로그인~HAZEL~Elias's smile was easy, the kind that promised no complications. No soul-deep bonds or forbidden feelings.Just a dance. Simple. Nothing to worry about.I should have said no. The word was already forming on my tongue—polite, safe, distant. But the image of Ashton's hands on Ariel's waist was enough to make me do the opposite. "One dance," I heard myself say. "That's it."Elias's grin widened, a spark of genuine surprise lighting his features. "One dance it is. I'll take what I can get." He offered his arm like a gentleman. I slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow, ignoring how uncomfortable it made me. Ashton was the only man I felt comfortable being so close to.Elias led me onto the dance floor. His hand settled lightly on my lower back, respectful, warm through the thin fabric of my dress."You're Hazel, right?" he asked. "The girl from the hunt."I tensed up, knowing he only asked me to dance because of the show. Still, that was the last thing I wanted to talk abou
~HAZEL~The village event buzzed with life, the downtown bar transformed into a night of music, laughter, and dancing. Strings of lights draped across the wooden shafts, casting a warm, golden hue over the crowded space. My stepmother had insisted we all attend, her voice bright and determined as she forced us out the door. "We need this," she'd said, squeezing my father's hand. "A night to remember we're still a family despite what those awful soul keepers put us all through."I didn't want to attend but they left me no choice. So, here I was, being tortured by the view. Ariel looked radiant in her red dress, just like she always did. It hugged her figure perfectly, accentuating her graceful movements without effort. She was the kind of beautiful that turned heads naturally, effortlessly. I'd chosen my short black dress and sturdy boots. The dress felt bold, maybe too bold, but a reckless part of me had hoped Ashton would notice. That same part twisted with guilt every time I
~HAZEL~The fork in my hand felt heavy and useless as I pushed the meat around my plate for what felt like the hundredth time. I couldn't eat. Couldn't focus."You've barely been touching your food," my stepmother observed, her sharp eyes narrowing with concern as she stared at my full plate. She leaned forward, concern on her face "Is everything okay, Hazel?"I couldn't even lift my gaze to meet hers. My throat tightened, the lie already forming on my tongue. Fine. That was the word everyone expected. But I was far from okay. I was drowning in a sea of forbidden love, heated memories, and a jealousy so sharp it carved holes into my chest with every breath."I'm fine," I murmured, forcing a weak smile that didn't reach my eyes.She sighed deeply, the sound heavy with the kind of worry that made guilt twist in my gut. She reached across the table and took my hand in hers, her palm warm. "I know what you went through wasn't easy, Hazel. Believe me, it was difficult for us too. We ha
~ASHTON~"I'm so happy you're back," Ariel whispers, her voice soft and sweet as she pressed her cheek against my chest.We were back in my room after weeks in the Abyss. . .it should have felt like bliss but it was far from it. Ariel had insisted on staying the night, curling into me the moment the door clicked shut behind us. Her body fit against mine the way it always had but now for some reason, it felt like something was missing. I held her close, one hand stroking slowly down the curve of her back, the other tangled in her hair. On the surface, everything looked exactly as it should. The woman the moon goddess had chosen for me was back in my arms. I was safe. The nightmare of the woods was over.But inside my head, it was pure chaos.I couldn't get Hazel out of my mind. Not for a single second.No matter how tightly I held Ariel, I could still taste Hazel on my tongue—that wild, sweet, addictive flavor. I could feel the memory of her nails raking down my back, the way her b
~HAZEL~We'd done it.Ashton had made love to me. It was slow, passionate, and so achingly tender that every touch had branded itself into my soul like a mating mark I could never wash away. And just like I'd always feared, it completely destroyed me for life. There was no coming back from this. No one else in any part of the world could ever take his place. No other hands would ever ignite the fire he'd lit inside me after today. No other lips would ever taste like home.How could I recover from this? How could I pretend that I didn't love him with every broken piece of my heart?We dressed in silence beside each other, the air tense with everything we couldn't say. The rain had finally stopped, but our bodies were still wet. Water dripped from the ends of his hair, tracing slow paths down the sharp line of his jaw, and I had to force my gaze away before I did something stupid like reach out and catch those drops with my fingertips. Our clothes clung to us, heavy and cold now that
~ASHTON~What the fuck is wrong with me?Why does every second of this feel like the only thing I've ever wanted? Why do my hands move like they were fucking born to worship her skin, tracing the curve of her waist, gripping her hips like they're the only thing anchoring me to this earth?She's my stepsister.I have a mate waiting somewhere out there in the real world, a girl I'm supposed to claim, supposed to build a life with. But right now, none of that exists. The only thing that exists is Hazel. Her rain-soaked body trembling under mine, her soft gasps cutting through the rain, her eyes wide and dark and burning with the same forbidden fire that's eating me alive.The more I kiss her, the more my hands roam, sliding up her sides, cupping her perfect breasts, thumbing her hardened nipples until she arches into me, the more every consequence disappears. The cameras, the game, the family waiting for me back home. . .all of it fades. All that's left is raw, savage need. I want to
~HAZEL~I was overwhelmed with a mixture of embarrassment and restlessness. I lay awake, unable to find even a moment's peace, my mind repeatedly drifting back to earlier events and Ashton's actions as he desperately tried to obtain the medication needed to heal my wounds.My cheeks flushed with he
~ASHTON~I place a hand over my chest, surprised to feel my heartbeat pounding rapidly, as if something was wrong. I couldn't quite explain it, but a strange intuition told me that something was happening to Hazel—I couldn't tell what it was but I knew it was bad. She needed me. I knew she did, ev
~HAZEL~I never initially intended to tell him that I had overheard his conversation with Ariel. However, after the recent incident—the heated emotions that left me feeling unsettled—I realized I needed to clarify the situation. I wanted Ashton to understand that I was not deliberately forcing him
~ASHTON~ "Hazel," I whisper, my voice soft with a mixture of restraint and longing, "I need to put some distance between us. Just until the effects of the fruit leave you.""No!" she cries out suddenly, her voice echoing in the quiet forest as she instinctively grabs my hand with urgent desperatio







