MasukKali's POV I froze on the bed, my heart slamming against my ribs as Kora’s words hung in the air like poison. “Fellow freak show.” The insult landed exactly where she intended, sharp and familiar. My hands tightened in the fabric of my dress, knuckles turning white. Celine, however, didn’t flinch. She simply tilted her head, her silver bob swinging slightly as she regarded Kora with cool amusement.Kora stepped further into the room, her eyes raking over both of us with clear disdain. She looked perfectly put-together despite the knife wound from earlier — bandaged, no doubt, but she moved as if the injury was nothing more than an inconvenience. Her lips curled into a mocking smile.“Look at you two,” she continued, crossing her arms. “Quite the pair. Tell me, Kali, does Emmett know you’re entertaining visitors without his permission?"Celine let out a soft laugh, completely unbothered. “Who the hell is this viper?" she shot back.Kora scoffed. "Your future Luna, that's who."Kora’s
Kali's POV I sat on the edge of my bed, knees drawn up to my chest, staring blankly out the window at the sprawling grounds of Emmett's mansion. The afternoon light filtered through the heavy curtains, casting long golden stripes across the floor, but I barely noticed. My mind kept replaying the scene in Emmett’s study over and over like a fever dream I couldn’t wake from. I could still remember, rather vividly, the way his hands felt on me, his mouth, the way his fingers had teased me right to the edge and the way he felt inside me. Between my legs, a persistent, warm buzz hummed every time the memory surfaced. My thighs pressed together instinctively, and a flush crept up my neck. I wasn’t even sure how I felt about it. Scared? Excited? Guilty? All of those emotions tangled together into something confusing and overwhelming. Emmett hated me, never even said a kind words to me. But he had been something else entirely that day in his study. He had been hungry and fierce and comple
Zara's POV “What the hell is going on, Isaac?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, when he didn't answer right away.Isaac didn’t answer immediately. He was definitely stalling or maybe trying to cook up something to tell me He just… looked at me.Or rather, through me and for a split second, something flickered in his eyes. Not guilt exactly. Not fear either. Something quieter. Something that seemed more like nonchalance.“Zara...”“No,” I cut in, shaking my head. “Don’t ‘Zara’ me. Just answer the question.” I said folding my hand over my chest. He exhaled slowly, and his gaze dropped briefly to the floor before returning to mine.“There is nothing going on,” he said finally.I frowned. “Now that's a lie. I overhead Ben. You bought were clearly fighting over something big. So don't tell me nothing."“It is not a lie,” he replied, a little firmer now.“It is not the truth,” I shot back.A muscle ticked in his jaw.Silence crept in again, stretching for a few seconds.“Why wo
Zara's POV By the time I reached my car, the shock had burned away into pure, white hot anger. How dare Rosa think she could bribe me with money? Like a few zeros on a check could make walk away from the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. How could she even try to play with my life and her son's like that?I might not be filthy rich like Rosa and her family, but I sure as hell wasn’t for sale. I slammed the door shut, jammed the key into the ignition, and brought the engine roaring to life.I drove straight to Isaac’s office, knuckles white on the wheel from holding it too tightly and replaying Rosa’s smug little speech in my head the entire way. By the time I killed the engine in the parking lot, the anger had cooled into something less furious, determination laced with a strange, hollow calm feeling settled in my chest. I glanced up at the sleek glass and steel building and realized I had never actually been here before. Isaac worked at his father’s company, the on
Zara’s P.O.VI drove to Emmet’s mansion in silence, the conversation with Lilith replaying endlessly in my head. I knew the drugs wouldn’t sustain his life forever, but I needed them to buy a little time, just enough to find the Shadow Wolf, get his blood, and relieve Ike of this relentless misery. Watching him suffer through this illness alone tore at my heart. I couldn’t bear to see him in pain. I knew Ike and I were never getting back together, but it would be selfish of me to abandon him when he needed me most.But what about Isaac? He needs me too. He doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t deserve to be loyal to someone who doesn’t love him.I tried to silence the thought, but it rang louder with every beat of my heart. I needed to step away from Ike, at least emotionally, because being near him made it impossible not to want him, to crave his touch, his warmth. The moment I secured the Shadow Wolf’s blood, the ultimate cure for Ike’s illness, then I would walk away from whatever thi
Zara’s POVI heard the screeching sound of the old, beat-up Bentley pull into the driveway.I hopped off my bed immediately, slipping my feet into my slippers as I wrapped my nightgown more securely around my slim frame, the fabric brushing softly against my skin as I moved.I hurried to the front of the manor just in time to catch Ike and Emmett stepping out of the car, the engine ticking faintly behind them as it settled. The headlights dimmed, casting long shadows across the driveway.“How is she?” I asked, my tone carefully measured, feigning concern as my gaze flickered briefly between them.Ike’s eyes found mine instantly. “Like you care,” he said, rolling his eyes, but there was no real weight behind it as he closed the distance between us.Emmett, on the other hand, pushed his fingers through his hair, his movements slow and distracted. He gave me a brief nod in acknowledgment as he passed by me and headed into the manor without a word.I watched him for a second before turning bac
Ike's POV I trudged through the hall, struggling to keep myself from giving in to the pain.Each step sent a sharp protest up my leg, through my ribs, and straight into my skull. Blood soaked my shirt, warm and slick, clinging to my skin. The world narrowed to the sound of my own breathing, which
Zara's POV "I am not leaving!" Ike glanced up at me, a deadpanned look on his face. "We have to leave. For now." "I am not running away and leaving Ko... Kali here with these snakes! Who knows what they would do to here!" "We are not running away. We will definitely come back for her, but
Kali's POV I wish I could disappear. Go back to Aiden's warm cottage and listen to Cecil. I wish I were Cecil. She was brave and fearless. She was brave enough to burn down the house that caused her so much pain. I wish I could do the same. Burn this house down along with the people that eve
Zara's POV "Are you crazy?" The words left my lips before I even had the time to stop it I whipped my head around, staring at Ike and waiting fo him to back me up. Ike's face darkened, his hands clenched into fists on top of the table. My head spun back at Maduro. "No! We came here with K







