LOGINRex. 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
River."Debbie!" Rain shouted. "I went to her room to tell her the bath was ready, and she wasn't there. I checked the bathroom. I checked the kitchen."I stood up, my heart starting to race again. "What do you mean? I’ve been here the whole time. I haven't seen her. Is she not downstairs?""No!" Rain yelled. "I said I searched everywhere. Every room. Every corner. She’s gone, River. She’s nowhere in this house."I felt a cold pit form in my stomach. I pushed past him and ran down the stairs. I checked the living room.Empty.I checked the back patio.Empty.I ran to the front door and threw it open. The night air was cold and silent. The gravel driveway was empty.I walked back into the foyer, my legs feeling like lead. Rain was standing at the bottom of the stairs, his hands shaking."She must have gone," he whispered."But where?" I asked. "It’s the middle of the night. It’s dangerous out there."Rain leaned against the wall, his head dropping. He looked devastated. All the anger h
River.The silence in the living room was heavy. It felt like a physical weight pressing down on my shoulders. I sat on the edge of the sofa, my hands buried in my hair. My mind was a whirlwind, spinning with images of the night. I saw the Boss’s cold eyes. I saw the needles. I saw the spray of blood from Rex’s mouth.What have I done? The single thought looped in my head like a broken record.Yes, I had known the Boss was coming. I had felt the shadow of his arrival days ago. But I stayed silent. I thought I was protecting them by not causing a panic. I thought it was nothing. Matter of fact, there was no reason why I should justify.I was wrong. I was so wrong that it almost cost Rex his life.Almost…I pray it remains almost.I looked over at Rain. He was sitting in the armchair across from me. He wasn't looking at me. He was staring at his own hands, which were still stained pink from the scrubbing we had done earlier.We had spent the last hour at the gate. We had to move the bod
Debbie He didn't answer. He seemed too weak to even nod. I reached down and pulled his pants away. When I looked at him, my heart sank further. He was soft. He was completely still. No hardness whatsoever. A total opposite of Rex, who would get hard just by me being close. "Rex," I whispered, tears starting to prick my eyes. "This is a bad idea. Your body isn't even responding. You’re too sick." He didn't respond. His breathing was so shallow I had to lean in to make sure he was still alive. Fuck. This feels wrong. This feels like I’m hurting him. But then I remembered the way he looked when he hit the floor earlier. I remembered the way he gagged blood. he convulsed. I didn't want that happen again. Then, amongst everything, something else snapped inside my brain. I remembered River saying something about him "exploding inside." what would I do if he exploded. Fuck no. I couldn't let that happen. I took the guilt that was lingering in my mind, and tossed it to the dark co
Debbie I sat in the dark room, my head resting on the edge of the mattress. I was exhausted. My brain felt like it was melting from all the things I had just heard downstairs. Suddenly, I felt a faint, shaky tap on my hand. I bolted upright. The fog of sleep vanished from my eyes in a second. "Rex?" I whispered, my heart jumping into my throat. "Rex, are you awake? Can you hear me?" He didn't move much, but his eyes were open. They were terrifying. There was no color in them, just a white, haunting white that seemed to stare right through me. I had seen it before, but now, like this, it looked… scary. "Are you okay? Do you know where you are?" I leaned over him, my hands hovering over his face. "I need to go call Rain. They need to know you’re awake." I started to stand up, ready to dash out the door, but a cold, weak hand shot out. He grabbed my wrist. It wasn't a strong grip—he was too far gone for that—but it was enough to make me stop. "Don't," he whispered. His voice soun
Debbie."Exactly," Rain said, jaw clenched. "If a doctor runs a deep scan, or if he needs a blood transfusion, the lie falls apart. Our blood is a mess of chemicals and altered genes. If the pack finds out our blood doesn't truly match the Grand Alpha’s core, we’re dead. Every single one of us. We can't.""We can't afford another test," River added. "We’ve spent two years living a lie, playing the part of the devoted sons. One mistake, one hospital visit, and it could all burn."I sat in silence for a long time. The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only sound in this large room.My life was a lie. The place I thought was home was, in fact, a nest of spies."And me?" I asked, my voice small and hollow. "How does this have to do with me? Why am I in the middle of this?"At that point, I watched Rain look at River. "I’ll leave this one to you, River," he said quietly. "You’re in a better place to say it."River cleared his throat, but he wouldn't look me in the eye. "The Boss wan
RainThe sun had gone down, and the study was dim, lit only by a few lamps. I was already there, pacing back and forth on the rug. My skin felt itchy. River walked in, looking just as stressed, followed by Rex, who didn’t even look at anyone.He just walked to the leather armchair, sat down, and pu
Debbie The silence in the car was gone, replaced by the sound of our breathing. Rain’s lips were on mine, but it wasn't like the movies. It wasn't smooth. It was sloppy and uneven at first. I could feel him trembling. It felt like he was learning how to do it in real-time. His movements were sha
Debbie I knew the rut was tearing him apart. In the kitchen, I saw the way he gripped the counter occasionally, his knuckles white, trying to keep himself together. I’m not an expert on male anatomy, but I know enough. I had seen enough from his brothers to have known that my presence—my scent, my
DebbieI woke up before the sun was even fully out. The house was quiet, and the air was still cool. My head felt lighter than yesterday, but the thought of the office—and Chloe—still felt like a dark cloud waiting for me. I couldn't go back there today. I just couldn't. I needed to do something no







