LOGINElise Pov
I couldn't tell how long it took, but I woke up with a start. Sweat dripping all over and the creased faces of my mate making me question the impossible. " You are awake," Damon said dryly. I ignored his tone and tried to stand up. The other two had an unreadable expression on their faces, like I care. I wasn't going to let them manipulate me anymore." Yes, I am awake. You all can get out of my room."I saw a flash of mixed anger and curiosity on their faces, especially Drake. " Ungrateful!" Drake's voice tore through the silent chamber, so does the banging of the door the next second. Damon stood up too, a smirk playing around his lips. He looked distracted, not the least angered by my words. " Seeing you are back to your stubborn self, I guess you are sound enough for your duties. Get ready in an hour to greet the King. The servants will come takeDamon’s POVThe cliff-edge always looked different at dusk. It was like the world was breathing slower or it was simply waiting for something to go wrong.With my hands hanging loosely by my side, I stood there, staring down at the stretch of forest that framed the pack’s training grounds. The wind carried the faint howl of a lone wolf, but the sound felt off. It was hollow making it seem like it wasn’t meant for me at all.Dragging in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and then tried to reach out through the mind-link again. Derek? I got nothing.There was no warmth, no presence either. Just the brittle scrape of static, like someone dragging claws across glass. Every attempt to link with my brothers or the pack felt the same. It was distorted, fragmented and felt wrong all at the same time. My commands felt like a cracked mirror before they reached anyone.The ache in my chest pulsed again, it was colder this time. The thinning bond was more than a discomfort; it was a warning.“Al
Derek Pov Her breath stutters violently.But she still doesn’t speak.I bring both hands up, cupping her face lightly, carefully, so she can pull away if she wants. “Tell me what happened.”She shakes her head again. “You’ll be angry,” she whispers.“I’m already angry,” I say quietly. “But not at you.”Her eyes flicker with something,fear? uncertainty?, I can’t tell, but I press on before it vanishes.“Were you threatened?”She doesn’t answer.“Were you punished unfairly?”Nothing.“Elise,” my voice cracks, “are you scared?”Her breath breaks then. Not fully, not loudly, just enough to confirm everything I feared.She’s terrified.And she’s been dealing with it alone.I lean forward, resting my forehead lightly against hers. “I’m right here. You’re not alone. You don’t ever have to be alone again.”A tear slips down her cheek, hitting my thumb.“Elise,” I try again, gentle but firmer now, “I’m not leaving. I’m not giving up. I will sit here all night if I have to. I will sit here unt
Derek PovI was going berserk with the fact that I couldn't help her. I started rambling nonstop, the questions pouring in even with my voice starting to lose composure.“Elise, you don’t have to be brave right now.”“Elise, talk to me.”“Elise, I’m begging you, please trust me.”“Elise, I won’t judge you.”“Elise, I won’t let anyone touch you again.”“Elise, you’re safe with me.”“Elise, look at me. Talk to me. Please.”Every time, she shakes her head.Every time, she curls tighter.Every time, her silence slices deeper into me.I swear an entire hour passes this way, me kneeling, her trembling, neither of us giving up. I refuse to leave. I refuse to let her carry this alone. She refuses to speak because whatever happened scarred her deeply.Finally after countless pleas—her breathing stutters again.Then her lips part.“D… Derek.”“Yes?” I lean in instantly, gently.Her eyes fill again, spilling over faster this time. “Promise you won’t… you won’t be angry.”I swallow hard. “I promi
DRAKE POVIf I go to her now, she’ll fight. She’ll scream. She’ll claw at me again and call me a monster with that spark in her eyes.And I want that, I want that more than I should, but not yet.Not until she learns there is no escaping me.Not until she learns what fear truly feels like.Not until she realizes that every path in this mansion leads back to me.She stands again, hugging herself, and walks toward the servants’ corridor. Her steps quicken as she senses it my presence, faint but impossible to ignore. Her heart stutters. I can hear it from where I stand.Music to my ears.I follow her again, silent as the shadows stretching across the hall.She tries to take a shortcut through the side passage, but I’m already there. She freezes, sensing danger, then darts away, choosing another path. Smart. But not smart enough.She always chooses the corridors that feel safest.She doesn’t understand that I designed this mansion.And I know every escape she thinks she has.I continue ta
Drake POVHumiliation is a bitter taste, thick, metallic, and impossible to swallow.I feel it burning on my tongue even now, long after the sting of her slap has faded from my cheek. The memory repeats in sharp, vicious flashes: her eyes wide with fear, her voice calling me a monster, her trembling hand striking across my face with more courage than she should possess.Elise.That little wolf has no idea what she has done.No woman, no servant, no guest, no allied wolf, has ever spoken to me that way. No one has ever dared raise a hand to me, especially not in my home, under my roof, protected by my name.Yet she did.And she escaped me.My jaw clenches so hard I hear my teeth grind.I pace my chambers like a caged animal, the scent of liquor lingering in the air from earlier. I hate liquor. Hate what it makes me do, hate how it makes me feel, hate how it loosens the restraints I bury deep. But tonight… tonight that poison felt comforting. Necessary.And she still slipped through my
Elise Pov “You… you monster!” I spat, slapping him across the face with all the strength I had. My hand stung, but it was worth it when he staggered back slightly, caught off balance. His grin faltered for just a moment, and I took that second, that precious moment, and bolted.I ran, my heart hammering against my ribs like it would burst. I didn’t care where I went, only that I was moving, only that I put as much distance between him and me as possible.Drake roared part fury, part amusement but I didn’t stop. I could hear him coming, footsteps heavy, unrelenting, like a predator tracking prey. I turned a corner and nearly collided with the wall, gasping for breath, tears stinging my eyes.“You can’t escape me, Elise!” he called, voice echoing, cruel, possessive. “I’ll find you, and when I do…”I shivered, knowing exactly what he meant, and fear twisted into anger. I hated him. I hated the way his presence made my blood boil, the way the bond pulled me closer against my will, the wa







