Chapter: Chapter Two Hundred Thirty fourIsabella POVI push the double doors open and just at the end of the aisle is Dominic, Gun pointed towards Francesca, and his face filled with anger and hurt.“Dom!” I yell out ready to run into his arms finally, but Francesca sidesteps me, Dominic shoots the gun right at that instant but he misses her by a few inches.She grabs a hold of my arm and I try to struggle out of her hold but her fingers dig into my skin pulling me closer to her chest in a tight hold. “Don’t move!!” She yells out reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a dagger. The cold blade presses against my neck and my eyes widen in fear “Dominic!” I cry out my eyes filling with tears. “Francesca, there is no need to do this,” he says cautiously, his finger pressing and wriggling unsteadily on the gun. Confusion shines in his eyes as Francesca presses me closer to her body, taking a step back as she uses me as her shield. “You will stop right there, you will not make any single move” she yells out, her voic
Last Updated: 2025-05-24
Chapter: Chapter Two Hundred Thirty ThreeDominic POVI point the gun to Grace, the nozzle only a few centimeters away from her. A smirk covers my lips, the earphones hanging over my ears still silent as I wait for Luca to tell me what I need to hear. I sent him to surround the perimeter with my men In search of Bella and as soon as he gives me the go ahead, all of this drama will come to an end. “Dom? What are you doing?” Grace takes a step back, her voice shaking. “Don’t fucking call me that Grace!!” I hit back at her taking a step backwards “Dominic, this needs to stop, why would you do this? And to the woman you are about to marry? Your wife?” my mother takes a step forward My eyes narrow at her and she takes a step back in fear, gulping slightly. “Stay out of this Mom, this is between me and Grace” I turn the gun back to her, my fingers tightening around the hilt of the gun. “And I have only one wife, I love one woman only and that's Bella!” I yell out, my voice vibrating with anger “If you didn't want t
Last Updated: 2025-05-24
Chapter: Chapter Two Hundred Thirty TwoISABELLA POV I stand at the top of the hill, completely hidden from view of Dominic and the wedding below. My eyes move around the scene, I know this is my only opportunity to go back to Dominic, to be in his arms again. My heart aches as guests start trooping in. Their most expensive dresses and suits wrapping their body, wide smiles on their faces like Dominic’s wife did not just go missing a few weeks back. I slouch on the chair, my emotions getting the best of me, tears fill my eyes as the double doors open. “Dominic” I gasp watching him walk in, he pays no attention to anyone else, his fingers glide over a perfectly tailored tux, and he unbuttons his jacket as he walks past everyone His commanding aura has everyone quiet, watching, holding their breaths like he could pull out his gun at any time to shoot everyone. I hold my breath too. He gets to the alter and I'm immediately locked on his face. A smile almost peeks from my lips, and sweat covers my skin but I sha
Last Updated: 2025-05-24
Chapter: Chapter Two Hundred Thirty OneGRACE POV I smile widely, the mirror showing my reflection. My eyes blinging with gold and my lips a hot red color I know Dominic will not be able to resist , i continue to spin around in the mirror, admiring the woman I about to become.“Mrs DeLuca alas” I whisper My dream wedding dress is hung on a mannequin on the side and I smile even wider as my eyes land on the decoration downstairs. “Today is going to be a great day!” I sing spreading my arms in my robe. The double doors open and Francesca walks in, a black dress draped across her body. She explained to me earlier the reason for wearing a black dress and that’s because it would be Dominic’s funeral but what she doesn't know is it will be her own funeral. “Why aren't you ready?” she frowns shutting the door behind her “Now that the door is locked do you want to actually tell me what you want?” I roll my eyes sitting across the couch as I stare up at her “Bianca is still missing, we can't have her running in here
Last Updated: 2025-05-24
Chapter: Chapter Two Hundred ThirtyISABELLA POV Rafaelle returns and from then on I decide to play the role of the loving captive. Pretend, till I can safely reach Dominic to escape this hell hole myself. I proceed to shower Rafaelle with affection and attention even though it makes me feel disgusted with myself but I go ahead and do it. Days pass by and finally the night to the wedding arrives and he decides to do the most shocking thing. I guess my pretending skills are top notch. “I am only allowing you to roam the bedroom and the kitchen, anywhere else where I can't lock you in a room, you will be tied to a chair as usual,” he says, removing the ropes from across my wrist. The skin is red and I turn to him with a raised brow, “So I guess this means you trust me” I send him a small smile. He nods, “You have been good, you've not tried to contact anyone or even tried to escape when we went down to the beach.” He walks across the counter. “Thank you, Rafaelle,” I cough, watching him pause in front of t
Last Updated: 2025-05-15
Chapter: Chapter Two Hundred Twenty NineFRANCESCA POV I pace back and forth in my office, my mind racing with thoughts of Rafaelle, everything else is falling into place except for him. “I knew his fucked up obsession with Bella will be a problem!” I mutter to myself angrily Where is he? What is he planning and why is he refusing my fucking calls? “I have to find him and I need to find him fast.” “Ma'am, Mr Deluca is back and the meeting will begin in a few minutes,” my assistant pulls the door open, delivering the message I nod wiping the sweat on my head, I need to calm down and hide my nerves, I'm so close and I won't allow my plans to be destroyed. I make my way to the board room and Dominic is already there, he looks different. “Dominic, you seem to be in a good mood today,” I sing, entering the room and sliding into the seat next to him. He bites his fists, “I made a mistake with Grace, and I'm only trying to solve it,” he shrugs “It's good for you to take responsibility,” I reach out holding his hand in m
Last Updated: 2025-05-15
Chapter: 74Flynn POV The drive home from practice feels heavier than usual, in fact the last few hours have been quite unstable, anything could happen next. I keep replaying the moment Kaya walked right past me this morning without looking at me. She always tries to pretend she is not affected, but today she did not even try to hide it. She kept her eyes away from mine like she was avoiding a wound she did not want to touch. And somehow I felt it deep inside me, not in my circuits. In something else, it feels like a real ache. Her car was gone by the time practice ended. Completely burned out, melted into a black shell in the parking lot. Everyone kept whispering about it. Tom and Riley acted like they were strolling through the aftermath of a bonfire they built themselves. They stood behind us looking pleased with themselves, and Kaya nearly lunged at Riley before I pulled her back. The engine hums as I pull into my building garage. I grip the steering wheel, trying to understand why the
Last Updated: 2025-11-15
Chapter: 73Riley POV The door to my office clicks shut behind us, and within seconds Tom has me backed against it. His mouth crashes against mine, hot and demanding. I smile against his lips, breathless, the thrill of earlier still pulsing through me like electricity. “God, that was incredible,” I whisper, tugging him closer by his collar. Tom kisses down my jaw, his breath rough with adrenaline. “You should have seen your face when the flames went up. You looked like you were watching art.” He laughs, low and amused. Because it was art. Kaya had stood there screaming like a little child who lost her toy. Flynn tried to hold her. She shoved him off. The entire thing was perfect. Every detail. Every reaction. And now, the priceless expression she wore when he tried to drive her home and she rejected him in front of everyone. That alone was worth getting ash under my nails. “I am still replaying it,” I say, pulling Tom back up to kiss me again. “The look in her eyes. And Flynn’s. It was almo
Last Updated: 2025-11-15
Chapter: 72Kaya’s POV The moment Flynn and I step outside, a sharp burst of heat hits my face. For a second I don’t understand what I’m looking at, because my brain refuses to accept it. Then the flames roar higher, licking up the side of the dented blue hood, and my chest caves in. My car is on fire.The only thing I kept from Noah after he left. It was his car and he had given it to me to pick him up before we were going to run away, before he left me, but still it had sentimental value and I refused to give the car up and now? “No. No no no,” I gasp, stumbling forward. The crackling of flames drowns out everything else. A few teammates hover nearby, muttering, but no one dares get close. People film it instead of helping. Of course they would only film. “Help! Somebody get help!” My voice breaks as I shout, but no one moves. It’s already too late anyway. The fire is too strong. Flynn reaches for me. “Kaya, stop. It isn’t safe.” I shake him off, watching helplessly as the flames swallow
Last Updated: 2025-11-15
Chapter: 71Flynn’s POV The water hits the back of my neck in steady, pounding waves, this is just another part of the morning routine I’ve done since I was activated. But my eyes close and immediately, the world shifts. I find myself on a rooftop with edges of a city skyline that doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen in this lifetime. The sun sets low so that it stains everything in warm gold. And then I hear laughter, Kaya’s, she sounds younger and softer. Then I hear a voice next, my own, but not my own. “Kaya, promise you won’t leave without me.” Her hair blows in the wind, long and dark, flying around her shoulders. She pushes it back as she laughs again and says something, something I can’t make out. But she’s smiling at me. At Noah. At the person I shouldn’t be remembering. “No…” My hand shoots out, slamming against the shower wall. The tile is cold despite the steam. My breath comes unevenly, if I can even call it breath. “Why do I see her like this?” The memory dissolves lik
Last Updated: 2025-11-15
Chapter: 70Kaya Pov My lips are still tingling. It’s ridiculous… impossible… but Flynn’s kiss feels like it just cracked something open inside me, something I thought I had welded shut after Tom’s betrayal. For a few seconds, I actually let myself melt into him. I lean closer, my fingers clutching the lapel of his suit, my body hums like someone just turned a current on inside me. His mouth is warm and certain against mine, and I hate how good it feels, how natural it feels, like I am not kissing a robot I built, but someone I have known before. Someone I had loved before. The thought slams through me like a shockwave, and I jolt away from him so fast I nearly trip over the edge of the couch. “No—no, I can’t…” My voice is breathless and cracked. “I shouldn’t feel things for you.” Flynn freezes, “Kaya…” I shake my head, panic building. “This was…this was a mistake Flynn. I need to go.” He stands too, and when he steps toward me, something hopeful sparks in his eyes. “So you do feel som
Last Updated: 2025-11-14
Chapter: 69Flynn’s POV Tom’s hand is still clamped on Kaya’s arm when I reach them. His face is too close to hers, his voice low as he tries to intimidate Kaya. Kaya’s eyes flick up toward me, wide and unsettled, and that’s all it takes. My body reacts before my mind does. I move in, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her gently but firmly into my side. Her body fits against mine like it belongs there, and she gasps softly before leaning into the warmth of my hold. Tom jerks back. “Mind your business, Fetcher.” I give him a calm, almost bored look. “She is my business.” His jaw twitches. “You’re new here. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” I don’t take the bait. Instead, I look down at Kaya. She’s trying to mask her shaken state, but I can see the tension in her shoulders and the faint tremble in her fingers. “Are you alright?” I ask softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. My thumb grazes her cheek, and she melts a fraction, just enough for me to catch it. “He didn’t hurt
Last Updated: 2025-11-14
Chapter: Chapter Thirty FourELARA POVI wake before the sun breaks over the cliffs.Zane’s still beside me, chest rising in steady rhythm, lips slightly parted in sleep. He looks younger like this. Softer. Like the version of him I imagined when I was sixteen, an omega, foolish and thought a mate could be my rescue plan.That girl is gone and she died the night I ran.But this version of me the one forged through blood, pain, and survival, still watches him breathe.And when I realize our fingers are tangled together, I don’t pull away.Not yet.Zane soon stirs, his eyes open slowly, gold catching the faint light like a flicker of fire.“You stayed,” he murmurs, voice rough with sleep.I don’t answer right away. Because the truth is, I almost didn’t.I almost told him to leave, twice and both times… I couldn’t do it.Instead, I squeeze his hand. Just once.He closes his eyes again like he’s storing that single moment somewhere sacred. Like he thinks it means more than I’m willing to admit.The morning is unusual
Last Updated: 2025-07-08
Chapter: Chapter Thirty ThreeELARA POVThe smoke thickens as the sun drops.Not a wildfire.Not the natural kind.This smoke carries intention. It clings to the trees like a warning, rolls in slow and low, dragging the scent of pine and ash with something worse buried beneath it.Blood.The moment it hits, Elias sends patrols to every ridge line. Amber moves through the inner strongholds like a flame, calm but burning. She seals the eastern gates, and the elders in the high chamber begin chanting the old language, their voices steady as the runes along the cliffs ignite in pulsing light.Everything feels too quiet.Even the mountain holds its breath.I feel it in my bones, like ice crawling along my spine.He’s close.Skull and he’s isn’t circling anymore, he’s watching us, testing us.Waiting for a crack to open and widen.I find Zane on the upper wall just before the last sliver of daylight disappears.He’s standing with his arms folded, eyes scanning the horizon. He doesn’t speak when I approach, but he glance
Last Updated: 2025-07-08
Chapter: Chapter Thirty TwoELARA POVPredator TerritoryI wake with the dream still clawing at the edges of my mind.It wasn’t just fire.It was burning, feral and wild, the kind that doesn’t warm but devours. I heard trees crack under the heat, saw wolves screaming into the flames with fur peeling from their bones. And through it all, one shape stood still.A man in a skull mask.Watching meMy hand flies to the pendant resting against my collarbone. It’s still warm. The magic hasn’t faded. The wards are holding.But something about the mountain feels off. Too quiet. Like it’s holding its breath.Hyrax? I reach for her silently.She stirs, slow but tense.He’s circling. Like a vulture. Not ready to strike. Yet.I’m out of bed before I finish dressing in my head, pulling a wool tunic over my shift and strapping on my boots. The corridor outside is dim, lit only by the flickering torchlight. The air is cold, dry, still.Too still.I find Zane already outside, standing just beyond the stables, arms folded across
Last Updated: 2025-07-08
Chapter: Chapter Thirty OneELARA POVPredator Territory — MorningI wake with the phantom feel of his lips still lingering on mine.Zane is gone. The room is empty. But his presence clings to the air like smoke. On my skin. In my lungs.It’s maddening, how something so soft, so quiet, can unravel me more than a thousand scars ever could.I lift my fingers to my mouth, brushing over the skin he kissed. Last night wasn’t just a kiss. It wasn’t lust. It wasn’t comfort.It was a surrender, a warning and a promise, and I’m not sure which one of those frightens me more.…The high hall is quieter than usual when I sit across from Amber at the long stone table. The morning sun filters in through the carved arches, catching the edges of the tapestries. She has a scroll open in front of her, her tea steaming, her eyes scanning me more than the words.Fresh bread. Dried meats. Mint and elderflower in my cup.None of it touches the strange heaviness in my chest.“You’re distracted,” she says plainly.“I slept fine.” I rea
Last Updated: 2025-07-05
Chapter: Chapter Thirty ELARA POVPredator Territory Later That NightSleep doesn’t come.Not because of nightmares. Not because of unease.But because for the first time in weeks, I don’t want to forget the way tonight felt.The quietness in the ring. The way his voice broke when he said he missed us. The look in his eyes when he realized I wasn’t turning away.The way his hand hovered near my cheek like I was something sacred. Something lost and found all at once.I’m still wrapped in the weight of it when a soft knock lands at my door.Three taps.Light and careful but I already know it’s him.I sit up slowly. My fingers tighten on the edge of the blanket.I don’t owe him anything. Not tonight. Not anymore.But still… I open the door.Zane stands there, holding a mug in both hands. His shirt is clean, though wrinkled and loose like he grabbed it in a rush. There’s a faint line creased along his cheek from the couch cushion. He hasn’t slept either.“I figured…” he starts, his voice low. “If you’re awake, y
Last Updated: 2025-07-05
Chapter: Chapter Twenty NineELARA POVPredator Territory — Just Past MidnightI find Zane in the training ring again.After the warning from Skull, everything has been quietToo quiet.The cold mountain wind whips through the trees, carrying the metallic scent of blood, the smoke from the outer guard posts… and him. He’s shirtless, again. Not because he’s training. Not because he’s reckless.Because he’s angry.His fists slam into the wooden post in brutal rhythm, each strike echoing across the quiet grounds. His knuckles are already split, blood staining the old tree.He doesn’t stop. Doesn’t flinch. He just keeps hitting like it’s the only thing tethering him to the ground.But I see the tension in his shoulders. The rage beneath the surface. The pain he’s not saying aloud.And I feel it, burning in my neck.That damned mark reacting to him like it always does. A tug beneath the skin, subtle but insistent.“Zane,” I say as I step into the ring.He doesn’t look at me right away. His fists still. His back rises
Last Updated: 2025-07-04
Chapter: Seventy EightELENA POV The office feels colder tonight. Papers spread across the desk, printouts, screenshots, copies of old hospital records Marco helped me track down. My hands shake as I read each page. The deeper I dig, the sicker I feel. Ava. My daughter. It feels unreal even thinking the word in my head. I trace the name on the forged birth certificate, the signature that isn’t mine. The date that matches my coma, the months I don’t remember. And then the truth unfurls, page by awful page. The inheritance. They needed my child alive to claim it. My grandfather, the man whose face I barely remember, had known. He kept me and the baby alive as long as he could. The baby was born early, tiny, fighting. And then… he died. A car accident, they said. The file hints at sabotage. Another piece of the puzzle I never saw. After that, they took Ava. Daemon and Rachel. And when they had what they wanted, they ordered me dead. A final line in a hospital report, signed by a doctor who refuse
Last Updated: 2025-08-09
Chapter: Seventy sevenELENA POV I never thought the silence after a confession could feel like this. Warm. Steady. Like the hush of something finally falling into place. I wake tangled in Alex’s arms. His chest rises and falls under my cheek, slow and deep. I almost don’t want to move. But his fingers brush against my spine, light as a sigh. “You’re awake,” he murmurs, voice still rough from sleep. “Barely,” I whisper, pressing a small kiss to his collarbone. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” “You were exhausted,” he says, shifting slightly so he can look at me. “Not that I blame you after what we… did.” His smirk is soft, teasing, but there’s something vulnerable behind it too. I trace the edge of his jaw. “Alex?” “Hmm?” “I still need to finish what I started,” I admit, the words catching on my tongue. “About them. About what they did to me.” His expression darkens, but he doesn’t pull away. “You’re not doing it alone.” It’s strange, sharing the weight. I’ve spent weeks lying, hiding piec
Last Updated: 2025-08-09
Chapter: Seventy SixELENA POV It’s strange how quiet the mansion feels now. Not the peaceful kind of quiet, but something sharp and cold, like a house waiting for a storm that never comes. We barely speak. When we do, it’s about nothing: dinner, schedules, meetings. The important words sit between us, heavy and silent. At night, I hear him on the other side of the bed, so close I could reach out and touch him. But I don’t and he doesn’t, either. It’s worse than fighting. Worse than yelling. It feels like drowning in air. One morning, I walk into the dining room to see him laughing quietly at something Sophia says. The sound freezes me in the doorway. God, it’s stupid how something so small can stab straight through my chest. I sit down, trying to look bored, but my heart hammers. He barely glances at me, nods, and goes back to his coffee. Later that afternoon, I see him again, outside, by the cars, talking to a woman in a tight black dress. Her laugh is too loud. Her hand lingers on hi
Last Updated: 2025-08-09
Chapter: Seventy Five ELENA POV It’s late when I find him.The house is too big, too silent. My footsteps echo on marble floors as I move past darkened rooms, every breath tight in my chest. I finally see him on the balcony outside his study. His back to me, one hand braced on the railing, the city lights painting him in gold and shadow. For a moment, I almost turn around and walk away. But I don’t. “Alex,” I say, my voice coming out softer than I mean. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t turn. Just stays there, shoulders rigid, staring out over the gardens. “I know you’re angry,” I begin, each word feeling heavier than the last. “But we can talk about this. Please.” He exhales, the sound harsh, tired. “Talk?” he repeats. “About what, Elena? How you lied to me? Lied to everyone?” My throat burns. “I had to,” I whisper. “You don’t understand—” “Then make me understand,” he cuts in, his voice raw but quiet. “Tell me why. Tell me why the woman I risked everything for looked me in the eye and chose to keep secr
Last Updated: 2025-08-09
Chapter: Seventy four ELENA POV It doesn’t take long before it all unravels. Alex might have promised to keep pretending, but the moment he steps away from me, it’s like a switch flips. His voice when he talks to me turns distant, polite. At night, he doesn’t pull me close. The space between us in bed feels so sharp it could cut me in half. But it’s Sophia’s face when she finds out that really breaks me. It happens in the study. Alex calls her and Marco in. I stand there, my pulse roaring in my ears. Sophia looks between us, her brows knitting. Marco watches Alex with quiet confusion. Alex’s voice is flat. “There are things you both need to know.” I swallow, my mouth dry as dust. Sophia’s eyes go wide as Alex explains. About the contract. About my lost memory. About how I lied. About how I remember everything now and didn’t tell anyone. The room feels like it stops breathing. “You knew,” Sophia says to me, voice rising, cracking. “All this time, you remembered and you didn’t say a word?” “Sophi
Last Updated: 2025-08-09
Chapter: Seventy ThreeELENA POV The guilt is what finally breaks me. Days pass. Alex watches me more closely than ever. At meals, in the car, even when we lie in bed at night. I feel his gaze on my face like a weight I can’t shake. Every time he says my name, my heart stumbles. Every time he brushes his thumb along my cheek, it feels like it burns right through the lie I’m holding inside. I can’t keep this secret. Not anymore. It happens on a Thursday night. The house is quiet, Marco and the guards stationed outside, Sophia out late at some charity dinner. Alex is in his office, the door ajar. I stand in the hallway for a moment, palms sweating, heartbeat in my throat. Then I push the door open. He looks up from behind the desk, the lamplight throwing shadows across his face. “Elena?” “Can we talk?” My voice cracks just enough that it makes him sit up straighter. “Of course.” He nods to the chair opposite, but I don’t sit. I walk closer instead, until I’m standing right in front of his desk. Clo
Last Updated: 2025-08-09