LOGINThe water still clung to her skin long after she stepped out of the pool.Mia could feel it—cool droplets tracing slow paths down her neck, slipping past her collarbone, disappearing beneath the thin fabric of her singlet. But it wasn’t the water that made her pulse uneven.It was him.Zade hadn’t moved.Not even an inch.He stood a few feet away, arms relaxed at his sides, but there was nothing relaxed about him. His eyes were locked on her—not casually, not accidentally—but with a focus so intense it felt like pressure against her skin.Mia swallowed.“Why are you looking at me like that?”Her voice came out softer than she intended.Zade didn’t answer immediately. His gaze flickered—just once—down her body, then back up to her face. That small movement alone made her breath hitch.“You walked out like you didn’t know I was here,” he finally said, voice low.“I didn’t,” she replied quickly, though even she could hear the weakness in it.A corner of his mouth lifted—not quite a smile
The door didn’t open immediately.Zade stood there, hand still on the handle, like something on the other side was thinking about letting him in… or deciding not to.Mia felt it too.That quiet.Not normal quiet. Not night silence. This one felt… aware.“Zade…” she whispered.“I know.”He pushed the door.It creaked open slowly.Inside, the room was dark—but not empty.The window was open. Curtains moving with the wind. The air smelled wrong… like damp earth and something metallic underneath.Zade stepped in first.Mia followed, slower.“Stay behind me,” he muttered.“I’m not a child.”“Tonight, you are.”She didn’t argue.That alone told him something was off.The room looked untouched at first glance. Bed neatly made. Table in place. Nothing broken.But—Zade’s eyes shifted.The floor.Barely visible… but there.Marks.Not footprints.Claw marks.Dragging across the wooden floor like something heavy had been pulled… or something had resisted.Mia saw it too.Her breath caught.“…Tha
The moment we stepped out of the hospital, the air felt… wrong. Too still. Too quiet. Like everything was holding its breath. Lucian didn’t slow down. One arm steady around Mira, the other slightly out like he was ready for anything. Arin stayed close to me this time. Closer than usual. That alone told me he felt it too. “Where are we going?” he asked quietly. “Main gate,” Lucian answered. No hesitation. No second guessing. Straight out of Ironhaven. My grip tightened slightly around Arin’s hand. Something in my chest wouldn’t settle. “You feel it too, don’t you?” I said under my breath. Lucian didn’t look at me. “Yes.” That was enough. We kept walking. Fast. Purposeful. The guards we passed stepped aside immediately. No one stopped us. That should’ve made me feel better. It didn’t. If anything… it made it worse. Too easy. Way too easy. Mira shifted slightly. “Why does it feel like we’re sneaking out?” she muttered. “We’re not sneaking,” I said. “Feels
IVY POVThe room felt different after Lucian walked back in.I didn’t ask what happened outside.I didn’t need to.I could see it in his face.Calm… but not relaxed. Like he was holding something down beneath the surface. Something he didn’t want spilling into the room with the kids.That alone told me everything.Time was up.“We’re leaving,” he said quietly.No hesitation.No looking at me for approval.Just a decision.And for once… I didn’t argue.Mira shifted slightly on the bed, wincing as she tried to sit up straighter.“Now?” she asked.“Yes,” I answered before Lucian could. “As soon as the healers clear you.”Arin frowned.“Are we in trouble or something?”I forced a small smile.“No.”He didn’t believe that.Neither did Mira.But neither of them pushed it.Lucian moved closer to the bed, his voice softer now.“You’re strong, Mira. But we don’t take chances.”“I wasn’t taking chances,” she muttered. “They came to me.”My chest tightened again.I sat on the edge of the bed ca
DARIUS POVThe door closed.Not slammed.Not dramatic.Just… closed.And somehow, that was worse.I stood there for a while, staring at the spot where she had been like something might change if I didn’t move. Like she’d open the door again and take it back.She didn’t.Of course she didn’t.My jaw tightened, and I let out a slow breath through my nose. My hands curled slightly at my sides before I forced them to relax.Control.That’s all this was now.Control.Because if I let even a fraction of what was actually going on inside me show, everything would fall apart.And I couldn’t afford that.Not now.Not when I was this close.A door opened behind me.I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.Lucian.“I was wondering how that went.”His voice was calm.Too calm.I turned slowly.He stood a few steps away, arms loose at his sides, but his posture was anything but relaxed. His eyes were locked on me, sharp and watchful.“She made her decision,” I said.“I know.”That irritated me m
IVY POVThe knock came just as I finished tying the last strap on my bag.Firm.Controlled.I didn’t need to ask who it was.My chest tightened anyway.Lucian looked at me from across the room. He didn’t say anything at first, just watched my face like he was reading everything I wasn’t saying.“He won’t stop,” I said quietly.“I know.”Another knock.Same rhythm.Same patience.Lucian’s jaw ticked slightly.“You don’t have to open that door.”I exhaled slowly.“Yes, I do.”Because if I didn’t, this wouldn’t end.And I needed it to end.I walked toward the door, my steps steady even though my chest felt anything but. My hand paused on the handle for half a second, then I pulled it open.Darius stood there.Calm.Too calm.For a moment, neither of us spoke.Then his eyes moved past me, landing briefly on Lucian behind me before coming back to me.“We need to talk.”Lucian stepped forward immediately.“She doesn’t—”“I wasn’t talking to you.”His voice wasn’t loud.But it was sharp.Luc
I found him lying on the cold stone, barely breathing. Wolfsbane had carved weakness into his limbs, hunger hollowed his cheeks, and yet the defiance in his eyes hadn’t fade “Rowan,” I whispered, kneeling beside him. My hands trembled as I touched his shoulder. He was so glad to see me, trying
**WARNING 🔞🔞🔞. THIS CHAPTER MAY CONTAIN EXPLICIT CONTENT. READER PRESCRIPTION IS ADVICED, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK - NOT MINE* I followed the guard through the winding palace halls. Every step felt heavier than the last, really wished I could just skip today from my life. The early sun glinted of
I waited until the Alpha slept. The room he kept me in smelled of sperm and sweat. The candles burned low, their light trembling the way my hands did. When his breathing grew heavy and even, I slipped from the edge of the bed My legs felt strange carrying me back through the corridors. Every fa
At this point, I stopped trying to wash it away. The dust stayed no matter what I did—water, cloth, even the harsh soap the servants used for bloodstains. It clung to my skin like a second pulse, faint and stubborn. That morning I sat on the edge of my bed and watched it breathe. Because that







