MasukLena’s POVThe cold air reaches me before my eyes fully open the sharp scent of salt and ocean water cutting through the fog still dragging through my mind and for a moment everything feels disjointed like I am being pulled into awareness too quickly without understanding where I am or how I got here but the movement beneath my feet and the distant crash of waves against the shore force reality back into place in a way that makes my chest tighten instantly the memory does not come slowly it hits all at once. Ryan. the house and Eli.The panic rises so fast that it overrides the weakness in my body pushing through the dizziness as I force myself upright my arms instinctively searching for him before I even turn my head and the second I see him in the arms of one of Ryan’s men crying and reaching for me something deep inside me breaks into something far more dangerous than fear.“Give him back to me,” I say my voice rough but rising, every word carrying more force than I feel capable of
Victor’s POVThere are moments when the truth does not arrive all at once but presses in slowly until it becomes impossible to ignore, and as I step back onto the explosion site and take in the shift in atmosphere around me, I understand immediately that something has changed from uncertainty into something final.The movement across the area is no longer frantic or reactive but controlled in a way that suggests decisions have already been made, conclusions already drawn, and as I move forward through the lingering scent of smoke and burned metal, my eyes settle on the group gathered near the center of the damage.Keenan stands closest, his posture rigid, his attention fixed on the ground in front of him as if he has not moved from that position in a long time, while James remains beside him, quieter but just as tense, and Ruth stands slightly apart, her expression drawn in a way that tells me she has already seen more than she wanted to.John is there as well, his face pale and set i
Victor’s POV There are situations where chaos feels loud and uncontrolled and then there are moments where it feels precise almost deliberate, like every piece of it has been placed exactly where it is meant to be, and as I step onto the edge of the east sector and take in the damage in front of me, I know immediately that this is not random. The ground has been torn open in a way that suggests force from within rather than impact from above the remains of the service junction twisted into shapes that no longer resemble structure or function, and the air still carries the heavy scent of burned metal and heat that lingers long after something has already ended. Men are moving around the site their voices low but urgent their actions controlled even if the situation itself is not and I take a few steps forward without speaking my eyes scanning everything carefully not just the damage but the pattern of it the way it spreads outward, the way it leaves certain areas untouched while othe
Lena’s POVThe sound reaches me before the meaning does a deep violent crack that tears through the air so suddenly that my entire body reacts before my mind can catch up, my arms tightening instinctively around Eli as his small body jerks in surprise against me his soft breathing breaking into a startled cry that only makes my chest tighten more.For a second I stand completely still my heart pounding in a way that feels wrong, too fast, too heavy, like something inside me already understands what I have not allowed myself to think yet and when the windows rattle and the ground beneath my feet shifts just slightly that feeling sharpens into something I cannot ignore.The island is never this loud never this violent and never this out of control.“No,” I whisper under my breath shaking my head slightly as if I can push the thought away before it fully forms but my body is already moving before I decide to stepping toward the veranda as the silence that follows the explosion settles in
Ethan’s POVThere is a moment right before something irreversible happens when everything becomes unnaturally clear like the world sharpens instead of blurs like your instincts stop warning you and start confirming what you already know.I feel that moment before anything else happens.The air around the service junction does not feel right not just heavy but charged like something beneath the surface has already crossed a line it cannot come back from and I remain still for half a second longer than I should letting that realization settle fully instead of reacting too early.The system hum beneath the panel shifts, deepens, stretches into something unstable and I know immediately that this is no longer a controlled disruption.This is escalation.“Step back,” I say my voice low but firm enough that the men around me react without hesitation.They move adjusting their positions but the system does not stabilize the way it has every time before and that alone tells me everything I nee
Ethan's POVWaking up beside her feels different not new not unfamiliar but different in a way that settles deeper than anything we had before like something that used to be fragile has finally found its place and stopped feeling like it could break at any moment and for a second, I do not move.I just lie there watching her, her hair is slightly messy against the pillow, her breathing slow and steady, her body relaxed in a way that tells me she feels safe and that does something to me that I do not try to overthink because I already know what it means.She is here.My hand moves almost instinctively brushing lightly along her arm and she stirs slightly her eyes opening slowly as she looks at me.“You are staring,” she murmurs softly.“I am allowed to,” I reply.That earns me the smallest hint of a smile. “Since when,” she asks.“Since we made love last night and the rest of the night,” I say with a winkShe watches me for a moment and blush as if she's thinking about our night. “Then
Lena’s POVI’m in the kitchen pretending to focus on cleaning when my phone rings. John’s name flashes on the screen and my stomach drops before I even answer, because John does not call unless something is wrong.“Hey,” I say, trying to sound normal, even though my heart is already racing. “What’s
Lena's POVThe first thing I notice is that Donavan is gone. Not just gone from the café or gone from town meetings, but gone in a way that feels deliberate. No black car parked too close to the curb. No pretending to be just another face in the crowd. No showing up with that half smile that never
Lena’s POVI haven’t slept properly since that message came in.Every time I close my eyes, my body jerks awake like it forgot something important, like I left the stove on or the door unlocked or my whole life sitting wide open for someone to walk in and take.My phone is on the nightstand, screen
Lena’s POVThe clinic smelled like disinfectant and cheap coffee and for some reason that combination makes my stomach roll before I even sit down.Keenan notices right away. "Are you okay,” he asks, lowering his voice even though no one in the waiting room is paying us any attention. “You went kin







