로그인Draven's POVI followed Josh to his room, my jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth might crack. Kael walked beside me, his expression unreadable, but I could feel the tension rolling off him.Josh's face was twisted in a hard frown, his shoulders stiff as he pushed open the door to his room. He didn't say a word as we stepped inside, and the silence was suffocating.When the door closed behind us, Josh turned to face us, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes burned with a quiet fury that made my wolf stir uneasily."Why," he said, his voice low, "is my daughter's life in danger?"I exchanged a glance with Kael. We both knew this conversation was coming, but that didn't make it any easier.Kael spoke first. "There's been a situation—""Don't," Josh said sharply. "Don't you dare give me a watered-down version of whatever the hell is going on. I want the truth. All of it."I let out a slow breath and stepped forward. "We suspect Rowan has a spy in here," I said. "And he's the reas
Kael's POV I watched Lyra as she sniffed, her entire body trembling. Tears streamed down her face, leaving wet tracks on her pale cheeks. Her hands clutched the sheets so tightly her knuckles turned white."Say something?" I repeated Draven's question, my voice calm but firm. "Who gave you no choice, Lyra?"She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her lips trembled, and more tears spilled over."Answer him," Draven growled from behind me. I could feel his hot and dangerous rage radiating through the room."I can't," Lyra whispered, her voice barely audible. "I can't speak. My daughter—she's in danger. I'm being watched.""By who?" I demanded."I don't know," she sobbed, shaking her head frantically. "But they're watching me. They said if I told anyone, if I said anything, they would kill her. They would make me watch."Draven let out a feral growl, his body tensing. I felt his wolf surge to the surface, could see his claws starting to extend."That's not good enough," Draven sna
Draven's POVThe punch landed square on my jaw, and the pain barely registered before rage flooded through me. I snarled, my fist flying forward and connecting with Luca's face with a satisfying crack."You fucking bastard," I growled, ready to lunge at him again.Kael grabbed me, his hands gripping my shoulders as he forced himself between us. "Draven, stop!""Get off me!" I roared, trying to shove him away. "He's defending a traitor! She almost killed Elara, and he's choosing her over us!""She's my mate!" Luca shouted back, his face twisted with anguish."I don't give a fuck!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the hall. "She poisoned our mate! She nearly killed her! And you're standing here defending her like she's some innocent victim!""You think I don't know that?" Luca's voice cracked, his eyes wild. "You think this is easy for me?""Then act like it!" I spat, my chest heaving. "You're one of the highest ranking lycans in this realm, Luca. You're supposed to stand with us. Wit
Luca's POV I stepped out of the dungeon, my chest tight, my hands trembling as I walked towards the mansion doors. Every step felt heavier than the last, like the weight of what I'd just done was crushing me from the inside out.I rejected her.My mate.The words echoed in my head, over and over again, like a twisted mantra I couldn't escape. I'd rejected Lyra. The woman whose smile used to light up my entire day. The woman who made me feel things I never thought I was capable of feeling.And now she was hanging in chains, bleeding and broken because of what she'd done.But she had a daughter.A daughter she'd been protecting. A daughter she'd kept hidden because she thought I wouldn't want her anymore if I knew.Goddess, how wrong she was.I pressed my hand against the wall, trying to steady myself. My wolf was thrashing inside me, clawing at my insides, howling in agony. He didn't want this. He didn't want to reject her. But what choice did I have?She poisoned the queen. She near
Lyra's POV The whip cracked against my back again, and I screamed until my throat was raw.Twenty lashes. Twenty brutal, agonizing strikes that tore through my skin.I couldn't stop crying. Not just because of the pain, though the pain was unbearable. Not just because my back felt like it had been shredded to ribbons.But because of what I had done. Elara.Sweet, kind Elara, who treated me like a friend instead of a servant. Who gave me my own room when I should have been sleeping in the servants' quarters. Who laughed with me, confided in me, trusted me.And I had poisoned her.The whip struck again, and I sobbed harder, my body convulsing with each blow.I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. I would never have hurt her.But they had my daughter. My baby girl.I could still see the picture in my mind. Her tiny body tied up, her mouth gagged, her eyes wide with terror.They said they would kill her if I didn't do it.What was I supposed to do? The final lash came down, and I screamed
Kael's POVI knew something was going to happen. I didn't know when. I didn't know how. But I felt it in my bones, in the way my wolf had been restless for days, pacing and snarling inside my head.It was why I'd been so hard on Elara. Why I'd pushed her to train harder, to control her emotions, to prepare herself for what was coming.But not in a thousand years did I think Lyra would do something like this.Elara's own personal maid. The woman she treated like a friend. The woman she trusted with her life. No matter how careful we were, we always had that one person we trusted. It made me so grateful for my twin.My chest tightened as I stared at her, my hands trembling with rage at the betrayal."It was me," Lyra whispered again, her voice breaking. "I did it."Luca went cold beside me.The warmth in his eyes, the protectiveness that had been there moments ago, vanished completely. He should respond that way. Elara was our queen and he knew Lyra would never be let off easily.He did
Elara's POV "Stay with you?" I repeated, my voice wavering slightly.The idea was both terrifying and tempting. Being around them constantly, in their space, where I'd be surrounded by their scent and their presence was something I would very much love. Staying with Clara meant putting her in dang
Kael's POVWe both froze like statues as the knocking continued, cutting off the warm pleasure I'd been sinking into. I cursed under my breath and glanced up at Draven, who was still watching us with an entertained smirk curling at the edge of his mouth. The bastard pulled out his earphones, clearl
Elara's POV The word "no" shot out of me before I could even think twice, and both of them stared at me with such identical expressions of surprise that I almost laughed despite myself. "Ashamed of us?" Kael asked, his icy blue eyes not leaving my face. There was no anger in it, just a look of wo
Elara's POV I panicked immediately, jerking my hand away from Draven's and scrambling to wipe my face. There was already a lot of drama going on at the office because of me, I didn't want to further complicate things, but I guess all that worry faded away the moment I saw who walked in. "Whew,







