Novel-novel oleh Ssally

Dominic’s POVChloe had been staying at my loft for two days, and I was losing my mind.Not because she was difficult or demanding. Because she was there—in my space, wearing my clothes when she ran out of clean ones, curled up on my couch reading while I painted, making coffee in my kitchen like she belonged there.And God, I wanted her to belong there.It was past midnight on her second night. She sat on the floor near my easel, watching me work on a new piece. I’d offered her the couch, but she preferred being close.“Can you teach me?” she asked suddenly.I looked down at her. “To paint?”“Yeah. I want to try.”I shouldn’t have said yes. Painting was intimate for me—putting my trauma on canvas, processing emotions through art. Teaching someone meant sharing that vulnerability.But I grabbed a fresh canvas anyway.“Come here.”She stood, and I positioned her in front of the blank space. Handed her a brush.“What do I paint?” she asked.“Whatever you feel.”“I feel scared.”“Then pa

Marcus’s POVRonan called me back forty-eight hours after our last conversation.“Got your intel,” he said without preamble. “You’re not going to like it.”I was in my apartment, monitoring security feeds from Chloe’s location. Currently at Dominic’s loft, safe, sleeping based on the lack of movement.“Tell me.”“Three Vulture remnants operating in Seattle. Orion Kozlov, Dorian Volkov, and Nikolai Petrov. All former enforcers, all loyal to Iron Mike Morrison even after his imprisonment.”“Morrison. The one who killed Alina’s mother.”“The same. He blamed Alina for his life sentence, and by extension, anyone close to her. These three are looking for revenge through proxy.”“Their plan?”“From what my sources gathered, they want to grab Chloe, use her as bait to lure Alina to Seattle, then kill both of th

Chloe’s POVOne week of rotating between three apartments, and I was losing my mind.Not from the fear—though that was constant, a low hum of anxiety I couldn’t shake. But from the weirdness of living out of a suitcase, never settling, always moving.Two nights at Dominic’s loft, painting into the early hours and falling asleep on his couch.Two nights at Marcus’s apartment, learning self-defense and feeling safe in his quiet, controlled space.Two nights at Lucian’s condo, talking until dawn about everything and nothing.Each place felt like home and felt like exile simultaneously.Thursday night I was at Lucian’s, and something inside me finally cracked.I’d been holding it together all week—going through motions, pretending I was fine, forcing smiles when the men asked how I was doing. But that night, staring at Lucian’s guest room ceiling, I felt the weight of ever

Dominic’s POVThe next morning, I met Marcus and Lucian at a coffee shop two blocks from my studio.Chloe was still asleep in my loft, exhausted from days of fear and stress. I’d left her a note: *Went to get breakfast. Back soon. Doors locked. You’re safe.*Now I sat across from two men who technically were my competition, feeling territorial and aggressive and trying very hard to be professional.“Thanks for meeting,” Marcus said, pulling out a tablet. “We need to establish protocols.”“Protocols?” I repeated. “For what?”“For protecting Chloe. Coordinating our efforts. Making sure we’re not creating gaps in security.”“Or fighting over her like dogs over a bone,” Lucian added dryly.I bristled. “I’m not fighting over anyone.”“Aren’t you?” Marcus looked at me. “You offered her your

Chloe’s POVMarcus didn’t waste time.The morning after the threatening phone call, he showed up at my apartment at seven AM with coffee and a grim expression.“Pack a bag,” he said without preamble. “You’re not staying here.”I stared at him from my doorway, still in pajamas, hair a mess. “Excuse me?”“Your apartment is compromised. Ground floor, windows facing the street, no security system. You might as well hang a sign that says ‘easy target.’”“This is my home.”“This is a death trap.” He pushed past me into the apartment, already assessing. “How fast can you pack?”“Marcus, you can’t just…”“I can and I am. We talked about this last night. The threat is real and immediate. You need to be somewhere secure.”“Where? A bunker?”“Funny.&rd

Marcus’s POVAfter the parking garage conversation, I did what I should have done weeks ago: I called Ronan directly.“Marcus.” His voice was calm, measured. “Twice in one month. I’m flattered.”“We have a problem. Chloe Martinez is being actively threatened by someone connected to Hart’s old network.”Silence. Then: “Explain.”I filled him in on everything—the surveillance, the photos, the threatening note. Ronan listened without interrupting, which meant he was processing tactically.“Hart’s associates scattered after his conviction,” he said finally. “But there were a few who blamed Alina for bringing him down. If they can’t get to her directly, going after Chloe makes sense.”“How do I identify them?”“You don’t. I do.” I heard typing in the background. “Give me forty-eight hours. I

Calla’s POVThe interrogation—because that’s what it was, regardless of how gently we framed it—took place in the same conference room where we’d confronted Leo about his initial betrayal three days earlier.But this time, Leo wasn’t a suspect. He was our informant, and the information he was providing about Councilwoman Gray’s operation was both more extensive and more disturbing than any of us had anticipated.“She has files,” Leo said, spreading photocopies across the table. He’d managed to photograph several documents during his last meeting with Gray when she’d briefly left him alone in her office. “Not just on me, but on at least eight other pack members with human families or vulnerable connections.”I picked up one of the photos, my stomach sinking as I recognized the name. Daniel Torres—one of our newer members, former Blood Fang like Leo. The file contained photos of his elderly mother in a nursing home, detailed medical records, financial information showing she was depende

It was the first time Leo had addressed Kane as Alpha instead of just using his name, and the significance wasn’t lost on anyone in the room. It was acknowledgment of hierarchy, yes, but also of genuine loyalty reestablished through the opportunity for redemption.After everyone dispersed to their assigned tasks, Kane and I finally had a moment alone in his private quarters.“You handled that well,” I said, settling onto the couch and pulling him down beside me. “The thing with Leo. The balance between discipline and mercy, consequences and second chances. That was good leadership, Kane.”“It was your idea,” Kane pointed out. “Turning him into a double agent, relocating his family, using the betrayal to our advantage instead of just punishing it.”“It was Jake’s idea initially,” I corrected. “I just helped refine it. And you’re the one who made the final call, who took the risk of trusting someone who’d already betrayed us once. That took courage.”“Or stupidity,” Kane said. “Still un

Calla’s POV“She threatened my family again at the end,” Leo said quietly. “Said she hoped I’d keep in mind what was at stake if I decided to get ‘creative’ with the information I was sharing. It took everything in me not to tell her that my family was already safe, and that she had no power left.”“That’s exactly what we need you to do,” I said firmly. “Let her think she still has control over you. Make her believe her threats are having an effect. That overconfidence will ultimately be what brings her down.”Kane quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text. “Just checked in with Jake—your family is secure in the safe house. Maria and the kids are managing, all things considered. Miguel wants to know when you’ll be able to visit.”Leo’s calm demeanor wavered slightly. “How long do I have to keep this up? When can I see them?”“Until we gather enough information to deal with Gray as a threat,” Kane explained. “It could take weeks or even longer. I know it’s tough, Leo. But your famil

Calla's PovSo there I was, sitting in a van a few blocks away from the coffee shop where Leo was meeting Gray, using binoculars to watch and listening in through a hidden microphone Jake had placed in Leo’s jacket.“This feels like something out of a police drama,” Luna said from beside me. “Are we really doing surveillance from a van?”“Would you rather we do it from a more obvious spot?” I responded dryly.“Fair point,” Luna admitted.Through the binoculars, I saw Gray arrive—always professional, carrying a leather folder that likely held the fake evidence she was using to pressure Leo. They ordered coffee and engaged in what seemed like casual small talk, but it was really Gray trying to establish comfort and control.Then she leaned forward slightly, and even from this distance I could see the shift in her body language as the real conversation began.“&helli

Calla’s POVWatching Leo say goodbye to his family was harder than I’d expected.His wife Maria was understandably confused and scared. She had only been told they had to leave right away for safety reasons, without any explanation that might put them in danger. Their daughter, Sofía, was clinging to Leo, crying because she didn’t want to leave her friends and school. Their son, Miguel, was trying to be brave, but kept asking when his dad would come to visit.“Soon,” Leo kept promising, his voice breaking with emotion. “I’ll come see you very soon, I promise.” Jake stepped in at that point, gently taking the kids by the hand and guiding Maria toward the cars with a mix of kindness and firmness that showed me why Kane had such confidence in him. “We’ll take good care of them,” Jake assured Leo quietly. “Your family will be safe. You have my word.”Once they were gone, Leo stood alone in the parking lot, looking completely empty inside. I recognized that feeling—the emptiness that come

The other pack members filed out quickly, leaving just the five of us in a heavy silence.“We should kill him,” Luna said flatly once the door closed. “Not because he betrayed us—I actually understand why he did it—but because we can’t afford to have a compromised pack member that Gray can continue to use against us. It’s a security risk we can’t contain.”“We’re not killing him,” I said immediately, meeting Luna’s eyes. “There has to be another option.”“Like what?” Luna challenged. “Exile? That leaves him vulnerable to Gray with all the information he’s already given her, plus whatever he picks up on his way out. Prison? Can’t exactly send him to human authorities. Isolation? That’s just slower execution.”“We work with him,” Jake said quietly, and everyone turned to look at him. “We don’t kill him and we don’t exile him. We help him protect his family—actually protect them, not just promise to—and we turn him into a double agent feeding Gray false information while we gather intel