로그인Rex. I walked down the dark hallway of the underground area. The air was cold and smelled like damp stone. Every step I took sounded like a drum in the quiet. I stopped in front of the heavy iron door. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small glass syringe. It caught the light, looking sharp and dangerous. I unlocked the door. It creaked open, revealing the small gray room. There she was… Chloe. She was huddled in the corner. Her hair was a mess. Her eyes were wide with fear. As soon as she saw me, she started shaking. "No," she whimpered, backing her head against the wall. "No. Please. Don't do this to me again. I can’t take it anymore. Please!" I walked toward her, my face as still as a mask. "Relax, Chloe," I said. My voice was low and flat. "You shouldn't push yourself like this. It’s bad for your heart." "You're a monster!" she screamed, her voice cracking. "You're a disgusting dog! Let me go!" I knelt in front of her. I didn't feel angry. I didn't feel happy. I j
Debbie. River started to stand up, his eyes wide. "Debbie, you're here. We were just—" "Mm-mm. No," I said, holding up a hand to stop him. I walked past them and sat at the very end of the long dining table. I wanted to see all three of them at once. Three familiar faces that were, in reality, total strangers. I let the silence hang in the room for a long minute, not knowing what to say. "So," I started, my voice cool. "These faces are not brothers." I said the first thing that came out of my mouth. Silence. Rain looked at the floor. River looked at his hands. Rex just watched me with those blue, intense eyes. "What are you all planning to do with me?" I asked, leaning back. "Are you going to hand me over to your Boss at the end of three weeks? Is that the final move?" "No!" River shouted, waving a hand. "No, Debbie, nothing like that. We would never." "Then what?" I asked. "What’s the plan?" Rex cleared his throat. He looked me straight in the eye. "To be honest, we haven't t
Rain. “Me too,” I murmured. “Mine started yesterday.” Honestly, I wasn't joking. Last time, when Debbie left me, I almost died. This time, I was sure I had 24 hours max to live if we don't see her. Rex pulled his phone from his pocket. "Maybe I should call?” “Call?” River asked like that was a bad idea. “That's not a bad idea,” I concurred. “Are you guys normal?” River asked. “Someone who wouldn't want to see your face—what makes you think she would pick your calls?” He was right. Still… “Our face might irritate her, but our voice may not,” I reasoned. Stupidly. “I'm calling…” Rex announced. We all huddled around the phone. The tension was so high I could hear River’s shallow breathing. Rex hit the contact name: Debbie. The dial tone echoed through the silent kitchen. Ring... Ring... Ring... I held my breath, my eyes fixed on the screen. My heart was thumping against my ribs. Please pick up. Please just let us hear your voice. Suddenly, the ringing stopped. The screen
Rain The kitchen was filled with the smell of steak and sourdough toast, but the air felt like lead. We were sitting in the same spots we always did, but the empty chair at the end of the table—the one Debbie usually occupied while she made fun of River’s hair or my grumpiness—felt like a gaping hole. It had been forty-eight hours. Two days of looking at our phones every five minutes. Two days of jumpiness every time the front gate creaked or the doorbell rang. I pushed a piece of egg around my plate, my appetite completely gone. "I checked the logs again this morning," I said, my voice sounding scratchy. "She’s been at the office. She clocks in at exactly 8:00 AM, locks herself in her private office, and doesn't come out until 5:00 PM. No lunch breaks. No meetings. Then she goes straight home." "At least she’s not at the Alpha’s mansion," River muttered, leaning his elbows on the table. He looked like he hadn't slept since the incident. "No calls from the Council. No guards at ou
RainI stood in the kitchen, my chest tight with a rage that felt like it was going to burst my ribs open. I slammed the cupboard door, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet house. My hands were shaking. I grabbed a pot, then a knife, then a bag of onions, but I couldn't focus. My mind was a mess.Yesterday kept playing on repeat. Rex on that couch. The blood. The way his body jerked like a broken doll. And it was all because of a secret. All because River wanted to be the Boss’s favorite pet.Who said I could just get over what happened yesterday? That person was a big, fat liar.I started chopping an onion, the blade hitting the board with a violent thwack-thwack-thwack. My eyes were already stinging, but it wasn't just the onions. It was the feeling of being stabbed in the back by someone I had called "brother" for years."Rain?"The voice came from the doorway. Soft. Tentative. I didn't even turn around. I knew that voice. It was the voice of a betrayal. A big-time snitch.
Rex. I smiled at the chunk of concern on Rain’s face. "I know," I said quietly. Rain froze. "Huh? You know?" I nodded. "I heard him," I revealed, looking at River. "I heard River making a call a few days ago. I knew he was hiding something. And I figured it. We both know how River is. He’s too loyal. He thinks the Boss is a god." River flinched. He looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor. "It’s not about loyalty, Rex. I was trying to keep things from exploding." "But, Rex, why didn't you take precautions?" Rain asked, frowning at me. "If you knew he was coming for the injection, why didn't you do something? You just sat there and let him poison you!" I looked at my hands. I couldn't tell them the truth. What would I say? That I had an energy inside of me that was spiking? And that I already knew that any precaution would have been useless. And that I was just waiting for the crash, hoping I’d survive the impact. Literally, there was nothing on planet Earth I could
DebbieRain didn’t waste a single second. He pushed me back against the cold wall of the cave. I felt the sharp contrast of the freezing stone on my back and his burning heat in front of me. He lifted my leg high, locking it over his hip, and surged into me with a force that made my head snap back.
DebbieI stepped out of the bathroom feeling like a new woman, though my skin still prickled from the memory of Rex’s voice.I dressed quickly, choosing a flowy sundown dress that felt light against the humid mountain air. When I reached the lobby, River was already waiting, looking sharp and refre
Debbie“Rain… River is…” I panicked."I'm okay!" River yelled from the other side. "But the path is gone! I can't get across without climbing gear!"“Are you hurt!?” I asked, screaming.“No! I'm not! Wait!” he called back.I waited.In seconds, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I reached for it. It was
RainThe fire popped and hissed, throwing long shadows against the cave walls. I was still reeling from her words, my heart hammering against my ribs.But it didn't end with the whispers.A small smile formed on her face. Then I felt her hand reach down. Her eyes were locked on mine, dark and darin







