Chapter: EpilogueMy left leg bounces in a haphazard rhythm and anxiety vibrates through my marrow with every second that ticks by. Elara is due today, and the memory of bringing her here, screaming with her fingers tangled in my hair so tight I can still feel the burn on my scalp is nothing compared to the cold stone of panic has settled in my chest.I need her safe. I need Lily safe. If the world has any sense of mercy, it would give me that much.“How many hours has this been?” I snap my wrist up to check my watch, but the numbers are just meaningless scratches like there’s disconnect between my brain and eyes. And the reason is very clear.Elara behind that closed door of the labor room. Christ do we have to do this every time?“Minutes,” Luca corrects beside me. “Forty-five minutes.”I side-glance at him, my jaw tight. “That long? How long is it going to fucking take?”“Some take hours. Even days,” he says calmly.Days. The word feels like a death sentence.Fuck. I should have been in there. I sho
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-24
Chapter: Chapter 143ELARA POVIt’s been two days since what happened and Nero hasn’t reached out yet. That day I thought he would be right on my heel, I thought he would storm inside the second I stepped in, in arrogance and desperation, ready to give me an explanation, a plea. But nothing came.I waited and he didn’t come. I spent hours straining my neck at the sound of every passing engine, my heart leaping and then dying a little more each time the tires didn’t turn onto the gravel.Then my heart dropped in my stomach since this confirmed my deepest fear. It was never love. I was just his newest acquisition, a shiny piece of property to be possessed until the novelty wore off. If he loved me, he’d be here. He’d be on his knees, pleading for my mercy.I exhale a defeated sigh as I take my first sip of peppermint tea and it is as I expect. Lukewarm and unsatisfying, but I need something stronger, something to burn away the ache in my chest which I can’t have because of the life growing inside of me. I w
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-24
Chapter: Chapter 142Elara POV“I went to see my father yesterday,” Vivienne says beside me with a tone of wariness.“Yeah?” I answer absentmindedly, my gaze focused on the screen right in my hands. On Nero’s message.Nero: Did you like your new phone?My fingers flicker over the screen with eagerness to reply.Elara: Yes. But you didn’t have to buy a new one.Vivienne says something, but I don’t hear it, engrossed on my phone screen.Nero: It’s nothing. Besides what’s the point of a big wallet if I can’t spend it on you.It seems rather cocky, but it makes me blush. The new territory Nero and I are in is exhilarating and somewhat scary. It’s sweet and it makes my heart full. So full, it makes me on edge like the rug will be pulled out of my legs any moment from now.“Are you even listening?” Vivienne catches my attention with that sentence.When my head snaps toward her, she’s already closed the distance between us, her nose up in my phone.“Seriously? I ask you for just a minute of your time and you cou
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-23
Chapter: Chapter 141NERO POVThe second the words leave my mouth, she snaps her legs shut, a sharp breath hitching in her throat. The sound alone sends a jolt straight to my groin. She’s so fucking needy and it’s driving me out of my goddamn mind.“Fuck, baby. Already turned on for me?”A flush burns across her cheeks as she gives me a small, shaky nod“I haven’t even touched you yet,” I rasp, wedging my knee between her thighs and prying them apart just enough to slip my hand underneath the fabric. When my fingers roll over the silk of her panties, I find her soaking and hot.“You naughty thing,” I growl, my thumb tracing slow, agonizing circles over her damp silk.She lets out a moan, a small sound that feels far too loud in the stillness of the living room.“You’re going to have to be real quiet, baby. We wouldn’t want to wake Chloe, would we?”“No,” she whispers as she instinctively widens her legs, offering herself up.“Good girl.” I murmur the praise against her skin as I wedge her panties aside. I
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-16
Chapter: Chapter 140NERO POVIn minutes I’m out of the door, and racing outside with my phone clutched in my hand as I dial Elara’s number. It gives me the same dead dial tone for the third time now.I toss the phone onto the passenger seat and throw the car into gear, the engine roaring under the hood. I push the speedometer past the limit, weaving through traffic with a single-minded panic. Nothing else matters but reaching her.Countless scenarios of what could have happened rip through my chest, each one more violent than the last, right until I reach her house.I pull over abruptly in front of her house, jump out of the car, and race toward the entrance. Fortunately, the door is open, but I still click my tongue at how security-unconscious she is as I slip inside and lock it behind me.“Elara.”I’ve only called her name once when she rounds the hallway in panda-printed sleepwear and a tablet clutched in her hand.“Elara,” I call again as I rush to her side. “Fuck, are you okay?” I ask, my eyes scann
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-16
Chapter: Chapter 139ELARA POVResist. Resist. Resist.This mantra pounds against my skull the moment I step into the room. It flickers like a dying flame when I lower her zipper and see the expanse of smooth, pale skin hidden beneath. Then coconut and jasmine hits me, winding around my senses until I’m half-mad with the urge to bury my face in the crook of her neck. To drag her against me and feel the friction of her soft curves against my rigid frame.The silence that follows her proposal is deafening. My brain short-circuits, hitting a wall as I try to process the impossible as Elara offers me the very thing I have spent months aching on a silver platter.I don’t move. I don’t even blink. I just stand there while my wrist is still trapped in her grip, thinking this must be a dream. Elara can't possibly be suggesting we have sex. She can’t stand me. She doesn’t want anything to do with me. I have hurt her. I have hurt her so much that I regret it every day. I once have her heart and I lost it, and now I
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-31
Chapter: Chapter 78NIKO POVFucking hell.How am I supposed to resist the urge to bend my boss over the bed and fuck her senseless? Fuck her until she forgets every single thing that’s making her anxious?It’s worse because I know, deep down, I wouldn’t have to fight her for it.Lia would let me have my way with her.She’d let me spread her out, let me ruin her. She’d choke on my cock, let me slide into her sweet, tight—I groan and roll my palm over my aching length. Just the thought of her, naked and trembling beneath me, is enough to make my breath turn ragged.I squeeze my cock through my pants and press down hard, trying to ease the relentless pulse of need.“Niko?”Her voice cuts through my thoughts like a blade.I jerk upright, my head snapping toward the bathroom door.She’s peeking out, only her face and a single bare shoulder visible. The rest of her is behind the door.“What?” My voice is strained.She doesn’t seem to notice.A small, innocent smile tugs at her lips. If she had any idea what
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-19
Chapter: Chapter 77NIKO POVLia is hyperventilating.Her hands are trembling so violently it’s a wonder she can even keep them on her lap. Each breath she takes is swallow, and uneven, and comically too loud in the suffocating silence of the car. Through the dim glow of the dashboard lights, I catch the gleam of unshed tears clinging to her lashes. Her face is turned toward the window, desperate to hide them.Because Lia has been so upfront about not wanting my help. She’s made that painfully clear. Setting boundaries, keeping things professional, refusing to lean on me no matter what. And if I push too hard, if I make the wrong move now, she’ll shut me out completely.So I don’t jump the gun and reach for her.At least not yet.I don’t do anything in the car. I don’t take her hand like I want to. I don’t fumble around words of comfort that she’ll reject anyway. I just grip the steering wheel and keep driving, letting her think she’s fooling me, that I don’t see her falling apart right in front of me.B
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-19
Chapter: Chapter 76LIA POV“It’s not what it looks like.”“Okay.”I blink, caught off guard. “That’s it?”“Yeah.” “You’re not going to ask for details?”“Do I need to?”I stare at him, searching for doubt, for suspicion. There’s none. Just trust.Something in me stutters. Warmth surges in my chest, creeping into the cracks I’ve desperately tried to seal.I turn away from him, staring out at the open sea. The water stretches endlessly, its surface rippling beneath the hues of the dying sun. The boat rocks gently, but my stomach churns violently. I want to focus on the waves, on the sky, on anything but the way Nikolai’s presence seems to press into me is heavy and impossible to ignore.Beside me, I hear the rustling of fabric as he digs through the small bag he brought with him. I refuse to turn, refuse to let curiosity get the best of me, even as I catch a glimpse of something black in my peripheral visionNot when he pulls something out.Not when he moves closer.But the moment his hand brushes
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-16
Chapter: Chapter 75LIA POVMy emotions swing violently from frustration so sharp it burns to fear so cold it numbs within seconds.Karl, my ex-husband, has released an interview about me. A full thirty-minute video interview mostly saying things that aren’t true.But the truth doesn’t matter.No one cares if it's true or completely fabricated. The damage is already spreading like wildfire. There’ve been several articles poking, and punching down. Corporate vultures don’t really care about the truth, just one slip up and everyone is ready to take you down.I should have seen this coming.Thing has been going well. Too well.The meticulous planning, the design sketches finally falling into place, the artisans who had been hesitant but were now willing to work with me. Everything for the luxury line was moving forward better than I dared hope.I’ve been working tirelessly, and somehow, against all odds, it was yielding results.That should have been my first warning.Because nothing good lasts. Not for me.
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-16
Chapter: Chapter 74NIKOLAI POV“Noted boss.” His chuckles drifts through the phone. I can already hear the relief in your voice. “Let me hang up now. You seem to want to kill someone else at the end of the line.”I drop my hand down, shoving my phone back into my pocket. My eyes find Lia again because I can’t help myself. Thankfully, she’s alone now and is walking toward me.She settles on the seat opposite me, and another strode of silence settles between us like a heavy weight. Still not talking to me. still paying me no attention. In a normal job, this would have been professionally and I would have been thankful that my client isn’t trying to form any familiarity with him and is keeping in line. But this is Lia. I don’t want this from Lia. I don’t care about the line, or my boundaries, my sanity, or professionalism. I want her to disrupt every single one of them rightfully so.She pulls up her tab and starts strolling through it, going through work certainly. Before I can say word, Rick appears out
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-04
Chapter: Chapter 73NIKOLAI POVI’m not much of a talker, so I like silence. I like the absence of conversation, the ease of being alone with my own thoughts. I like when people don’t interact with me, when I’m not involved in meaningless chatter. Silence is a relief. Always has been.But this silence, the one filling the space between Lia and me inside this boat, is anything but a relief.It’s suffocating.Lia and I haven’t exchanged more than a cold, obligatory “good morning.” No accidental brushes of conversation, no fleeting meaningless chatter that I despise so much. Just stiff acknowledgment and then nothing. And it’s driving me insane.I should prefer this. I should welcome the distance, but apparently, when it comes to Lia, silence isn’t something I can stomach. It’s not peaceful. It’s not easy. It’s a fucking wall that she’s built higher and thicker with every passing day.It’s been like for a week.A week of Lia ignoring me, acting like I don’t exist. She doesn’t talk to me anymore. She doesn’t
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-04
Chapter: chapter 92One Month Later LYNEXIA The first peek of the morning sun through the window hit my face and I stir awake with a yawn. I sigh, extending my hand to the other side of the bed to find it empty. Of course, what am I even expecting? I reluctantly climb out of the bed, while rubbing the remnant sleep away from my eyes with the back of my hand. The soft pad of my legs echoes in the air as I slip out of the room, making my way to Felicity's room. I used to grumble about me and Felicity's morning routine before everything went down but now I very much enjoy it. After almost losing my daughter once, I now bask and cherish every single moment I spend with her. I guess the saying goes you value something that you have used. Felicity's soft snores reach me as I slowly creak the door to her room open. Her beautiful, innocent face brings a smile to my face before I step into the room. I settle on the edge of the bed, tucking the strands of her hair behind her ear. I watch her sleep
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-05-29
Chapter: chapter 91LYNEXIA The words have just left my mouth before Elena lunges at me. "Shut it." She explodes. "I'm about to fucking end your life so stop being pompous." "What?" I scoff. "Were you expecting me to fall on my knees and beg for your mercy?" I say. "Is that it?" She slaps me across the face, the look on her face sinister. I know I shouldn't push her since she can be so unpredictable but I don't stop. "Shut it," She roars at my face. "I hope my death brings you the utmost happiness and joy. You sick, pathetic loser—." I choke on my words as something sharp digs into my stomach. I wince as blind pain throbs through me. I look down to find Elena's claw deep inside of me. Elena smirks. I shock her by matching it with a scornful, tight smile of my own. "Let's get this over with." I grit my teeth, doubling over as she pulls her claws out of my stomach. Blood drips off the corner of my mouth as my stomach starts to leak. "You should have shut it when I asked you to." "Why do you eve
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-05-29
Chapter: chapter 90LYNEXIA An ache starts in the middle of my head as I groan awake. I blink, confused as an unfamiliar room that resembles a barn comes into view. As my head throbs harder and more vicious, I try to reach out my hand to grip it but my hand jerks back against a hold. Then I wiggle my body, including my hands and legs. They jerk against a hold painfully that I have to grit my teeth. The headache is so much I have to squeeze an eye shut as I turn my gaze down to look at the state that I am in. My hands are tied behind the wooden chairs I'm seated on and my legs are tied around the legs of the wooden chair. My back screams with pain as it is arched uncomfortably. Panic sets in as I realize the danger I may likely be in. Seraphina brought me here for what? Why has she kidnapped me? What have I done? What is her aim in any of this? I don't have the luxury to think of an answer as I wiggle my hands, trying to cut the bondage around my wrists. The chair scraps loudly on th
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-05-29
Chapter: chapter 89DIMITRI"What is this about?" I ask, my voice tight with curiosity as Zarek leads me away from the quarantine camp towards a lone building at the edge "I'm afraid you will have to hear it from the person herself." Zarek glances back at me before he focuses front again. "Hear about what? Who?" I press as we slip into the lone building. A woman whose face is obscured by a veil turns towards me. Before I can ask further questions, she pulls the veil down to reveal her face. "Julianne," I say. "What are you doing here?" Her chest rises and falls with deep breaths. "I may have a cure for the black plague." "You have a cure?" I repeat, my mind reeling. This can't be true. Julianne nods. "Yes." This time, she sounds assertive. "How?" I ask, not knowing how to react to this. "I have been thinking hard about why Gavin, I, and Lynexia didn't get infected even though we came in contact with black ink. I have been racking my brain this past—." "Get straight to the point." I cut her of
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-05-28
Chapter: chapter 88LYNEXIA"No." Dimitri cuts me off harshly as if he already knows what I am about to say. My mouth falls open in shock. "But what if I can provide the cure?" Taking up Elena's offer doesn't feel so bad though dying sends a shiver of dread through me. "Let me guess, you have to put your life on the line for it?" Dimitri's eyes flash in disbelief. I grip the hem of my shirt tightly. Deep down, fear gnaws at me, but to save these people, to make this place livable for those I care about, I'm willing to risk everything. "Yes. If that's what it takes.""No, so get over yourself and stop trying to play the savior." Dimitri jolts to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Dimi—." "Stop it with this your useless hypothetical theory. You are no savior and you don't have the power to be the messiah." His words cut deep but I know it's the panic talking through him. He shoves his fingers into his damp hair. "I didn't let you hate me for five years just to make you be a sacri
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-05-28
Chapter: chapter 87LYNEXIA In a span of two days, things do take a turn for the worse. Bodies ply upon bodies. The shadow pack territory becomes a ghost town compared to how vibrant it once was. The number of people tolled into the trainee complex which is now the quarantine camp increases exponentially. The air is thick with despair and the stench of death. The children have been taken away from the town to a safer place leaving behind the healthy werewolves locked up in their houses and the rest of us brave enough to watch over the infected. The drugs that were given to us by Alpha Henry are running out and our healers are hitting the wall about any cure or drug to reduce the symptoms. Reaching out to other packs is useless because word has spread and most of them wouldn't open their gate to us for fear of being infected. I don't blame, I would have done the same if I were in their shoes. As the dreadful moment passes at a slow, tormenting pace, my mind lingers more and more on Elena. The
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-05-28
Chapter: Chapter 72JUNEJune woke with a satisfied smile. The same smile that had rested on her lips when she’d drifted off against Ollie’s chest after he’d fucked her senseless. The soreness between her thighs and the scent of sex still clinging to the sheets were undeniably proof.Burying her face into Ollie’s sheets, she inhaled deeply, a soft hum vibrating in her throat. God, it should be illegal for someone to smell this good.Still half-dazed in the golden afterglow of sleep, she reached out, and her fingers blindly searched for the familiar heat of his body. Instead, they met cool, empty sheets.Her eyes fluttered open. Empty.A knowing sigh left her lips. There was only one place Ollie could be. She’d bet her last dime he was in his study, hunched over his laptop, completely engrossed in work.Jeez, he was a chronic workaholic. Most people worked to survive. Ollie worked because he thrived on it.Shaking her head, June slid out of bed, stretching before padding toward his sanctuary. The moment sh
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2023-12-05
Chapter: Chapter 71OLLIEHe opened his eyes to the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the window, and there on the couch was June. She lay curled, chest rising and falling in every breath.The soft curve of her face was bathed in silver light, and for a moment, he forgot everything else.A smile tugged at his lips as he watched her.He stared at her for a long while, just savoring the sight of her, feeling a rare sense of peace. Finally with a reluctant sigh, he slid off the bed, and moved toward her quietly. When he reached her, he bent down slowly, carefully intending to lift her into his arms and move her to the bed. But just as his fingers brushed her shoulder, she stirred.Her eyelids fluttered, and she blinked in confusion as she met his gaze in the dim light. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I woke you up.”She groggily shifted, a frown pulling at her lips. “What?” Her voice was thick with sleep, and her eyes were still hazy. She quickly reached up, pressing her hands to his forehead. “How’s yo
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2023-12-05
Chapter: Chapter 70JUNEJune knew Ollie to an extent, and she knew that when he was hurting, he would retreat into himself like a hermit. He would never reach out. He was stubborn like that. He would isolate himself until it passed over.Today was the anniversary of his mother’s passing, and that couldn’t actually be easy for him. Not that he would admit it aloud. So, June took it upon herself to invite herself into his house, hoping her presence might help him.It wasn’t exactly an intrusion. Ollie had given her the access card himself, but that didn’t stop her from feeling nervous. Her heart pounded and her hands were clammy. Ollie’s reaction couldn’t be predicted and this could go very wrong. Maybe it was just her overthinking talking, but still. She had been waiting for over an hour now, sitting alone in his living room. Calling him wasn’t an option, she was too anxious to face his reaction over the phone. So she waited as each passing minute amplified the tension in her chest.After what felt like
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2023-12-05
Chapter: Chapter 69OLLIEThe longer Ollie stared at his late mother’s memorial picture, the more he realized that he shared zero resemblance with her—except for his eyes.Every defining feature he possessed came from his father, man he despised with every fiber of his being. It wasn’t just unfortunate. It was a curse. A colossal, cruel curse.To be the living reflection of the man who had haunted his life? It was enough to drive anyone insane.He should’ve felt something standing here—grief, sadness, anything. But instead, all he could do was compare. His mother’s face, captured forever in a frame, and his own. No sorrow. No anger. Just an aching numbness, lodged so deep in his bones it felt like it had always been there.There was a time when he would’ve been furious. When moments like this would’ve filled him with rage. But the older he got, the more that fire cooled, replaced by grim understanding. His father had hollowed his mother out. Shattered her at the height of her success, then dragged her dow
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2023-12-05
Chapter: Chapter 68JUNEJune didn’t protest, didn’t question him. The only thing she knew was how badly she wanted to feel him between her legs.He moved between her legs, fitting his broad frame in the space she made for him. Slowly, he bent down, and slid her legs over his shoulders.She sucked in a breath in anticipation as he traced the soft curves of her thighs. When his fingers hooked around her thong and pulled it aside, she felt a flush spread over her skin, her body tingling with raw desire.A low, throaty groan that Ollie let out vibrated through her, his breath caressed her pussy. Ollie didn’t rush as he alternated between teasing her clit and sliding deep inside of her. He dragged out her pleasure until she was a mess of frustration and needs.“Ollie, please,” she whispered “I need…” She bit her lip, unable to finish her sentence as another nibble of his teeth on her clit cut off her thoughts completely.“What do you need?” he murmured against her.He knew exactly what he was doing, and it
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2023-12-05
Chapter: Chapter 67JUNE“Are you even listening?”June heard Lola’s voice vaguely“Of course,” she said on autopilot as her lips curved into a small smile at the text Ollie had sent her. It had been a long day filled with back-to-back shifts, and she could finally reply to his message.“What was I saying?”Lola said, and June blinked, raising her gaze to meet Lola’s. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a frown was etched on her face.“Uhm…” June’s voice trailed off as her eyes darted away as though the answer might magically appear in the air between them.“See? You weren’t listening.” Lola’s frown deepened as she gestured toward her with a pointed look. “Ever since you got yourself a boyfriend, you’ve become insufferable.”“I haven’t,” June gasped dramatically.Lola shook her head as her eyes narrowed. “Knew there was a reason I didn’t like him,” she muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough for June to hear. “He’s here to steal my girlfriend.”June rolled her eyes at her friend’s dramatic
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2023-12-05