H A I L E Y
The day passed in a blur. I went through the motions, managing pack logistics, attending a meeting with the council elders, but my mind was elsewhere. Every few minutes, I'd glance at the clock, a knot of anxiety tightening in my stomach. Liam hadn't come back. He hadn't answered my texts.
By late afternoon, I was pacing in the living room, my wolf restless beneath my skin. Aria, home from school and sprawled on the couch scrolling through her phone, was not helping.
"Maybe he's already dead," she said casually, not looking up from the screen. "Or worse. Maybe he's been *turned*. Imagine. Our future Alpha, a vampire. How embarrassing."
"Aria, I swear to the Moon Goddess, if you don't stop, I'm taking your phone for a month," I snapped.
She finally looked up, her expression
