Howl Of The Heart

s standing in the opulent lobby, having reached the top of the sweeping staircase. The Anniversary Gala was full-blown, a glittering exposition of wealth and influence-he had masterminded ev

him. In less than an hour

of the moon that daunted him; it was the chaos that tagged along with it. He couldn't afford t

cut in, drawing him

dark hair neatly pinned back, though a few strands had rebelliously escaped. She held a

his tone clipped

u," she said. Her tone was flat. "A

night to corner him. The man was relentless in his attem

. You can return

ot the kind he received from his staff. It was as if she could see bey

ong, Mr. Cross?

tion. "I'm fine," he said

. Ethan watched her until she disappeared into the crowd, then exhaled

ed and stoic, tonight he had seemed...frayed, held together only by a willpower that struggled to keep its grip. She scolded herself

tuck in her brain as she set the empty tra

osturing by Calvert was nothing out of the ordinary, but tonight each word grated on the taut threads of Etha

e gardens behind The Silver Crescent were empty, the perfect refuge from the thrumming energy of

n ragged gasps as his vision blurred, the world tilting as pain consumed him. Merciless, th

a cacophony of urges he fought hard to suppress. He could not risk straying far, not with the gala yet still in full flo

were coming closer. He crouched low, golden eyes locking onto the sour

she called

found him? More importantly, why

n until they came to a rest on him. Those eyes, so b

ump. Ethan growled, instinctive, low and guttural, the reaction of an animal. But Lila mere

ispered, her voic

gaze. He didn't know how, but she had seen past the beast to the man within