LOGINBella's fingers went numb.The photograph blurred before her eyes.For a moment, she thought she was imagining it.Hoping she was imagining it.Praying she was imagining it.But no matter how many times she blinked, the image remained the same.Sienna.Standing beside Dave Stark.Close enough to touch him.Close enough to claim familiarity.Close enough to make Bella's stomach twist painfully.The woman everyone believed had vanished months ago looked very much alive.And very comfortable beside the man Bella loved.The boutique suddenly felt too small.Too crowded.Too hot.Too suffocating.Hilda erupted inside her mind."Something is wrong."Bella couldn't disagree.Her pulse hammered against her ribs.Then her phone began ringing.Dave's name flashed across the screen.Once.Twice.Three times.The vibration felt like a personal attack.She stared at it.The image.The call.The image again.Her thoughts spiraled.Why was Sienna with him?Why hadn't he called earlier?Why had Sienn
For several seconds after the messenger's announcement, nobody moved.Nobody breathed.The Shadowborn.The name seemed to suck the warmth out of the room.Bella watched the color drain from several vampires' faces. Even Madame Celeste, who had spent the last hour fussing over fabrics and jewels, looked shaken.Lord Shevek's expression hardened into something frightening.Something ancient.Something powerful."What exactly happened?" he asked.The messenger swallowed."The Council Hall is secure for now, my lord. The attackers withdrew before reinforcements arrived.""Casualties?""A few injuries."Lord Shevek's jaw tightened."And why are they demanding Bella?"The messenger lowered his head."We don't know."Silence stretched.Bella felt Hilda pacing restlessly inside her."They know something.""I know," Bella whispered mentally.Lord Shevek turned toward her immediately.His silver eyes softened.A stark contrast to the deadly aura he'd been radiating moments earlier."We'll deal
The Rolls-Royce screeched to a halt.Bella's heart slammed against her ribs.Outside, dozens of crimson eyes glowed between the trees.Watching.Waiting.Hunting.The forest had gone unnaturally silent.Even the wind seemed afraid to move.Linda grabbed Bella's arm instantly."Stay close."Lord Shevek was already out of the vehicle before either woman could react.One moment he sat beside them.The next, he stood on the road.His black coat swayed behind him.Dangerous.Elegant.Terrifying.For the first time since meeting him, Bella understood why vampires feared him.Why covens obeyed him.Why his enemies disappeared.The air around him changed.Darkened.Thickened.Power rolled from his body in invisible waves.The glowing eyes hesitated.Then a low growl emerged from the forest.Another followed.Then dozens more.Hilda surged forward inside Bella."Something's wrong."Bella agreed.Those weren't ordinary wolves.The scent reaching her was strange.Twisted.Corrupted.Almost rotte
Bella froze.Her blood ran cold.Because she knew that voice.And there was only one person it could belong to.The woman everyone believed had disappeared months ago.Sienna.And she was answering Dave Stark's phone.For several seconds, Bella couldn't breathe.The walls of her bedroom seemed to close in around her."Hello?" the woman said again.The voice was unmistakable.Smooth.Confident.Feminine.Sienna.Bella's fingers tightened around the phone.A thousand thoughts exploded inside her mind.Why was Sienna answering Dave's phone?Where was Dave?Why hadn't he called?Why hadn't he answered himself?The excitement she'd been feeling only moments earlier evaporated.Gone.Replaced by a bitter ache spreading through her chest."Hello? Who is this?" Sienna asked again.Bella ended the call.Immediately.The screen went dark.The room fell silent.Too silent.Hilda stirred restlessly inside her."Bella...""I heard her.""You don't know what happened."Bella laughed bitterly."Real
The breakfast ended far more quietly than it had begun.For several minutes, only the occasional clink of silverware disturbed the silence.Bella sat between two worlds.On one side was Linda—the woman who had sacrificed everything to raise her.On the other sat Lord Shevek—the father she had spent years imagining but never expected to meet.Neither felt entirely real.Neither felt entirely safe.Yet both felt important.Linda was the first to finish eating.She carefully placed her fork beside her plate and rose from her chair."I'll clear these," she said softly.Bella immediately pushed her chair back."I can help.""No."The answer came too quickly.Linda smiled afterward, trying to soften it."You've had enough surprises for one day."Bella reluctantly sat back down.Across the table, Lord Shevek remained composed.Everything about him seemed deliberate.The way he sat.The way he spoke.Even the way he held a simple coffee cup made him look like some ancient ruler sitting upon a
The tension that had gripped the room moments earlier dissolved the instant Linda stood up.Her face had transformed completely.No more tears. No more fear.Just something dangerously close to excitement.“Indeed, she is,” Linda said brightly, her gaze fixed on Lord Shevek as though he were an old friend instead of a man who had just shattered their entire reality.Bella blinked.That reaction alone was enough to throw her off balance.Her mother had been breaking down not long ago. Now she was… smiling?“So tell me,” Linda continued, stepping closer with sudden enthusiasm, “what would you like to have? Tea? Something stronger? I can prepare anything you want.”Bella stared at her.“Mom?” she called slowly. “Are you alright?”Linda waved her off lightly. “Of course I am.”She didn’t even look at Bella.Her attention remained locked on Shevek.As if Bella wasn’t the one whose entire life had just been rewritten.Shevek gave a calm nod. “Anything you offer will be fine.”That answer ma
Moonlight washed the clearing in cold silver as the Lycan emerged from the shadows.His massive frame moved with lethal grace, black fur catching the light until it gleamed like polished onyx. Bella gasped and scrambled for the clothes scattered near her, pressing the fabric to her chest as if it c
Lunch was usually loud—voices overlapping, laughter spilling, trays clattering—but the moment Bella took her seat at the Hybrids’ table, an unnatural stillness crept in.Joy and Eve sat beside her, shoulders tense, eyes alert. This was the first time they’d joined the table while Serena was present
Seeing Agnes leaning over Marcus at the other end of the cafeteria made Bella roll her eyes.Others inhaled attention rather than just receiving it.With a thud, Bella sat down beside her friends and slid her tray forward as if the world could not possibly interrupt her."That was disturbing and im
Bella Manuel faced the mirror, her fingers gliding across the smooth material of her blue gown. The shade accentuated the warm glow of her caramel skin, and for the first time in a long while, she felt lovely, unique, and worthy.Marcus would love it.A hidden smile curled her lips as she ran her f







