Eva’s POVI had followed Diana through the crowd, my shoes clicking desperately against the marble floor.Up ahead, Kael’s broad figure stormed into the night, Diana trailing after him, small and uncertain in his shadow.“Diana! Wait!” I called.But my voice vanished into the darkness.She didn’t hear me.I hurried, dodging through the last of the guests, just as I reached the edge of the garden hedge.Kael’s voice cut through the night like a blade.It stopped me cold.Now I stood at the edge of the garden path, frozen behind a rose bush, watching the scene unfold like a nightmare.His words were vicious. Cruel. Sharpened to wound. He hurled them at her over and over like crashing waves.“Don’t flatter yourself, girl. I don’t deal with desperate mortals. Try someone else.” He growled.Diana stood frozen in the moonlight. Her face was pale, her lips trembling.My breath caught. Why is he saying this?I wanted to scream. To stop him. But I didn’t move.Kael was our alpha, powerful, unp
Writer’s POVAbigail stood stiffly beside the marble fountain, her manicured nails tapping the side of her crystal goblet. The party buzzed around her, sparkling gowns, whispered alliances, but she heard none of it.Her lips parted in disbelief, trying to process what had just happened.One second, Diana had been teetering on those ridiculous heels, and the next, someone had swept in like a storybook prince and ruined everything.But who?Which of the twins saved her?The question burned.Diana was supposed to be humiliated, not rescued. Not honored. Not… elevated.Abigail’s sharp eyes scanned the crowd, rewinding the scene in her mind like a shattered mirror trying to reassemble itself. Brown hair. Strong jaw.Kael?No, he’d been on the far side of the hall. She was certain of it.Which meant…“Kelvin,” she hissed, her voice acid-slick.Fury bloomed beneath her ribs, tightening her chest like a storm held in check, just barely. The humiliation she’d so carefully orchestrated had slip
Kelvin’s POVFrom the high window of my room, tucked within the towering walls of the estate, I watched her.Diana.She stepped from the white limo like a dream given flesh. Moonlight spilled across her blonde curls, turning them to liquid silver. Her dress shimmered with every step, catching starlight like it was made from constellations. She moved with the grace of someone trying not to be seen, but to me, she was the only thing that existed.Her friend followed closely, but I barely registered her. Every movement Diana made was poetry, even in her nerves.I pressed my palm against the glass. Cold. Unlike the heat pounding in my chest. My heart was a wild, caged thing, slamming against my ribs.There were a thousand feet and a dozen walls between us.But I had never felt closer.My heart gave a slow, painful thud.I’d tried. God knew I’d tried. Tried to stay away, to obey, to forget what I shouldn’t feel, but I just can't.Then I saw them.Abigail and Vicky. Two vampires from the Ac
Diana’s POVI didn’t expect the second convoy.The first one for the invitation had already stirred something wild in my stomach: unease, awe, confusion. But this?My heart thundered like a war drum, each beat echoing through my ribcage. Why would Lord Draven send this many cars… just for me?It felt like a message. One that screamed to the world: She matters.The tattooed man waited patiently, his posture rigid, chin lifted like a statue carved from command. His eyes didn’t blink.“We are running late, Miss Diana,” he said, his voice sharp as glass.“I’m not going alone,” I told him, steadying my voice. “My friend’s coming too.”His eyes flicked to Eva. “That’s acceptable.”Just like that.He didn’t ask her name. Didn’t check a list. Just turned and opened the limo door as if Eva had always been expected too.Eva and I exchanged a glance, surprise flickering with suspicion. From the front steps, my mother emerged, arms hugged tight around herself against the summer night’s breath. T
Kelvin’s POVThe knock was soft. Hesitant.That alone made my stomach turn.My father never knocked like that. And he was never hesitant.I stood in front of the mirror, my shoulders tight, smoothing wax through my hair. “Come in, Dad.”The heavy oak door creaked as it opened.I didn’t turn.I was adjusting my tie now, watching him through the mirror. He looked immaculate, pressed black coat, silver embroidery gleaming at the cuffs like threads of frost.“I know how you feel about her,” he said.I blinked. The air grew thin.“About who?”His eyes narrowed. Cold. Calculating. “Diana. Don’t insult me by pretending I can’t see it.”My stomach twisted. I turned to face him. “Dad… why are you here?”He raised a hand, silencing me. “It doesn’t matter why I’m here. What matters is that tonight, you’ll keep your feelings to yourself. No outbursts. No scenes. She’s being introduced to the Council… as Kael’s mate.”My breath hitched. “What? You can’t be serious. You’re really going through with
Diana’s POVThe final bell rang, and the walls of Ashmoor Academy finally released me from their suffocating grip.The day had dragged on.Each tick of the clock was a needle sliding beneath my skin.The stares hadn’t stopped. Neither had the whispers.My skin still prickled from them. I wasn’t sure if the heat was from the sun or from the way people looked at me now.My backpack dug into my shoulder, unbearably heavy. Like it carried not just books, but every word I wanted to scream.I walked toward the school gates, feeling the sting of gravel beneath my sneakers. I had come with Eva that morning, but I’d refused her offer to drive me home.I just wanted distance, from the Academy, from Eva, from whatever was happening beneath the surface of Ashmoor.So I had to walk home.And now, with the sun scorching my back, and sweat dampening my hairline, trickling down my spine like unwelcome fingers, I was beginning to regret it.A familiar hum of an engine stopped me.Eva’s sleek black car