MasukAlina’s POVI didn’t leave my room for the rest of the day. Didn’t eat when someone knocked with food, didn’t respond when Maddox tried to coax me out for training, didn’t acknowledge Jaxon’s gruff “You okay in there?” through the door.Instead, I sat on my bed and thought about everything I’d overheard. Everything I’d learned about my place here in the past twenty-four hours.The Serpents didn’t want me. Not really. They tolerated me because their leaders had claimed me, but given the choice, most would happily ship me back to Hart or dump me in some remote location where I’d be someone else’s problem.The three men who’d sworn to protect me were too busy fighting each other to actually unite against the threats we faced. Jaxon wanted control through isolation. Maddox wanted connection through proximity. Ronan wanted strategic perfection through careful planning. And none of them could agree long enough to actually keep me safe.And I’d been fooling myself, thinking I’d found freedom
Ronan’s POVTwenty-three hours into the forty-eight-hour deadline, and the Nick situation had gone from complicated to absolutely fucked.“Run that by me again,” I said to Blade, staring at the financial records on my screen with growing unease.“The payments to Nick’s account came through a shell company,” Blade repeated. “Three layers deep, routed through offshore accounts. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look like he was being paid by Hart’s people.”“Meaning?”“Meaning either Nick is guilty and very sophisticated about hiding his tracks, or someone set him up and is very sophisticated about framing him.”I pulled up the phone records next. “And these calls?”“Spoofed. The numbers trace back to burner phones purchased with cash, used once, then destroyed. Whoever made those calls didn’t want to be identified.”“So we have financial evidence that might be fabricated and phone records that are essentially worthless,” I summarized. “What about the tracker? You said Nick ha
Alina’s POVThe silence was the worst part.I’d cried myself into exhaustion, my throat raw, my eyes swollen, my chest aching from the force of sobs that had torn through me like a storm. And when I finally stopped—when there were no more tears left, no more energy to sustain the breakdown—I waited.Waited for the knock on my door. For Jaxon’s gruff voice demanding I let him in. For Maddox’s gentle persuasion through the wood. For Ronan’s calm logic explaining why isolation wasn’t the answer.But nobody came.An hour passed. Then two. Then four.The compound settled into its nighttime rhythm around me—muffled conversations, footsteps in hallways, the distant sound of bikes in the garage. Life continuing like I hadn’t just shattered completely in front of the three men who claimed to love me.Maybe that was the problem. Maybe once you broke in front of people, showed them exactly how damaged you were, they realized you we
Alina's POVAll three of them exchanged glances.“Honestly?” Ronan said. “I think the evidence is compelling but not conclusive. I think there’s a chance he’s being framed, but also a chance he’s just a good liar. We’ll know more after forty-eight hours of investigation.”“And if he’s guilty?” I pressed.“Then he dies,” Jaxon said simply. “And you’ll have to accept that, Alina. You can’t save everyone. Sometimes people need to face consequences for their choices.”“I know,” I whispered. “But not before we’re sure. That’s all I’m asking. Certainty before execution.”“Fair enough,” Maddox said. “But you should know—Tommy’s not wrong about everything. People are getting hurt because of you. Not your fault, not your intention, but it’s happening. And some people are going to blame you for that no matter how logical or fair or just you try to be.”“I can live with that,” I said, even though I wasn’t entirely sure I could.
Alina's POVTommy stood at the center of the room, his expression serious, while several other Serpents including Ghost and Viper surrounded a man I recognized as Nick. He was a lower-ranking member responsible for logistics. “What’s going on?” I asked, feeling a sense of dread.“We found our leak,” Tommy said, his voice cold. “Nick here has been feeding information to Hart’s people. Bank records show payments, phone records show calls to known associates. He’s the one who planted your tracker, who told the Vultures where to find your car, who…”“No!” Nick interrupted desperately. “I swear, I didn’t—someone’s setting me up! Tommy, you know me, we worked together, I would never….”“The evidence is clear,” Tommy said flatly. “You betrayed us. Betrayed her.” He nodded toward me. “For what? Money? Some promise of protection?”“I didn’t do it!” Nick was crying now, hands bound behind him, looking terrified and trapped. “Please, you have to believe me. Someone’s f
We walked back inside together, my muscles aching in that satisfying way that said I’d actually worked. Patricia was waiting, ready to resume the torture of trial preparation, but I felt more centered now. More capable.Less like a victim and more like someone who could fight back.Two Days LaterI was reviewing deposition transcripts in the war room when I heard raised voices from Ronan’s office. Normally I’d ignore it—the Serpents argued constantly about operations and strategy—but something about the tone made me pause.“….can’t believe they got that close,” Ronan was saying, his voice trembling with anger.“She’s supposed to be safe here. That’s the whole goddamn point.”“We’re working on it,” Blade replied. “But the Vultures are getting desperate. They’re throwing everything at us trying to….”“Trying to get to Alina’s friend,” Ronan finished. “Trying to use Chloe as leverage. And they almost succeeded. Do you understand what that means? If they’d grabbed







