Olivia Martins Caspian’s growl ripped through the air like a whip. “What the fuck is a human doing in my pack?” I stiffened. His voice, sharp and cold, sliced through the fragile stillness. Victoria flinched beside me, but it was the words that truly knocked the wind from my lungs. A human. Not Victoria. He didn’t remember her. Just like he didn't remember me. Which meant… he didn’t remember anything that had to do with me. I stepped forward before I could think better of it. “She’s with me.” His head tilted, gaze darkening with something that looked too much like disgust. “So not only am I housing a killer,” he said slowly, “but her accomplice as well?” My jaw clenched. “I didn’t kill Karen.” The moment her name left my lips, something in him snapped. “Don’t let her name come out of your filthy mouth,” he spat, the words crackling with rage. I opened my mouth to respond, but then I saw him. Ryker was pushing through the crowd that had gathered, his face thunderous. Caspia
Olivia Martins The door creaked open, stirring me from the edge of a restless sleep. I blinked against the soft morning light spilling through the curtains. “Ryker?” I asked, my voice scratchy and low. “It’s me,” he said gently. “Didn’t mean to wake you. Just needed a change of clothes.” I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes as he disappeared into the closet. The bed still smelled faintly of him, clean and masculine, but it wasn’t Caspian, and every part of me ached with the reminder. When Ryker emerged, he was dressed in all black. A fitted shirt, dark slacks, and polished shoes. His jacket hung perfectly from his shoulders, and he adjusted the collar like it was choking him. “The burial?” I asked, already knowing the answer. He nodded once. I swung my legs off the bed. “I’m coming too.” “No.” His response was quick, too quick. Then he hesitated, his expression softening. “I mean… no. He’s mad as hell, Olivia. I don’t know how he’ll react to seeing you there.” My chest tightene
Olivia Martins I curled into the corner of Ryker’s bed, hugging my knees to my chest. The sheets smelled wrong, clean and sharp, like soap and pine. Not like Caspian. Not like the warm, earthy scent that used to make me feel safe. This wasn’t his bed, and no matter how exhausted I was, my body refused to rest here. I shouldn’t be in another man’s bed. Even if I hadn’t touched the pillows, even if I was just a guest, it felt like betrayal. Not when my mate was under the same roof. A thought made me freeze. Was Bridget with him? Was she in our bed? On my side? I shot upright too quickly, the dizziness hitting me like a wave. My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat as my mind tormented me with images I didn’t want. Caspian, naked, his arms tangled with hers. His lips on her skin. His voice in her ear. Her hands on him. The kind of closeness that should only belong to me. A scream clawed its way up my throat. I grabbed the nearest pillow and pressed it to my face, muffling th
Olivia Martins “Caspian!” I cried, my voice trembling in fear. His head lolled to the side, eyes closed, face pale and clammy. He wasn’t responding. “No, no, no—” I cradled his face in my hands, panic clawing up my throat. “Look at me, please, Caspian, just open your eyes. Come on, you’re okay. You’re going to be okay.” I felt his breath against my fingers, shallow, but still there. My heart slammed against my ribs. “Call the damn doctor!” Ryker’s voice cut through the panic. “Now!” Footsteps pounded behind me, but I didn’t look up. I couldn’t. I rested Caspian’s head on my lap, brushing back his hair, my fingers trembling. His skin was burning. My mate was lying there unconscious, and I had no idea why. I couldn't even feel him through the bond to know what was happening to him. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. “Stay with me,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Please, just stay with me…” The moment dragged. I was aware of the people around us, guards murmuring, Ryker
Olivia Martins “Take her to the dungeon.” Ryker stepped forward, blocking their path before the guards could lay a hand on me again. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Caspian?” His voice cracked through the air like thunder, echoing off the walls of the grand foyer. Caspian remained unreadable. “I’ve been patient,” Ryker continued, his tone thick with disbelief. “I’ve waited. I hoped you’d come to your senses. But this?” He gestured between us, fury shaking in his clenched fists. “This is too far. First you try to kill her, and now you want to throw her in the dungeon? What the fuck happened to you?” Caspian’s jaw tightened. “It is not your place to question my orders, Beta,” he said, his voice cold and unyielding. Ryker didn’t back down. He squared his shoulders, chest rising with every breath, fighting the urge to shift, I could tell. “It is when I’m watching you throw your whole life away,” he said quietly. “When I see you standing there, blind to the truth and ready to de
Olivia Martins Then suddenly I was thrown to the ground, hard.The impact knocked the air from my lungs, and for a second, all I could do was gasp, choke, and claw at the air like it might give me something to hold on to. My ribs screamed from the fall, my throat burned where his hand had been, and the taste of blood coated the back of my tongue.I coughed and dragged myself up onto shaking elbows, blinking through the haze clouding my vision.Ryker moved toward me, his face stricken, but Caspian’s voice cracked like a whip through the air.“Don’t.”Ryker froze. His eyes darted to mine. And in them, I saw it. Helplessness. Fury.But he didn’t move.I pushed myself upright, kneeling in the dirt as Caspian turned away from me like I was nothing. Like I was no one. His steps were steady as he walked toward her.Bridget.She stood waiting for him like some beautiful porcelain thing, untouched by the chaos around us. Untouched by blood or guilt or grief. Her eyes flicked to me, and her li