ETHAN ~ I lay there, flat on my back, staring up at the wooden beams of the ceiling, every muscle in my body screaming at me to rest. But I couldn’t—not with her breathing so softly beside me, like nothing had happened. Camila. I turned my head slightly, careful not to jolt the bed, and watched her face. She was curled on her side, lashes pressed against her cheeks, hair spilling across the pillow. Peaceful. Too peaceful. It made my chest ache in a way I couldn’t describe. She’d been through a lot, and somehow she still found a way to sleep. I let my gaze linger on her face. I couldn’t believe it—Maria. That stubborn little red-haired brat actually helped the bastards into our pack. I should’ve ripped her throat out the second I saw that hunger in her eyes, that obsession she thought she could disguise. She wanted me, and she thought she could get me by taking Camila out of the picture. The one person I couldn’t stand losing. My sweet little angel. I clenched my jaw and force
I jerked back, smacking his hand with a sharp slap. My face went hot immediately. “Are you insane? You can barely sit properly!” He winced, but not from the slap. His grin was shameless, the kind of boyish grin that almost made me forgive him. “I’m fine.” “You’re not fine!” I shot back, glaring even though my cheeks burned. He tilted his head, giving me that wounded-puppy look. “But I miss you.” The words came out like a whine, half-playful but laced with want. I groaned, rubbing my forehead with both hands. “Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. I can’t believe I spent the whole night worried sick over your horny ass.” That broke him. He laughed. Loud, unrestrained, the kind of laugh that rumbled out of his chest and shook his shoulders even though it clearly hurt his side. I couldn’t hold the glare. The corners of my lips twitched, then cracked, and before I knew it, I was laughing right along with him. We laughed so hard our eyes watered. Every time we tried to stop, one of
That night was the longest night of my life. I sat by Ethan’s side, not moving, not even daring to blink for too long. His skin burned like fire under my palm, his whole body trapped in a fever. The healer had left herbs and strange-smelling pastes, had reassured me it was “normal” for the body to purge heat after so much blood loss, but none of her words made me feel better. Every minute that passed felt like a thread pulling tighter around my throat. He tossed and turned, his breathing shallow, sweat slicking his forehead. I wiped it again and again with the damp cloth Lyra had left me. It felt like nothing helped. Nothing at all! If only there was something I could do. My heart clenched each time he groaned, each time he whispered something I couldn’t quite catch. Sometimes I thought he was calling my name. Sometimes I thought it was his pack. Sometimes it was just a low, broken sound that made me want to scream. I didn’t sleep. Not a wink. My body ached, my eyes stung,
For a moment, I thought my father was going to push me aside and lay his hands on Ethan himself. His posture shifted, his jaw locked, like he was deciding between pride and something softer. But then, instead of reaching for Ethan, he let out a sharp sigh, one that seemed to rattle through his chest like stones grinding together. “Bring the healer!” he barked over his shoulder. The guards jumped. None of them hesitated. Two of them sprinted toward the far end of the hall while the others lingered, their eyes darting uneasily between me, Ethan bleeding in my arms, and the Alpha standing like a storm barely contained. I didn’t care about them. My whole world had narrowed to the boy lying limp against me, his skin pale, lips cracked, blood soaking through the torn fabric I’d tried so desperately to bind him with. “Ethan,” I whispered again, brushing damp hair back from his forehead. His skin was clammy, hot and cold at once. I hated how weak his breathing sounded, how it rattled fai
I was about to stand, about to thank Lyra for the brief moment of calm, when something caught my attention. A distant rumble. Then, the unmistakable sound of shouting. It didn’t take long for the noise to grow, escalating into a full-blown commotion. My heart skipped a beat as I straightened, eyes scanning the courtyard. Lyra’s expression shifted immediately from calm to tense. “We need to go inside,” she urged, her voice urgent, her body already moving toward the door. “It’s likely we’re under attack. It’s happening again.” I didn’t even question her. Panic had already started curling in my gut. My first instinct was to follow Lyra but as she moved toward the door, something—or rather, someone—caught my eye. I froze. At first, I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing. I’d thought the shadows were playing tricks on me, but the sight wasn’t a trick—it was Ethan. His form was unmistakable. But what made me freeze was the sight of him surrounded by guards, his back arched like a
I waited. That’s literally all I could do—just sit there and count the seconds like some prisoner in a fairytale tower. I’d already tried pacing, already tried lying down, already tried staring at the ceiling until the cracks in the stone started looking like faces. None of it helped. So I just stuck to waiting. One hundred seconds. Five hundred. I lost track somewhere after a thousand. The sun shifted through the slit of a window, telling me it was later now—afternoon, maybe. My stomach grumbled in agreement, like it was keeping time too. Finally, a knock. Light, almost musical. My head snapped toward the door. “It’s me,” a voice chimed softly. Lyra. I swear I almost leapt to my feet. The door opened, and she stepped in, balancing a tray. Steam curled up from the dishes, carrying a sweet, earthy smell that made my stomach groan louder. I felt a little embarrassed, but she only smiled, like she’d been expecting it. “You kept your word,” she said warmly, setting the tray on