LOGINMia didnât go back to sleep.She tried.She really did.She lay there, eyes closed, body still, forcing herself to breathe slowly like that would somehow shut her mind off.It didnât.Every time she got close, his voice slipped back in.âLie.âShe groaned and flipped onto her other side.âThis is so annoyingâŠâIt shouldnât be this hard.She had handled worse. Way worse.People. Situations. Emotions.So why was this one guy getting under her skin like this?She sat up again, frustrated, dragging both hands down her face.âOkay. Enough.âIf sleep wasnât coming, then she wasnât going to sit here fighting it.âMorning came faster than she expected.Not because she slept.Because she didnât.Mia was already dressed by the time the rest of the house started waking up.She needed distraction.Movement.Anything that wasnât thinking.The training grounds.Perfect.âThe place was mostly empty when she got there.A few early risers here and there, but no crowd.Good.Mia grabbed a wooden staf
Mia didnât sleep well.She told herself it was nothing. Just a long day. Too much going on.But every time she closed her eyes, her mind dragged her right back to that room.To him.To the way he looked at her like he could see straight through whatever she was trying to hide.It was annoying.Worse than annoying.Because he wasnât even wrong.She turned on her bed again, dragging the pillow over her face.âThis is stupid,â she muttered into it.It didnât help.After a while, she gave up.The room was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that makes your thoughts louder instead of calmer.Mia sat up, running a hand through her hair before swinging her legs off the bed.A walk.Thatâs all she needed.Just fresh air. Clear her head. Reset.Nothing more.âThe hallway lights were dim, most people already asleep.Good.Less chance of running into anyone.She moved quietly, arms folded as she walked past the empty corridors, her footsteps soft against the floor.Everything felt⊠normal.To
Mia 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 didnât leave her face, but something in his expression shiftedâsubtle, but there. Like heâd just confirmed something he already suspected.âSay it,â he said quietly.Mia frowned. âSay what?ââThat you donât feel it.âHer grip tightened around the towel again.âI donât,â she said, too fast.Zade didnât 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.âFine,â he said.That was it. Just one word.But it hit harder than anything else heâd said.Mia blinked. âFine?âZade ran a hand through his hair, turning slightly away from her. âIf thatâs what you want to go with.ââThatâs notââ she started, then stopped.Because
The water still clung to her skin long after she stepped out of the pool.Mia could feel itâcool droplets tracing slow paths down her neck, slipping past her collarbone, disappearing beneath the thin fabric of her singlet. But it wasnât the water that made her pulse uneven.It was him.Zade hadnât 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 herânot casually, not accidentallyâbut with a focus so intense it felt like pressure against her skin.Mia swallowed.âWhy are you looking at me like that?âHer voice came out softer than she intended.Zade didnât answer immediately. His gaze flickeredâjust onceâdown her body, then back up to her face. That small movement alone made her breath hitch.âYou walked out like you didnât know I was here,â he finally said, voice low.âI didnât,â she replied quickly, though even she could hear the weakness in it.A corner of his mouth liftedânot quite a smile
The door didnât 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.âZadeâŠâ she whispered.âI know.âHe pushed the door.It creaked open slowly.Inside, the room was darkâbut 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.âStay behind me,â he muttered.âIâm not a child.ââTonight, you are.âShe didnât argue.That alone told him something was off.The room looked untouched at first glance. Bed neatly made. Table in place. Nothing broken.ButâZadeâs 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.ââŠTha
The moment we stepped out of the hospital, the air felt⊠wrong. Too still. Too quiet. Like everything was holding its breath. Lucian didnât 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. âWhere are we going?â he asked quietly. âMain gate,â Lucian answered. No hesitation. No second guessing. Straight out of Ironhaven. My grip tightened slightly around Arinâs hand. Something in my chest wouldnât settle. âYou feel it too, donât you?â I said under my breath. Lucian didnât look at me. âYes.â That was enough. We kept walking. Fast. Purposeful. The guards we passed stepped aside immediately. No one stopped us. That shouldâve made me feel better. It didnât. If anything⊠it made it worse. Too easy. Way too easy. Mira shifted slightly. âWhy does it feel like weâre sneaking out?â she muttered. âWeâre not sneaking,â I said. âFeels
(Alpha Lucian POV) The bell rings. And my heart dropped I know she's strong and a strong fighter. But I still feared for her safety I donât move. The entire arena feels tighter somehow, like the air has been stripped of oxygen. Ivy steps forward, shoulders squared, chin lifted, that familia
(Ivy POV,) I didnât have to look to know he was watching I felt it before I saw him. That cold awareness crawling up my spine, settling at the back of my neck like something breathing on it but can't see it, only sense it Mira was tugging at my hand, pointing toward the vendors lined near th
(Ivy POV) Days later It had been four days since Selene died. Four days since I watched Darius snap his Lunaâs neck like it meant nothing, four days since the hospital room smelled like blood and antiseptic Everyone were asked to attend the ceremony. Including Alpha Lucian All pack games
(DARIUS POV) I knew the moment I saw her again in Shadow Fang that my life would never remain the same again Five years. Five years of searching Five years of pretending I had buried her while any sane person would see through And now she stood inside my territory as if she had never kne







