Romane von StarsTouch pen

꧁♡ 𝓣𝓲𝓶♡꧂ “Stop running, Micah!” My voice echoed through the house as the little menace laughed loudly while running down the stairs with one shoe on and the other missing. “I don’t wanna wear it!” he shouted back dramatically. “You said the same thing about the pants!” “Because they’re itchy!” “They are not itchy!” “Yes they are!” I heard Frank snort from the kitchen. Traitor. I glared toward the sound while still trying to chase after a six year old that somehow moved faster than grown adults. This was my life now. And honestly? I loved it. Two years ago, Frank and I had decided to stay in Italy permanently. What started as temporary peace slowly became home before either of us realized it. I resigned from the hospital back in New York, and surprisingly, I didn’t regret it. Italy felt softer. Slower. Like life here gave us permission to breathe. Frank had built a legitimate business here too, and although I knew there were still shadows of his old life hanging arou

꧁♡ 𝓣𝓲𝓶♡꧂The moment we stepped into the room, Sheila immediately wiped her tears away like they had never existed in the first place.It was honestly impressive.One second she looked like she was about to break down in the hallway and the next she had that same cold expression back on her face like emotions personally offended her.Phil noticed too.I could tell from the tiny smile that appeared on his lips before he quickly hid it behind sarcasm. Sheila walked toward the bed slowly, crossing her arms once she stopped beside him.“So,” she said flatly. “You’re still alive.”Phil looked pale as hell against the pillows, but somehow he still managed to smirk. “Disappointed?”“A little.”“Wow,” he muttered dramatically. “And here I thought you’d cry over me.”Sheila rolled her eyes instantly. “Don’t flatter yourself.”“I got shot for this relationship.”“There is no relationship.”“Cold.”She stared down at him for a second longer before muttering quietly, “You look terrible.”Phil g

꧁♡ 𝓣𝓲𝓶♡꧂“Frank.”His name left my mouth immediately the moment I saw him standing there. For one second, I genuinely thought I was hallucinating.Maybe it was the alcohol still sitting in my system. Maybe it was the panic from almost getting assaulted. Maybe my brain had simply missed him too much and decided to create him out of thin air.But no.He was real.Standing under the dim streetlights with murder written all over his face, my breath caught in my throat as I stared at him. The black coat hanging over his shoulders moved slightly with the night breeze, his expression cold enough to freeze the entire damn street.The man pinning me against the wall finally noticed him too. “Who the fu—”Frank moved before he could finish.Everything happened so fast.One second Luca was still holding me and the next Frank had grabbed him violently by the collar and slammed him against the nearby wall so hard the sound echoed.Sheila gasped nearby.Luca barely got the chance to react befor

꧁♡ 𝔉𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔨 ♡꧂The moment the doctor told me Phil was going to be fine, the tightness around my chest finally loosened.“He lost a lot of blood,” the doctor explained while adjusting his gloves, “but the bullet missed anything fatal. He’ll need rest and observation for a few days.”I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face. “Thank you.”The doctor nodded once before walking away down the hallway, leaving me standing there outside the private ward with exhaustion practically hanging off my body.Everything from the last twenty four hours crashed into me all at once. Kagemoto Kazama was dead, Laura was dead, Eric was dead and Tim was somewhere in Italy probably worrying himself sick.I leaned back briefly against the wall and closed my eyes for a second.Just one second.That was all I allowed myself before pushing away and walking toward Phil’s room. The VIP ward was quiet when I stepped inside. Machines beeped softly while Phil laid against the hospital bed looking pale as hell

꧁♡ 𝔉𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔨 ♡꧂“I need to get to Tim.”The words kept leaving my mouth between breaths as I forced myself forward through the smoke. My lungs burned with every inhale, heat clawing at my skin while flames swallowed what used to be Kagemoto Kazama’s estate behind us.The bastard really meant it when he said the building was going down with him.The explosion had thrown both me and Phil across the office. I still couldn’t hear properly from the blast ringing in my ears, but adrenaline kept my body moving even when every muscle screamed at me to stop.“Move,” I coughed out while dragging Phil’s arm over my shoulder.Phil groaned beside me. “You know… this is officially the worst house visit ever.”“Shut up and walk.”“I’m trying.”Another explosion thundered somewhere deeper inside the estate, shaking the entire floor beneath us. Part of the ceiling collapsed behind us with a deafening crash, sparks and debris scattering everywhere.“Jesus Christ,” Phil muttered.Smoke filled the hallw

꧁♡ 𝓣𝓲𝓶♡꧂“Tim, stop worrying. I’m sure he’s fine.”Sheila’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts for barely two seconds before my attention drifted back to my phone again. I stared at the screen, waiting for it to light up, waiting for Frank’s name to appear, waiting for anything.Nothing.I sighed and dropped the phone onto the table for what was probably the fiftieth time that day.“At least that’s what you said thirty minutes ago,” I muttered.Sheila rolled her eyes from where she was stretched across the couch in Frank's Italy Mansion. “Because it’s still true thirty minutes later.”I rubbed a hand down my face tiredly. “You don’t know that.”“And neither do you,” she countered immediately. “If something happened to Frank, Peter would call, that man treats his phone like it’s attached to his soul.”I wanted to argue with her, but deep down I knew she was right. Peter would have said something. He wouldn’t hide it from me if things had gone wrong.At least… I hoped he wouldn’t.S

The growl continued rumbling from Caierre's chest long after the clearing had fallen silent. Every soldier stood frozen. Every hunter. Every horse. The sound seemed to vibrate through the earth itself. It wasn't merely anger. Caierre could feel the difference. The wolf wasn't reacting the way it normally did when threatened. There was no hunger in this rage. No desire to hunt. No excitement at the thought of bloodshed. This was something else entirely. Protectiveness. Possessiveness. Fear. Not fear for itself. Fear for Alvar. The realization unsettled Caierre almost as much as it unsettled the soldiers surrounding him. The wolf wanted Alvar safe. Desperately. Violently. The creature would tear apart anyone who stood between them if it had to. That should have comforted him. Instead, it only made him more aware of how little control he actually had. Because every day the line between his emotions and the wolf's emotions became harder to distinguish. At first he co

The growl continued rumbling from Caierre's chest long after the clearing had fallen silent.Every soldier stood frozen.Every hunter.Every horse.The sound seemed to vibrate through the earth itself.It wasn't merely anger.Caierre could feel the difference.The wolf wasn't reacting the way it normally did when threatened. There was no hunger in this rage. No desire to hunt. No excitement at the thought of bloodshed.This was something else entirely.Protectiveness.Possessiveness.Fear.Not fear for itself.Fear for Alvar.The realization unsettled Caierre almost as much as it unsettled the soldiers surrounding him.The wolf wanted Alvar safe.Desperately.Violently.The creature would tear apart anyone who stood between them if it had to.That should have comforted him.Instead, it only made him more aware of how little control he actually had.Because every day the line between his emotions and the wolf's emotions became harder to distinguish.At first he could tell the differenc

Caierre did not understand why the wolf was afraid.That realization bothered him more than Lady Morwen's appearance.The creature feared almost nothing. It had charged armed warriors without hesitation. It had torn through trained fighters as if they were made of paper. It had faced silver weapons, fire, and overwhelming numbers without showing the slightest sign of concern.Yet the moment Lady Morwen appeared, something changed.The wolf became restless.Uneasy.Almost cautious.Caierre felt the emotion clearly through the tangled mess their minds had become.Morwen noticed it too.Of course she did.The woman seemed to notice everything.She sat calmly atop her horse while soldiers spread out behind her. None of them rushed forward. None of them raised their weapons. They simply waited, watching him with wary expressions.The hunters who had cornered him moments earlier looked relieved by the arrival of reinforcements.Caierre felt the exact opposite.His instincts screamed at him

Caierre's heartbeat accelerated as the hunters continued spreading through the trees. There were six of them now, maybe more hidden farther back among the shadows. They moved carefully, weapons raised and eyes fixed on him, clearly aware that one wrong move could get them killed. The sight should have reassured him. It should have reminded him that they feared him.Instead, it only made him feel worse.Because they were right to be afraid.The wolf paced restlessly inside his mind, watching the hunters the same way a starving predator watched wounded prey. Every movement they made seemed to draw its attention. Every nervous glance. Every tightened grip around a weapon. Every heartbeat.Caierre could hear those heartbeats.That was the part he hated most.He shouldn't have been able to hear them.Not from this distance.Not this clearly.Yet each pulse echoed inside his ears like a drum.The wolf loved it.The creature drank in every detail with eager anticipation.One of the hunters s

Alvar knew they were close.The certainty had settled into his bones hours ago and refused to leave. Every step through the forest strengthened the feeling. The mate bond remained damaged, far weaker than it had once been, but it was still there. Every now and then emotions slipped through the connection like water through cracked stone, brief flashes that vanished almost as quickly as they appeared.Fear.Exhaustion.Confusion.And beneath all of it, the constant presence of the wolf.Alvar had stopped trying to convince himself otherwise.Something impossible had happened that night in the clearing. Whether it was the curse, the mate bond, or something far older than either of them, the result remained the same. Caierre was carrying the burden that should have belonged to him.The thought haunted him.He had spent years learning how to survive the madness. Even then, there had been nights when he nearly lost himself completely. Caierre had been thrown into that nightmare without war

Adrian had not slept in two days.Not because he lacked the opportunity. His warriors had stopped several times throughout their journey, making camp whenever exhaustion threatened to slow the march. Fires had been lit. Watches had been assigned. Food had been prepared. The men under his command had rested whenever they could.Adrian had done none of those things.Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the same thing.A lake stained with blood.An ambush that should never have happened.A trap that had been carefully planned.The memory lingered like poison.Someone had known where Alvar was going.Someone had known exactly when to strike.That realization bothered him more than the attack itself.The enemy had not acted blindly.They had known too much.And that meant one thing.There was a leak.The thought followed him as he rode at the front of the column. Behind him, warriors from several smaller packs marched through the forest, their armor glinting beneath the afternoon sun. Som

Noah’s POVThe cold air hit me the second I stepped out of the small store. I didn’t even bother to put the change into my pocket; it sat crumpled in my palm with the water bottle pressed against it. My only thought was River. He had looked pale when I left him by the car, his hands still trembling after everything that had just happened inside that house.I knew he’d never admit how shaken he was, but I could see it in his eyes. The haunted way he stared at walls, the way his fingers rubbed against his jeans like he was grounding himself. He was strong, stronger than anyone gave him credit for but I still wanted to do something, even if it was just to bring him water.I quickened my steps, my heart lighter at the thought of putting the bottle in his hand, seeing that small, grateful smile he gave me even in the darkest moments. For a second, just a second, life felt normal.Then everything shattered.I heard it before I saw it, the screech of tires, sharp and violent, tearing through

Daniel’s POVThe flashing red and blue lights of the squad car washed over the front of the house, painting everything in hard color. Marcus was in the back seat, still yelling, though the closed door muffled his voice. An officer slammed the door shut and walked around to the driver’s side. Another officer gave me a nod, a silent acknowledgment that they’d take it from here.I watched the car pull away, taillights glowing in the dark. My fists were still clenched. My chest felt tight. I could still see Marcus’s face in my mind, the grin, the way his eyes had locked onto River. Even with his hands cuffed, he’d tried to twist toward River like he couldn’t help himself.I turned to where River stood near the porch steps. His arms were wrapped around himself. He looked small under the flickering light, like he was holding himself together by force.I moved to him slowly, not wanting to startle him. “It’s over,” I said quietly. My voice felt rough in my throat.River nodded, but his eyes

River’s POV The whole ride over felt like I was holding my breath. Christian had gotten the trace back faster than I thought possible, one second he was typing on his laptop, eyes flicking across the screen, and the next he was turning to Daniel and Noah with a location. He didn’t say much, just rattled off an address in a clipped tone, like he’d been waiting for this moment. Daniel had grabbed his coat. Noah had given me a look that said he wasn’t going to let me go alone. And before I could even process it, we were in the car. I sat in the back seat, squeezed between Noah and my own thoughts, staring out at the passing streets. The city lights blurred against the window. I tried not to think about the text still glowing on my phone. I know where you are. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I kept them shoved deep in my jacket pockets so nobody would see. Noah kept glancing at me, his knee bouncing slightly. Daniel was in the front, arms tight across his chest. Christian drove with bo

River’s POVThe air in the cabin was filled with tension after I said yes. Like the walls had shifted closer, sealing me in with a decision I couldn’t take back. My phone sat on the table between us, harmless in appearance, but my entire chest ached looking at it.Christian gave me a slow nod, the kind that carried quiet reassurance. He wasn’t warm exactly, but there was something steady about him, something that made me feel like he wasn’t just here out of duty.“I’ll need your consent in writing,” he said, already pulling a small form from his bag. “It’s just to confirm you’re aware of what I’ll be doing and that you’re authorizing me to monitor incoming activity.”I stared at the paper like it was heavier than stone. Consent. The word made me pause. Because how many times had I felt like my choices weren’t mine anymore? How many times had someone else pushed me into corners until the only answer was yes?But this time was different. I was still scared, but I was choosing it. I had

River’s POVThe morning light pushed through the curtains, soft and hazy, like it was trying not to disturb me. I sat at the edge of the bed with my hands pressed together, staring at the floor. My body felt heavy, but it wasn’t from sleep, it was from everything weighing down my chest. The message. Daniel’s reaction. And now this meeting with Christian.I rubbed my face and let out a breath. My stomach had been twisting since Daniel suggested it yesterday. It wasn’t that I disagreed. I knew he was right. If someone could trace the texts, if someone could finally put an end to this sick game, then I had to allow it. Still, the thought of giving my phone over to someone else, letting them see parts of me I didn’t even share out loud, it made me restless.The sound of water running in the bathroom pulled me back. Noah had insisted on coming with me today. He didn’t say it directly, but I knew why—he didn’t trust Daniel completely, and he didn’t trust me around Daniel either. That jealou

River’s POVI couldn’t keep still.The apartment was too quiet, too tight, too heavy. I sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on my knees, staring at the wall like it had answers. The lamp cast a weak yellow glow over the room, but it felt dim compared to the storm in my head. My fingers kept twitching, opening and closing, as if my body needed to do something, anything, instead of just sitting there.Noah had gone into the bedroom a while ago, maybe to change, maybe to breathe, I didn’t know. He had this way of pulling back when he was too quiet, and I didn’t want to push him, not tonight. I already felt like I was asking too much of him.I kept hearing Daniel’s voice in my head. The way he leaned across the table earlier, telling me we’d meet someone who could help. Someone who could trace the messages, dig into them, and maybe, finally, give me an answer. His confidence had steadied me for a moment, but now that I was alone, the weight of it all came crashing back.Two stalkers. One