Irene's POVI was humming as I walked into our pack’s mansion, the sound of my heels clicking against the marble floor echoing like music to my ears. For once, I was in a good mood—a dangerously good mood, the kind that made everyone around me take a few steps back because they didn’t know whether to smile with me or run for cover. The maids scurried to the sides as I breezed past, their eyes darting to the ridiculous grin plastered on my face. Let them whisper. Let them wonder. For once, I didn’t care.Today, I felt like I was in control.I barely paused to catch my breath when I reached the second floor. Without knocking, I threw open the heavy wooden door to my father’s study. “Father!” I called out, my voice dripping with the kind of fake sweetness that I knew annoyed him. “You wouldn’t believe the day I had—”I stopped short when I saw him sitting behind his massive oak desk, arms crossed, a storm brewing in his dark, calculating eyes. Oh. He wasn’t smiling. Not
Lisa's POVI don’t think I have ever run that fast in my life. My heart was practically sprinting ahead of me as I bolted down the hallway, my boots pounding against the wooden floorboards. What the hell had I just done? I didn’t even give myself a second to process it; my body moved on pure instinct, like I had just committed a crime and the entire pack was out to arrest me.I kissed Ash.Oh, God. I kissed him.Not just a brush of lips either. No, I had stood there like some deranged idiot, leaning into him, heart hammering as if I was desperate to breathe the same air he did. For a split second, his wolf stirred and I felt something warm and dangerous in his energy, and I… I had liked it.I practically crashed into my room, slammed the door shut, and leaned my back against it like I could hold off the embarrassment clawing at me. I dragged my fingers through my hair, yanking at the strands as though pain could erase the memory. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!” I hisse
Beta Ash's POVI didn’t waste any time reporting to Enzo. It wasn’t just my duty as Beta; it was the only way to keep Irene from spinning her own version of events. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Irene thrives on twisting truths into daggers.By the time I walked into Enzo’s study, I had already replayed the horse race and that damned kiss in my head a hundred times. I hated every second of it. Not because it embarrassed me—hell, I’ve been embarrassed in worse ways—but because it left me with this weird taste in my mouth. A mixture of annoyance, guilt, and… something I couldn’t even name.Enzo was leaning over his desk, going through maps and reports when I stepped in. He didn’t even look up when I cleared my throat.“Talk,” he said simply, like I was another report waiting to be filed.“Irene,” I started, tossing the words out like they were poison, “is back. And she’s already making a scene.”That made him look up. “What did she do this time?”
Beta Ash’s POVThe sun wasn’t harsh today, and the wind had just the right kind of bite to keep my thoughts from spiraling. I didn’t come to the stables often unless it was for training or calming my wolf after a mission, but today? I came to breathe. To think. To not think.After what happened earlier in my room, I needed this.The stable boys had already prepped the horses for morning exercises, and I picked mine without much thought. A big, dark gelding with attitude. Perfect match.“Let’s ride, brute,” I muttered as I mounted.The stable yard was empty enough for me to race without spectators. Good. I didn’t feel like dodging curious glances or hearing whispered theories about the Beta going soft or spiraling from stress.I tightened my grip and kicked off.The horse took off like it had been dying to stretch its legs. The rhythm of hooves pounding the earth, the wind howling in my ears, the sharp sting of cool air — it helped. It always helped.F
Beta Ash's povSteam clouded the mirror in front of me, fogging my reflection as I ran a towel through my hair. The water still clung to my skin, cooling rapidly in the room’s natural air. It should’ve been just another quick shower, something to wash off the day. But the moment I stepped out, her scent hit me like a damn freight train.I froze.That scent.Sweet. Warm. Subtle vanilla with a hint of earth—like wildflowers and fresh wind after rain.My wolf stirred beneath my skin instantly.She’s here.Lisa.I didn’t need anyone to tell me that.I had memorized every note of her scent that night in the club. The night she touched me—kissed me—like her lips had nowhere else to belong. She hadn’t recognized me since then, which I found ironic considering how unforgettable that night was for me.But she hadn't remembered. Or maybe she did and chose silence.I didn’t know which would piss me off more.I rolled my shoulders, trying to ease
Lisa's POVI don't know what possessed me to volunteer myself as the official bearer of peace tea.Maybe it was guilt.Or maybe it was the image of Beta Ash standing there in the kitchen, soaked and blinking like he’d just been baptized by accident. Either way, I couldn’t shake the mortification from my head all afternoon, and Calla wasn’t helping with her constant snickers and subtle splashes of water near me every now and then.So when I found out where Ash’s room was—no thanks to Calla announcing it with a devilish smirk—I decided it was time for damage control.The hallway leading to his quarters was quiet. Too quiet. I paused for a moment in front of his door, tray in hand, debating whether I should knock or just leave the tea like a silent offering and run away. I even rehearsed my line: “Hey, sorry for trying to drown you. Here’s tea. Please don’t exile me.”Pathetic.But I wasn’t exactly queen of confidence these days.I gave the door a soft k