My fingers tug at his shirt, the fabric tearing under my grip, and I feel Eric’s hands on my shoulders, his lips moving lower, trailing fire across my skin. It’s raw, consuming, the kind of heat that could burn this whole pack house down. 

I want more—more of Rick, more of Eric, more of this bond that makes us whole, even without her.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” a voice snaps, sharp and raw, cutting through the haze.

I freeze, my lips still on Rick’s, my hands gripping his hair. I turn my head, slow and deliberate, and there she is—Lia, standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock, her face a storm of fury and something else, something that makes my wolf howl. 

My smirk widens, slow and deliberate, as I meet her gaze, letting her see every bit of the monster she hates.

Chapter 56: No Backing Down 🐺🔥🌙


I sit at the long breakfast table in the Ironfang pack house. The smell of eggs, bread, and roasted meat fills the room, warm and heavy, but it does nothing for my appetite. I keep pushing food around my plate, my fork scraping the edge of it without rhythm. I try to eat, but I can't focus.


Across from me sit Ethan and his mother. Their presence weighs on me more than the smell of food ever could. They don't speak, but their eyes stay locked on me, sharp and steady, like they want to strip away every layer of me until nothing is left. Their stare is like a test I never agreed to take.


The mate bond hums steady in my chest. It should give me comfort. The pull of it connects me always to Dorian, to Eric, to Rick, to Dean. Just thinking of them should have been enough to ease me, but today, it doesn't. The bond glows warm, but the knot in my stomach stays tight.


Chapter 57 - chapter 56