LOGINThe amusement that had been lingering on my face vanished, replaced by a jolt of shock.I pushed myself to my feet.“Are you here to stay?”He smiled.That same fucking smile.The one that never reached his eyes. The one that carried nothing but malicious intent beneath its polished surface.“I never knew you were so good at reading the room, beautiful.”He slipped his hands into his pockets and began walking toward me.Slowly.Deliberately.Until he stopped right in front of me.My body screamed at me to disappear.To run.To get as far away from him as humanly possible.But fuck my luck.Fear was exactly what this bastard liked.The more of it I showed him, the more he enjoyed it.So I forced myself to remain where I was, refusing to give him the satisfaction.“Yes,” he said casually. “I’m here to stay.”One hand came out of his pocket and slid through his perfectly styled hair.Of course he was dressed impeccably.Expensive clothes. Perfectly tailored. Not a single strand of hair o
ElenaDad’s jaw clenched.It was barely noticeable beneath the paper-thin shred of self-restraint he possessed, but I knew him too well to miss it. The muscle ticked once, then again, the only warning that I was slowly grinding down the last of his patience.Tough bastard, he was.Unfortunately for him, I was his daughter.And I wasn’t about to fucking give up.“You can have it,” he finally muttered after a long, strained pause. “You can have anything you—”“And that family heirloom ring!” I cut in before he could finish. “I heard that’s the most expensive one.”Silence.I watched his jaw lock so visibly this time that I almost smiled.“That’s worth half a million, Elena,” Dad said slowly, his voice dropping into that dangerously patient tone fathers used when they were trying to knock some sense into their daughters. “Half a million.”“So what?”I rested my elbows on the table and propped my chin on my hands, looking at him with what I imagined was the most innocent expression I coul
Elena What happened after breakfast—I didn’t really need to say.Ashton had drawn every last bit of strength out of me, and Jax?He had joined him gladly.By the time I finally made my way downstairs, I could still feel the lingering aftermath of what had happened upstairs. I forced my legs to move normally, my expression carefully composed as I descended the staircase, putting on my best facade to make sure I didn’t look like a thoroughly fucked woman.Or, worse—smell like one.The thought alone made heat crawl up my neck.Imagine being a virgin and somehow smelling like everything related to sex.Absolutely humiliating.Thankfully, Ashton and Jax had gone downstairs a while ago, giving me enough time to pull myself together—or at least pretend that I had.I entered the dining room expecting the usual scene.Instead, I stopped dead.Mom was there.Actually there.Sitting at the breakfast table as if nothing unusual had happened, calmly having her breakfast with the same strange ski
ElenaAshton woke me up with gentle kisses. I hummed in my sleep, my hands slipped into his hair as he peppered my face with kisses—my lips, my nose, my eyes, my cheeks, and every inch left within his reach.If any other man in this world except for these two had done this to me whilst I was in such a deep sleep, I would have killed them. I swear—I would have. But instead, this time, I felt a smile tug at my lips before I pulled him closer, "Good morning," I mumbled somewhere in between his vicious kisses."Good morning, Princess," he murmured as he descended kisses down my neck, and somewhere in the process, the lightheartedness of the situation faded and the smile I had on my face vanished as a soft moan climbed its way up my throat.Fuck.I bit my lip, stopping myself.A shiver ran down my spine, goosebumps appeared on my skin.I was already sensitive enough.If he pushed slightly more, then—Just when I'd thought he wouldn't, he grazed his teeth against my neck, kissing the spot r
Elena“It’d been so many years since Mom and I had talked like this,” I sighed, my voice quieter now, as if even saying it out loud made me realize just how much time had been stolen from us, “And I just realized, a lot of the things—we both could have avoided them. A lot of the distance between us wouldn’t have been created in the first place if we had both just let go of the ideas we had of each other.”“So guilt,” Ashton concluded the whole situation as quickly as ever, his eyes staying on me as though he had already pieced together everything I had been struggling to put into words, “That’s what’s been eating you up this whole time.”Another sigh slipped past my lips, heavier this time, and I looked at both of them, my fingers fumbling together in my lap because I didn’t know what else to do with all the emotions suddenly sitting so heavily inside me, “I know I shouldn’t feel guilty,” I admitted, my throat tightening around the words, “But I just can’t help it. All these years—I s
I laid my head against Ashton’s chest, my eyes fixed on the ceiling, unblinking.I had been staring at the same spot for so long that I could probably have memorized every tiny imperfection in the paint, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away. My mind was somewhere else entirely—running in circles, replaying conversations, picking apart words, expressions, silences. Every thought seemed to lead to another, and every answer only seemed to create another question.Jax’s fingers moved slowly through my hair, combing through the strands with an absentminded tenderness. His other hand rested against the side of my waist, drawing small, lazy circles over the fabric of my clothes.Neither of them had said much for the past hour.And somehow, that silence had been exactly what I needed.It had been a little over an hour since we had settled like this, tangled together on the bed. An hour of nothing but warmth, steady breathing, and the occasional soft touch.I didn’t know how Ashton’s arm h
Elena I was trapped between two Alphas in the pool, their bodies pressed tight against mine, hands on me, their scents—dark cedar, sandalwood, and something uniquely male and powerful—filling the air until it was thick enough to taste. I could feel it—as if I could dart my tongue out and I’d ta
ElenaThe thought was exciting. I’d admit that.Two Alphas—both devastatingly handsome, bodies carved by power, scents thick enough to make you want to sin and beg forgiveness later.“It’s not happening, Princess,” Ashton said flatly. “Forget it.”He turned to walk away.I caught his hand, gripping
ElenaI stood on the rooftop, staring down at the borders.Guards patrolled in relentless formation, eyes sharp, movements precise. No lazy pauses. No fifteen-minute breaks. Every shift was replaced seamlessly by another team.Fuck.There was no escaping the borders anymore.I swept my gaze north,
ElenaI ran.Bare feet slapped against the rough earth, every stride slicing my skin open a little more. The ground was cold, cruel, and unyielding. My lungs burned; my heart felt like it was about to rupture. My wolf wanted to shift back—she was done, exhausted—but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not wh







