CHAPTER 16Nova Sterling Point Of View“Let’s break the door open.” Kieran runs towards the closed door and pushes it with all his strength; his golden eyes widen with urgency.He slams it three times before his legs weaken. His knees hit the concrete with a sick crack. Blood popped out of his nose as he collapsed sideways, still reaching for me. Vaughn trips back into a table. His tech hand shook with blue sparks. His other hand grabs his neck. We look at each other - his eyes look scared - before he slides down the wall, leaving blood on it.The figure stands in the doorway and laughs, rumbling like thunder and shaking the room.I look up; it's Kieran's father. Behind him, the hallway is filled with people. Alpha heirs, wearing expensive shirts, standing beside their mothers. They breathe heavily and widen their dark eyes.He steps toward me as the dirt crunches under his boots. I press deeper into the hole, but there’s nowhere left to go. His shadow appears in front of me. Then h
CHAPTER 15Nova Sterling Point Of View“Your mother's research work is stored in Kingsley Lab 7.” Callan's rough fingers press the keycard into my hand. His touch lingers, warm and familiar. The plastic feels like fire against my skin. I force a smile just as Kieran's shadow covers us. “Talking secrets?” Kieran narrows his golden eyes, fixing them on us. His voice is low but harsh. He snatches me out of Callens's arms.Before I can answer, Vaughn walks by quickly as a flash. I slip the keycard into his back pocket. His tech veins flare blue in surprise, but he doesn't stop walking. Jace winks at me from across the ballroom. His long fingers dance with lock key extractors. “Need a thief, little storm?” His voice wraps around me, dark and sweet like stolen chocolate. The music sounds louder. Vaughn suddenly grabs my waist, spinning me away from Kieran. His breath is warm on my neck. “Midnight. Meet me at the east stairwell.” His lips brush my earlobe. Gideon cuts in, snatching me ou
CHAPTER 14Nova Sterling Point Of View“You will prepare and attend the gala. ”Kieran’s father slams his fist on the table, and the surface cracks under his strength. Wine glasses shake, spilling a red substance like blood. “You’d dance with the five Alphas, pick one and get married.”I squeeze my hands together under the table. Vaughn’s knees press against mine, warm and steady. His tech skin glows faintly blue under his black suit, a silent warning. “And if I refuse?” I ask.The Mercer Family Head smiles, slow and cruel. “Then we execute Gideon’s accomplices, rebels, and army, starting with Callan.”My heart stops, and a cold shiver runs down my spine as if hearing the name Callan pulls me back into something I've been trying to forget. Vaughn’s fingers tap against my thigh, quick and secret. “Play along.”Jace leans forward, his emerald eyes bright with mischief. “I will dance with Nova first, then Kieran can come after me.”Kieran grumbles, low and dangerous. His scars pulse bl
CHAPTER 13Nova Sterling Point Of View“Welcome to where choices die.” Callen drags me toward the first mirror. But inside this mirror, I am sixteen years old, standing under the oak tree with Kieran. While he is twenty years old, smiling at me.I lean towards the mirror to admire Kieran’s face. “No!” I pull back. Callen's rough fingers tighten around my hand. “Every mirror shows a life where you chose wrong,” he says, pushing me back into viewing the first glowing mirror.I gasped in fear and continued watching the Twenty-year-old Kieran standing under our oak tree, hands brushing my face. “When the stars look like this,” he breathes close to my lips, “you'll always find me.” He kissed me. Our first kiss tasted like summer rain and stolen meat.“That never happened.” My breath stuck in my throat, and the words escaped in a rush like I was about to cry.Callan's grip me tight. “It happened, not here, but in another life.”I approached Mirror Two and saw Vaughn sitting alone in a dark
CHAPTER 12Nova Sterling Point Of View“One more step, and I'll carve out that fake eye,” Kieran challenges the monster wearing my mother's face as he pushes me behind him.The monster licks its cracked lips, and the moonlight glows on her radiant eye. “Fight me with all you have, Kieran; My daughter comes with me,” the words come out heavy with threat.My heart pounds so hard everyone could hear it. Kieran's naked back muscles press against my chest, warm and solid. Shielding and protecting me. He smells like campfire smoke and that cedar shampoo I teased him about last week. “Stand down, Kieran,” Vaughn's voice cracks as he steps forward. My father's voice modulator controls Nova’s mother's voice. She’s one of my father's creations pretending to be Nova's Real Mom.”His fingers tremble near my wrist, jealously pulling me out of Kieran's grip. He sketches small circles on my hand, and my breath stumbles under the weight of his lingering contact. He notices. His eyes darken. Neither
CHAPTER 11Nova Sterling Point Of View“Look.” Vangh's lips brush my ear as he points to his chest. A fake tattoo stretches across his breast, reading “Property of Alpha House.” Which now peels off like old wallpaper. His real tattoo markings surface underneath. It’s a rebel symbol hidden all along, a secret no one knows.Sloane appears beside us, stretching her knife at Vaughn's throat. “You lying bastard.” Her wedding dress smells of burnt sugar- sharp and sweet. “How long have you been working for the rebels?”Vaughn doesn't blink. “Since they took Nova's mom.” He stands there, steady and cold, like he’s done nothing wrong.My chest tightens with wonder. I’m holding my breath without knowing why. “That was five years ago,” I whisper as tears roll down my cheek.Kieran's scars blaze to life as he recovers from the stone sickness. The lines on his skin connect into seven glowing dots, forming the Big Dipper - an ancient pattern of stars that forms the old constellation. It points to