LOGIN**Dominic’s POV** I had spent the last hour pretending to listen to Evelyne. We were in the western lodge’s private library, the one lined with dark oak shelves and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the misty pine forest. Morning light filtered through the glass in pale gold shafts, illuminating dust motes that danced like tiny spirits. A fire crackled softly in the hearth, but its warmth did nothing to thaw the ice settling in my chest. Evelyne sat across from me in the deep leather armchair, cradling a cup of chamomile tea between her slender hands. Her voice was soft, almost distant, as she spoke of the sanctuary where she had been held for sixteen years. “The cold was the worst,” she murmured, staring into her tea. “Not the kind that freezes your skin, but the kind that settles deep in your bones and never leaves. The walls were white. Everything was white. Sometimes I wondered if they chose that color so we would forget what real life looked like.” She took a slo
Serena's POV Dressed in a dark coat. Marcus. Relief rushed through me, but it lasted only a second. His expression was grim. "Serena." "What happened?" He stepped into the laboratory, scanning the room. "I found the access road blocked. Someone had placed explosives near the entrance." My stomach dropped. "Explosives?" "They were old, but recently activated. I managed to disable them." "Was anyone there?" "Not when I arrived." He looked at the recording device in my hand. "What did you find?" I hesitated. "My father's laboratory. His recording. He's alive." Marcus went completely still. "Your father?" I nodded. "He left a message. He said Caleb Voss betrayed my parents." Marcus's jaw tightened. "Are you certain?" "I heard his voice. I saw the files." Marcus moved toward the central table. "Then we need to get Dominic." "No." His eyes met mine. "Serena—" "I came here to find answers, Marcus. Not to be taken back to the lodge e
Serena’s POV The old Blackwood estate appeared through the morning mist like the skeleton of something that had once been magnificent. I remembered the photographs Dominic had shown me once. The grand entrance, the enormous windows, the gardens that stretched across the hills, and the ancient stone walls that had stood for generations. None of that remained. The fire had devoured almost everything. Blackened pillars rose from the earth like broken bones. The roof had collapsed years ago, leaving the rooms exposed to the sky. Ivy crawled over the surviving walls, and weeds had claimed the paths that once led to the front entrance. Even the air felt different here. Heavy. Silent. As if the land remembered the screams of the people who had died. I pressed my fingers around the silver key hanging from my mother's necklace. The house beneath the ashes remembers its master. My father's laboratory. It had been here all along. "Are you certain this is where you want to go?" Th
Dominic's POV I remained on the wide stone steps long after the black SUV disappeared down the winding drive. The dust had already settled. The morning mist clung to the trees like ghosts, and the only sound left was the cruel, steady beating of my own heart.My hands were clenched at my sides so tightly that my nails had dug crescent moons into my palms. I couldn’t seem to move. My wolf was pacing violently beneath my skin, snarling, howling, demanding I chase after her. But my feet stayed rooted to the cold stone.She was gone.Serena was really gone.The sound of soft footsteps approached from behind. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Evelyne. Her scent — wild roses and warm amber — wrapped around me, familiar and comforting, yet somehow heavier this morning.She came to stand beside me, close enough that our arms brushed, but not so close that it felt like a claim. For a long moment, she simply watched the empty road with me.“She’s gone,” she said quietly, her voice carrying
Serena's POV I didn't sleep. Not properly. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice. Dominic's low laughter. Evelyne whispering his name. The quiet intimacy behind a bedroom door I had no right to open. I had spent the entire night convincing myself that leaving was the right decision. Yet, when the first rays of sunlight slipped through my curtains, I discovered that knowing something was right didn't make it hurt any less. I sat up slowly. My suitcase stood beside the wardrobe. Everything was ready. My clothes. My books. My few personal belongings. The small silver flower Liora had made for me lay beside my handbag. I picked it up and ran my thumb over its uneven petals. "She'll miss you," Rose whispered. I swallowed. "I'll miss her too." And Amelia. "Yes." And him. I closed my fingers around the necklace. "Don't." Rose sighed. You can leave the house, Serena. You cannot order your heart to stop loving him. "I don't need to stop loving him today." I p
Dominic's POV “Dominic—! Oh gods, yes—!” Her hips bucked against my face. I curled my fingers, stroking that sensitive spot inside her while my tongue lashed her clit mercilessly. Within minutes she was writhing, moaning my name like a prayer. Her first orgasm hit her like a storm. She came with a sharp, keening cry, thighs clamping around my head as her pussy spasmed and gushed around my fingers. I drank every drop, growling against her folds, my wolf snarling in triumph. I didn’t let her come down. I rose, tore off the rest of my clothes, and fisted my aching cock. The head was flushed dark and leaking steadily. Evelyne’s eyes glazed with pure lust when she saw it. “Inside me,” she begged, voice husky. “I need you inside me right now.” I gripped her hips, flipped her onto her stomach, and pulled her ass up. In one powerful thrust I buried myself to the hilt inside her tight, fluttering pussy. Evelyne screamed in pleasure. “Dominic—! So deep—! Fuck—!” I gave her







