LOGINTHE LION'S DEN{Playlist Suggestion: "Royals" by Lorde / "I Did Something Bad" by Taylor Swift}~CHELSEA POV~I was sitting on the edge of Chase's hospital bed a few hours before the gala, fiddling with the zipper on my jacket because my nerves were already eating me alive.But Chase just looked at me with this huge, genuine smile that actually reached his eyes for the first time in weeks."I can't believe you are actually going to do something normal for once," he said, adjusting his nasal cannula while grinning at me like I had just won the lottery. "You're actually going to a party like a normal person in a relationship instead of sitting here worrying about my heart rate or working yourself into an early grave, and I honestly think that's the best medicine Dr. Ryker could have prescribed."I rolled my eyes, slapping lightly at his leg over the blanket. "It's not a normal party, Chase, it's a billionaire's gala filled with people who probably use gold bars as doorstops, and I am
THE WOLF DEN{Playlist Suggestion: "Blood in the Water" by grandson / "The Hills" by The Weeknd}~KOLT POV~The smoke twisted around my fingers in the dark, wet air of the warehouse, smelling like expensive tobacco and blood because the guy tied to the metal chair in front of me was currently bleeding from about four different places on his face.I took a slow drag from my cigarette, my eyes fixed on Samuel, who was beaten to an absolute crisp, groaning and spitting blood onto the concrete floor of one of my empty storage properties on the edge of the city."I told you," I said, my voice dangerously quiet as I breathed out the smoke into the freezing air. "I broke your wrist and I told you exactly what would happen if you ever showed your face at her place again, and yet you still went back."Samuel whined, trying to pull against the zip ties cutting into his wrists. "I didn't... she gave it to me...""Don't insult me," I snapped, stepping forward and grabbing him by the dirty collar
DOUBLE JEOPARDY{Playlist Suggestion: "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo / "Cardigan" by Taylor Swift}~CHELSEA POV~I was sitting cross-legged on Zoe's lumpy couch staring at the massive, shiny black box Kade had sent over by courier, and all I could think about was the fact that I was probably the worst person on the planet."I mean, you have to admit it's a total 'I am obsessed with you' move," Zoe was saying from across the room, leaning against her kitchen counter with a slice of cold pizza in her hand. "He literally sent you a designer dress for the gala so you wouldn't have to stress about it, which is incredibly sweet and aggressively rich at the same time."I didn't answer her because my brain wasn't even in the room, it was stuck on replay, flashing back to that dim living room in the townhouse and the sight of Kolt's back muscles flexing as he moved inside that blonde girl.I kept seeing the way he stopped and stared at me with those dark, wild eyes, and then how he had completel
ARMOR{Playlist Suggestion: "Style" by Taylor Swift / "Mount Everest" by Labrinth}~KADE POV~I was sweating through my dark hoodie because navigating a high-end women's designer boutique on aluminum crutches is basically an Olympic sport. Especially when the floors are made of some slippery imported marble that makes you feel like you're going to snap your other knee just trying to walk past a rack of silk gowns without knocking everything over.Denver was walking beside me with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking around the aggressively white and gold store like he was expecting security to tackle us at any second."You know you look like a creepy sugar daddy right now, right?" Denver muttered, stepping over a velvet stool that was placed in the middle of the floor for absolutely no reason. "Two teenage guys in a place where a single shoe costs more than my car, and you're aggressively glaring at dresses while limping. It's not a good look, man.""Shut up and help me loo
THE SPARE HEIR{Playlist Suggestion: "Call Out My Name" by The Weeknd / "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Chase Coyne}~KOLT POV~I woke up staring at the ceiling of my room, the clean white paint doing absolutely nothing to cure the pounding headache building behind my eyes.The girl from last night—whose name I had already forgotten—was gone, having taken the hint and the Uber I called for her over an hour ago, but the mess of the night was still sitting heavy in my chest.Of all the places Kade could have brought her, he brought her here, to Knox's sterile safe house, and of course, she had to walk downstairs at the exact moment I was trying to bury my own demons inside a stranger on the living room couch.I rubbed my face with both hands, groaning.I had been actively avoiding Chelsea since that night at my penthouse, the night she stood in my living room crying and offered me her body like it was currency just to save her brother. Hearing her say those words, seeing the utter defeat
SAFE HOUSE{Playlist Suggestion: "Heaven" by Julia Michaels / "Earned It" by The Weeknd}~CHELSEA POV~Leaving the hospital felt like peeling off a second skin because every instinct I had was screaming at me to stay glued to that plastic chair next to Chase's bed, but Chase had practically pushed me out the door, telling me that if I didn't go get a shower and a real night of sleep he was going to lock me out himself.So I went.I followed Kade's taxi directions to a part of the city I had only ever seen in magazines, the kind of neighborhood where the streetlights actually worked and the driveways were long enough to land a plane on.When we pulled up to the "townhouse," I almost laughed because there was absolutely nothing "town" or "house" about it; it was a huge layout of steel and glass that looked like it belonged in a futuristic movie, sharp angles and floor-to-ceiling windows that reflected the city lights like diamonds."This is your hideout?" I asked as Kade keyed in the c
OBLIVIOUS{Playlist: "Falling" by Trevor Daniel} ~KADE POV~The laces on my cleats were double-knotted, but I tugged at them again anyway. Anything to keep my hands busy while my mind wandered somewhere it shouldn't be during practice. Coach Marshall had lifted my suspension this morning with a l
EXPOSURE{Playlist Suggestion: "Skin" by Rihanna}~CHELSEA POV~The bus ride to my apartment felt longer than it should have. Zoe sat beside me, her leg bouncing with impatient energy, waiting for words I didn't know how to shape. Every time I opened my mouth, my throat closed up. Every time I
UNWELCOME{Playlist: "Worst behavior" by Kehlani and kwn}I knew I shouldn't be here.The thought ran through my head on repeat as I pulled up to Chelsea's apartment building, my car looking wildly out of place among the rusted sedans and broken-down trucks lining the street. This wasn't my neighb
POISONED ROOT 2{Playlist: "Monster" by Ruelle}~KADE POV~My father's eyes moved from me to Kolt, cataloging the damage with the kind of cold inspection he usually reserved for failing investments. "Someone better start talking. Now.""Kade knows about the girl," Kolt said simply."Chelsea," I cor