Novels by StarsTouch pen

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭I shouldn't have been here.Somehow I'd ended up in front of Malakai's door anyway, standing in the hallway of his dorm building like I had every right to be there, when in reality anyone could walk past and see exactly what this looked like. A coach standing outside his player's dorm at this hour. I'd pulled a cap low over my eyes on the drive over, some half-formed instinct telling me it might buy me a little cover if the wrong person spotted me in this hallway. I knew how it looked regardless. I didn't care, not right now.A door down the hall opened, and I stepped instinctively closer to Malakai's, heart jumping before I registered it was just a couple of students heading out with their laundry baskets, too caught up in their own conversation to spare me a second glance. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, feeling ridiculous about how much two strangers with a hamper had just made my heart leave my chest.I raised my hand toward the doorbell, then

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭"Beck, can we talk?"I turned at the sound of his voice, already bracing myself before I even fully faced him. "What is there to talk about, Alister?"He'd just come out from the clerk's office, right after signing his own marriage certificate, a process that had dragged out nearly thirty minutes past when it should've started. He should've been long gone by now, celebrating somewhere, not standing in the middle of the courthouse lobby trying to catch me before I made it to the exit.A clerk called someone else's name over the intercom. Somewhere behind us, a kid was crying about something, and a woman kept shushing him without much success. None of it seemed to register with Alister at all.He'd just gotten married, and here he was chasing me down before the ink even had time to dry."I just wanted a minute." He said it easy, like nothing about today had been remotely significant."You have a minute, apparently, on your own wedding day." I crossed my arms, unwilling t

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭I was still stuck in the shower, on the way Malakai looked at me like I was something worth memorizing.The way his voice had gone low and rough right before he stepped out and left me standing there alone, ache still sitting heavy and unresolved in my chest all morning, no matter how many times I told myself to focus on literally anything else, when a voice cut straight through it."Earth to Beck."I blinked, and Katherine's face appeared in front of me, hands on her hips, clearly not for the first time saying my name.She'd texted me that morning asking me to come down to the courthouse, some quick message with three exclamation points and a ring emoji that told me exactly what kind of energy I was walking into before I even read the rest of it. She wanted me there for the actual signing, apparently, since she was marrying a guy she'd known for less than two months and had decided, somewhere along the way, that this was the one, no doubts, no hesitation, the whole th

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭My hand was still wrapped around my dick.I looked at Malakai, he was completely naked and his eyes were dark like he wanted to eat me alive. He did not say anything for a long time, he just looked at my hand then he looked at my face. "You didn't finish," Malakai said. His voice was so low, that it almost sounded like a growl. I felt a shiver go down my back. I wanted to tell him to leave, I wanted to tell him that he was too drunk but my body did not care about that, only cared about the way he looked."Get out, Malakai," I said, finally finding the words."Why?" he asked."You're drunk, I told you. We aren't doing this."Malakai smiled. He did not move toward the door. Instead, he moved his hand down. He grabbed his own cock. It was big and thick, I could see the veins running along the side of it as he started to stroke himself, slow and steady. He did not take his eyes off mine."I'm not that drunk," Malakai whispered. "I can see you and I can see how much you

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭I don't remember deciding to kiss him. One second he was on his knees in front of me, saying please don't push me away again in a voice that broke something loose in my chest, something I'd been holding tight for days without even realizing how tight, and the next his mouth was on mine, and mine was on his, and neither of us seemed interested in figuring out how we got there.I'd pulled him up off the floor without really thinking about it, just reacting to the sound in his voice, the way it broke on the last word like it had cost him something to say.Like admitting he needed me was harder for him than almost anything else, harder than I think he had ever let anyone see before tonight. And then he was standing, and I was still holding onto his jacket, and somehow the distance between our faces disappeared before either of us decided to close it.We stumbled back toward the apartment door together, a tangle of hands and mouths and bad footing, his fingers finding thei

𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒊I'd been angry since the hallway. Since Beckett stood there and told me we needed distance, like that was just something you could decide on your own and expect the other person to accept without a fight.Like I was some inconvenience he could just table for later whenever it suited him, whenever things got too complicated for him to handle.I was tired of this. Whatever this even was, the back and forth, the on and off, the constant push and pull that left me guessing which part of him I was going to get on any given day. Some days he looked at me like I was the only thing in the room worth paying attention to, other days he barely met my eyes.I wasn't asking for some big romantic gesture. I wasn't trying to sweep him off his feet in front of the whole team or make some grand declaration he wasn't ready for, though I wouldn't have minded doing exactly that if he ever let me, if he ever gave me an opening wide enough to try. I just wanted to actually know him. No

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

꧁♡ 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 news reached them before the group had finished counting their wounded. More messengers arrived within the hour, each one carrying a worse account than the last—packs crossing borders they'd respected for generations, villages burning under torches lit in the name of a threat that had already died beneath Asterion's shattered plaza."Some blame the Mad Wolf's return," one runner reported, breathless, kneeling before the Warden and the gathered group alike. "Others have heard rumors of what happened at Vaelor. They blame the two of you directly. They believe you woke whatever's been tearing through their lands."Caierre felt the words land like a physical blow. "We didn't wake it. We ended it.""They don't know that," the old man said, grim. "And even if they did, I am not certain it would change anything at this point. Fear rarely waits for accurate information before choosing where to point itself."Alvar's jaw tightened. "Then we go correct it. In person, if that's what it takes

He woke slowly, the world returning to him in pieces—cold stone beneath him, Alvar's arms wrapped tight around his shoulders, the distant sound of shifting rubble somewhere beyond his closed eyes. When he finally opened them, the sky overhead had gone pale and gray, ordinary morning light filtering weakly through the shattered ice ceiling far above what remained of Asterion.The silence hit him before anything else did.He reached inward on instinct, the way he'd done a hundred times over the last several days without ever fully realizing he was doing it—searching for the low, warm presence that had lived behind his ribs since the pass, the grief and grumbling wisdom and quiet, protective warmth that had become as familiar to him as his own heartbeat.There was nothing there.Not silence in the way a held breath is silence, full of something waiting to speak. Empty silence. Absence, complete and total, like a room he'd lived in his whole life suddenly stripped of every piece of furnit

The light was already tearing everything apart when Fenrir spoke again, his voice steady despite the chaos ripping through the collapsing chamber around them."There is one truth I have not told you yet," he said. "Destroying the curse fully requires more than your choice alone, Caierre. It requires the first soul ever bound to it to willingly release the hold that has kept it tethered all this time. I am that soul. I am the beginning of everything this bloodline reached for and broke."Caierre's stomach dropped. "You mean you have to—""Let go," Fenrir said, gentle despite the violence tearing at the world around them. "Completely. Not simply step aside and watch you finish what your ancestors started. I must release what remains of myself into the unraveling entirely, or the curse will only fracture, not end.""No." Caierre grabbed for him, desperate, fingers closing around an arm that felt solid and real despite the storm of light and shadow raging on every side. "There has to be a

The city trembled harder, and this time it didn't settle back into stillness. Cracks spread across the sunlit sky overhead, thin fissures of black bleeding through the blue like ink dropped into water, and Fenrir's voice, when it came again, carried an urgency that hadn't been there a moment before."There is more truth you need before you choose," Fenrir said. "I have kept it from you, out of shame more than caution, and I no longer have the luxury of that shame.""Tell me," Caierre said."The curse was never an accident born of desperation alone," Fenrir said. "That much of what you were shown in the earlier trial was true, but incomplete. Vaelor's first rulers—your ancestors, generations before the king you watched sacrifice himself—did not stumble into forbidden magic through simple curiosity. They sought immortality. They believed that if they could bind my power fully into the royal bloodline, they could make that bloodline endless. Rule without succession. Rule without the fear

The seal closed around them the moment they stepped through, sealing off the plaza, the roar of battle, and the failing light of Asterion in a single silent instant. Caierre braced for darkness, for cold, for the crushing weight of whatever ancient prison had been waiting to finally consume the last of its captivity.Instead, he found himself standing in Vaelor.Not the ruins. Not the broken, buried streets they'd wandered through days ago, nor the burning chaos the trial had shown him during the king's final night. This was Vaelor whole, untouched, exactly as it must have looked before any of the horror had ever begun—sunlight warm over pale stone rooftops, streets clean and quiet, the distant, ordinary sound of a city simply existing without grief attached to a single stone of it."Where are we?" Alvar asked, his hand still locked tight in Caierre's, both of them turning slowly to take in the impossible stillness surrounding them."I don't know," Caierre admitted. "It doesn't feel l

The creature struck at the bond itself.Caierre felt it happen before he understood what was being done to him—a cold, invasive pressure sliding into the space between him and Alvar, not attacking either of them directly but reaching for the connection stretched taut between them, trying to pry it apart the way a crowbar finds the seam in a locked door."Something's wrong," Alvar gasped, staggering, his grip on Caierre's hand suddenly the only thing keeping either of them upright. "It's inside the bond. I can feel it trying to—""Pull us apart," Caierre finished, breathless, the pressure building sharp and cold behind his own ribs. "It's trying to sever us instead of taking me directly."~~The creature's voice rolled through the plaza, low and satisfied. "If I cannot claim what belongs to me while it hides behind a connection I never sanctioned, then I will simply unmake the connection instead. A bond is a fragile thing, little heir. Easier to break than you would like to believe."I