ZANDER Lucas looked at me and said calmly, “You’ll go to Ronald’s house.”I blinked, confused. “Go to his house?”And he nodded.“Unannounced,” he added.I stared at him in disbelief, like I didn’t hear him right. I even tilted my head a little, wondering if the lack of sleep was messing with his brain.“Unannounced?” I repeated slowly, raising one eyebrow. “Why would I go to my fellow Alpha’s house unannounced?”I didn’t get it. It didn’t make sense. Even if Ronald had done all those horrible things like siding with the Circle, betraying Vivian, threatening her, trying to kill me—he was still an Alpha.There was still a level of respect and order between Alphas. We didn’t just show up at each other’s doors like it was some casual visit. There were procedures. Boundaries. Traditions.And as much as I hated Ronald, I wasn’t someone who liked breaking rules unless I absolutely had to.Lucas facepalmed his eyes like I was being slow and like he was reading my mind.“Zander,” he said wit
ZANDERI stood outside Lucas’s door, feeling completely drained. My thoughts were all over the place and I couldn’t sleep.Not after that conversation with Ronald. Not after Vivian walked away from me like that.I raised my hand and knocked softly on his door but got no response.I knocked again, louder this time but still got nothing.I was about to knock for the third time when the door finally opened slowly. Lucas stood there, shirtless, his hair messy and his eyes barely open. He looked like someone who’d just been dragged out of a deep sleep. He let out a long yawn and squinted at me like he wasn't seeing well.“What’s the problem, Zander? It’s one in the morning,” he said to me in a groggy voice.“I know,” I said with a sigh as I stepped inside without waiting for an invitation from him. “But I need to talk to you.”Lucas scratched his head and slowly shut the door. “This better be good,” he mumbled as he sat down at the edge of his bed.Afterward, I didn’t waste time. I leaned
ZANDERI paused, the phone was still in my hand, but I didn’t speak.Something about this whole situation suddenly felt off.My frown deepened.Why now?Why was Ronald coming to us now, after all this time?Why had the Circle leader refused to help him? Why wasn’t the Circle’s witch healing him?Why would Ronald even risk coming to us—me and Vivian—for help when he knew all that he had done to us?The timing didn’t sit right with me. And I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling in my gut.Something wasn’t adding up.I couldn’t shake the bad feeling crawling through my chest.This whole thing… it didn’t sit right with me.Ronald was desperate, yes. That part I could see clearly. But desperate people can also be dangerous. And Ronald had never been someone I trusted, not even for a second. Not after everything he did.My mind started spinning again, thinking deeper this time.What if Ronald wasn’t telling the full truth?What if this whole plan to get him healed was just a setup?What if…
ZANDERRonald’s voice came through, weak and shaking. “I already tried reaching out to the leader of the Circle,” he said. “But he told me he’s busy. He said he’s suspecting some of his workers, and he’s focused on taking out the ones who are betraying him.”My chest tightened with fear immediately and one person came to my mind. Isla.That was the first name that jumped into my head. My heart skipped a beat again.Was she the one being suspected? Had she been caught because she may have left here late?Had they figured her out?I stared blankly ahead as my thoughts raced. I didn’t even hear what Ronald was saying next because all I could think about was Isla.She had taken such big risks for us. She was willing to feed us information and stand with us when she could easily turn her back. And now the Circle suddenly starts searching for betrayers in their organization?If they caught her… No. I didn’t even want to imagine that.But I had to be smart. I reached into my pocket and pulle
ZANDERI was pulled out of sleep by the loud and annoying ringing of my phone.At first, I ignored it, hoping it would stop. But it didn’t. It just kept ringing and ringing. I groaned and turned on the bed, not even bothering to open my eyes.Vivian was curled up beside me, breathing softly, and I really didn’t want to wake up. I was too comfortable, too tired after the mind-blowing sex we just had.Still, the phone didn’t stop.With a sigh, I reached over blindly and grabbed it from the bedside table. I didn’t check the caller ID. I just pressed the answer button and held the phone to my ear, still half asleep.“Hello?” I said, my voice low and rough.The moment I heard the voice on the other end, my eyes snapped open.Ronald. It was Ronald. His voice made me alert instantly.I sat up quickly, my back straighter and my heart beating faster. I turned my head slowly to look at Vivian beside me.She was still sleeping, her eyes were closed, her breathing was soft and even. That was good
VIVIAN Caroline’s voice trembled. “This is bad. This is really bad. It’s getting complicated.”We all looked at each other and nodded. The tension in the room was thick and heavy because it seemed like everyone was busy with their thoughts.My heart pounded in fear. Everyone was on edge and I could feel my own thoughts spiraling as I tried to make sense of it all. I needed calm. I had to take control.So I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. “Let’s all calm down,” I said with a gentle but firm tone. “We won’t come up with any good plan if we let our fear and doubts run wild. Right now what we need is rest. We can talk better after we’ve slept.”Priestess Tanya nodded. “Vivian is right,” she agreed softly and then turned to me. “You just recovered from a traumatic event. You need rest more than anyone.”I nodded back. It was true, I did feel tired, heavier than I’d ever felt, like I was carrying something I couldn’t see.I knew sleep would help clear my mind and give me spa