LOGINMia was the one who broke first.Not by stepping away.Just by breathing.A shaky inhale that gave her away completely.Zade caught it. Of course he did.His eyes didn’t leave her face, but something in his expression shifted—subtle, but there. Like he’d just confirmed something he already suspected.“Say it,” he said quietly.Mia frowned. “Say what?”“That you don’t feel it.”Her grip tightened around the towel again.“I don’t,” she said, too fast.Zade didn’t even react to the lie. He just watched her for a second longer, like he was deciding something.Then he stepped back.Just like that.The space between them opened up again, and the sudden distance made Mia feel… off. Like something had been pulled away too quickly.“Fine,” he said.That was it. Just one word.But it hit harder than anything else he’d said.Mia blinked. “Fine?”Zade ran a hand through his hair, turning slightly away from her. “If that’s what you want to go with.”“That’s not—” she started, then stopped.Because
The 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
**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
Ivy POV I woke before the sun. For a moment I didn’t know where I was. The ceiling above me looked too high, the curtains too heavy, the bed too soft. Then memory returned - the chains, Rowan’s blood splash on cold rock, Kellan’s eyes turning cold My chest tightened. I pressed my palm against
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







