the pit, the person I had grown to trust and love, fighting my fight. It felt like I was watching a clash between two divergent parts of my own soul.I gripped the edge of the barrier that separated the spectators from the combatants, my knuckles turning white from the strain. The tension was so thick I felt like I could reach out and grab it. And then, like a knife through the fog, the impulse surged within me. I wished it were me down there. I wished I could carry the weight of this moment for Clay. I turned my eyes to Lexi. She stood there, solid and resilient next to me, in the eye of this storm. She st

"Trevor, you'll need to swing by the pack house in a day or two. We need to hash out the new treaty," I said, locking eyes with him for a moment before we parted ways. From where I lay sprawled in the backseat of the car, the energy of the day felt like a heavy blanket, both comforting and smothering. Luke took the wheel, his eyes focused on the road ahead, but I knew he carried the weight of more than just driving. Lexi leaned over the center console, her fingers finding mine in the back. The warmth of my touch was enough to send her into an almost immediate slumber. Luke reached over and began to twirl strands of her black hair around his finger, a soft look in his eyes that he rarely revealed. "She was strong today, you know," I remarked, squeezing Lexi's hand lightly as I said it. "Yeah, I noticed that, too," Luke chuckled, but it was an auto-response. I could tell his mind was elsewhere. It was a mask I'd seen him wear too many times before. "Thanks for doing all this for me

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, my makeup brush poised in the air as my eyes caught the glimmer of my Luna mark. Nestled on my neck, the crescent moon was perfectly healed now, its curves as elegant as fine calligraphy. Staring at it, a sense of purpose washed over me, anchoring me to the present moment. I resumed applying my eyeliner, my thoughts drifting to the horrifying stories Luke and his brother endured. Those dark memories cast a shadow that eerily mirrored my own past after my father died. The weight of those years felt isolating, but the difference was, Luke and his brother had each other. I never had a sibling to lean on.Exiting the bathroom, the sight that met me in the bedroom startled me. Luke stood there, leaning into the open safe. "Luke, what exactly are you up to?" My tone hinted at suspicion and concern, the words laced with an urgent need for clarity.Like a deer frozen in headlights, he looked caught, stuttering before finally speaking. "Lexi, Trevor's

The sheets beneath us felt like an oasis, and for a brief moment, time seemed to pause, allowing us to bask in the haze that enveloped us. Our limbs were interlaced in a tangled mess. Just as I was drifting off, a noise pierced through the fog. It was the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoing from below. The Omegas were back, their duties calling them to set our household in order.I leaped up urgently, crossing the room in a single stride to slam the door shut and turn the lock. The audible 'click' felt like a barrier between us and the world beyond, sealing this intimate space for a bit longer.Clay chuckled as I sank back onto the bed. "I hope you've got reserves, man," he said with a smile. "We've got training in an hour, and my shifting abilities are still off the table for another day or two. So we are 'humaning' it."I let out an exaggerated groan, burying my face in the crook of Lexi's neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent that was uniquely her. She laughed, a sound that so