LOGINNathan:I kept gulping as Fallon pointed toward a small shop.It sat on the corner, squeezed between two badly damaged buildings.Its windows were tinted a deep red, making it impossible to see inside."The man who contacted Alpha King Eugene over the radio said they'd marked the building," Fallon reminded us. "Red windows. That's how we'd know we'd found the right place."She sounded like a perfectly trained soldier.Then why the fuck was I so scared?Maybe it was because she'd been outside before.She had seen things like this, dealt with them, gotten used to them.I hadn't.Ali slowed the bus just enough to circle the block without stopping.My palms started to sweat.More than once, I wanted to tell them to forget it. Who cared about the survivors?The streets around the shop crawled with zombies.Some wandered aimlessly, while others slammed themselves into abandoned vehicles.Thankfully, none of them looked up.I watched Fallon narrow her eyes."I don't think they're inside," sh
Nathan:The Alpha Kings hovered around Fallon as though she belonged to them.There were several moments when I couldn't stop staring at her.Honestly, I was completely caught off guard by her behavior.She entertained all of them in a way that almost felt shameless to admit.For a moment, I started to wonder if what Dahlia had said was true.There had to be some truth to it.I mean, looking at them, something was obviously going on.And the fact that I had to keep my mouth shut made me feel sick."Okay, listen. We'll use the silent weapons first," Fallon announced as she got to her feet.She had been sitting at the front of the bus.Rome was standing in front of her, leaning against the front seat with his back, while Ali drove.Ace sat in the row beside hers, his body turned completely toward her.As soon as Fallon stood to speak, Rome immediately took her seat.I'd noticed the way they looked at each other.The look Cage and Fallon had shared before getting on the bus had been so i
Rome:Flashback:"You know my life is over," Christina murmured, making me glance around anxiously.I hadn't even realized she had slipped out again.If I hadn't spotted her at the bar, someone else might have taken advantage of her.She had already ordered several drinks.Although she hadn't started drinking yet, it looked as though she was waiting for someone to approach her."It's not over. Christina, your brother cares about you. He'll punish that man. Trust me, even if he gets away this time, he'll be punished eventually. As for you, don't do this to yourself. Don't sit here and curse your life. Your life isn't ruined. It was one terrible, unfortunate event. It doesn't change who you are. You're still the same person," I told her, trying to calm her down.She only shook her head, tears continuing to spill down her cheeks.The more she cried, the angrier I became at that asshole."It was my fault anyway," she whispered, her voice broken."Oh, Christina, how many times do I have to
Fallon:"This is crazy. Why isn't she letting us come with her?" I heard Miguel complain to Cage, who kept pacing behind me, possibly trying to get my attention so he could speak with me."Fallon," Cage called.I slowed and turned to face him, meeting his gaze."What is going on?" he asked.I saw a deep sense of unease in his eyes.It immediately made me feel guilty because it looked like he was bracing himself for something."Is it because of earlier?" Cage asked, his voice heavy."No," I replied."Then why? Why don't you want us to come? If Nathan can come, why can't we?" he pressed further, watching my face so intently that I honestly felt my heart skip a beat.Just then, Nathan stepped in.We were heading to the military building inside the shelter, where Ali and Priya were staying, to pick up some weapons.Cage had stopped me to talk while we were on our way.At the same time, Nathan walked out of the academy after securing himself a gun.He stood off to the side, neither directl
Fallon:"What's going on?" Ace asked Alpha King Eugene and Alpha King Josh the moment he reached them.We followed close behind."Someone tried to radio us, but the signal kept cutting out. They gave us a rough description of the area where they're stranded," Alpha King Josh explained.Eugene looked at his son before his gaze shifted to me.Of course, they were all still thinking about the rumor Dahlia had started.We had sworn not to talk about it anymore, not even among ourselves."Then let's go bring them back. Where do you think they are?" Cage asked Alpha King Josh immediately, already prepared to head out and rescue the survivors."But we were thinking— what if we let the warriors handle it instead?" Alpha King Eugene suggested.Of course, I expected that from him.He struck me as the kind of man who was morally gray, or maybe he was simply a deeply negative person.Either way, he hid behind the authority of being an Alpha King, which allowed him to get away with so much of the
Fallon:As soon as I stepped outside, I saw them all walking around the garden together.They were still wearing their uniforms.My heart immediately started pounding.I sucked in a deep breath, trying to look confident, then walked over to them.Thankfully, Ali and Priya were there too. Having them with me eased some of my nerves."Okay, you guys don't need to have that awkward conversation," Ali said, stepping in and putting an end to the awkwardness right away."Of course, we weren't going to talk about it," Cage replied, but throughout it all, he wore a warm, beautiful smile.It was like he was happy about something.I mean, if it had been just one person, I probably would've thought the same thing.But it wasn't just one person. There were a lot more people involved.And their partners were involved too."So, what are we doing here then?" I asked, directing the question to Ali instead of the others."You don't need to feel guilty," Cage spoke up, as if he'd noticed me stealing gl
Fallon:Flashback:I sat on the floor beside the bed, curled into myself with my arms wrapped tightly around my body.My stare remained locked on the ground, as if my dignity had been left there with the rest of me.“Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”Nathan stepped out of the bathroom with a to
Fallon:The instant it lunged at me, I stumbled back and slammed my foot against the door.The heavy door crashed into its face and knocked it backward.I did not waste the opportunity.I rushed inside with the piece of broken glass in my hand.The room was too cramped for a proper fight.Every move
Fallon:I slowly pushed myself off the road and brushed the dirt from my clothes, scanning my surroundings with panic building inside me.I didn’t know if the world had always been this terrifying.Maybe I had just never noticed it before. Back when my biggest concern was surviving another day as a
Fallon:“I’m not going down there,” I shot back before any of them could try talking me into it.All four of them mirrored each other, planting their hands on their waists as they lined up in front of me.Men, especially, always went after weakness the moment they sensed it.Cage lifted a brow, look







