KAELIt was like my brain short-circuited.I leaned in. I don’t even know why I did it, but the moment her face tilted up, and the light caught her lips just so, something in me snapped. I just leaned in without a single thought in my head, without breathing, without considering the shatters I was leaving behind when I did.But then she pulled away, fast, like I was dirty water. My pride just hit the ground.“Shit—” I muttered, stepping back instantly, my heart ricocheting against my ribs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”My voice trailed, words dying on my tongue while the light in her eyes died. She stared at me without uttering a word, her eyes saying things she couldn’t open her lips to utter.And I got it, loud and clear.A small, sad smile formed on her lips, like she was trying not to make things worse. “Thanks for… helping me take my mind off everything.”She turned and walked away, leaving me to sink into the silence and embarrassment. I didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with m
DALA‘DALANTHA! Why aren’t you picking up my calls!?”I could hear her yell it from a pack away as I stared at the texts, followed by some photos that contained God knows what. I sighed and opened them too.Little did I know I’d need some mental hesitation to handle what my eyes fell upon. The moment I saw the photos, everything in me went still.Isabella was hooked up to wires and tubes, her normally smug face paler than I’d ever seen it. All my resentment toward my aunt and her daughter just didn’t matter at that moment. What the hell was going on?My hands were still trembling when the phone rang. Aunt Claudette’s name flashed across the screen, and I already knew how this was going to go. I answered anyway, inching the phone away from my ears before she blew up my eardrums. “Dala!” She yelled, as expected. “What is wrong with you!?” It wasn’t concern or softness in her voice, it was demand. “You saw the photos, right?”“I did,” I replied carefully, inching toward the sliding gl
HERA“It’s nothing,” I lied, shoving my phone into my jacket pocket like it wasn’t burning a hole through me.That kept replaying like a broken record, searing itself into the front of my brain. The kind of torture word wouldn’t just explain I didn’t even want to give myself time to wonder what it meant. I didn’t want to think about the guy on the floor, groaning and holding what was likely a shattered wrist, or the trail of blood Vander had walked away from, like it didn’t mean anything.He wouldn’t kill anyone… right? I mean, it was Vander. And he was away…for years. Rumored to have been in Juvie but that was a discussion I wasn’t willing to have with him, especially not now. My palms became sweaty and despite the blistering coldness of this vehicle, heat still pooled me from the inside.I swallowed hard, forcing my body to stay calm. My thoughts spiraled. I spiraled, oscillating between wanting to ask questions or trying to text the person back. Whoever the hell it was. Vander
DALAShit. Amber blinked like she’d just seen a ghost, and I wore the exact expression. She was the one who informed me of the school party, yet didn’t attend.“Hey,” I said quickly. Too quickly. “Amber, this is Vander.” I tried to make it sound as casual as someone dropping off a group project assignment. My…friend whom I just kissed.Please don’t recognize him.Amber’s gaze flicked between the two of us like she was connecting dots in a puzzle I didn’t want her to finish.“Nice to meet you,” she said politely. It wasn’t her real tone—it was her waitress voice. “What are you doing here?” I asked, tilting my head with the same fake smile she was wearing, knowing damn well a lie would follow. I still wanted to hear her say it. Amber glanced at the old man behind the counter and then reached out, grabbing my arm. “Come with me.”She didn’t wait. Just tugged me from the booth and dragged me past the kitchen doors, into the back of the diner while I mouthed to Vander that I would be ba
DALAHe was leaving me behind. Abandoning me by the roadside. My heart had never felt so swollen.So full of nothing but gnawing sadness and pain as it dawned on me just how small I was.“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath.I waited for the sound of roaring engines and spinning tires, but nothing happened. Instead, the door creaked.When I looked up, Vander was walking toward me, holding a black jacket in one hand, his shirt already damp and clinging to his skin in a way that would’ve stolen my breath if I wasn’t already choking on it.Without a word, he draped the jacket around my shoulders. His hands lingered just slightly longer than they needed to, and he didn’t meet my eyes right away.“The rain,” he muttered, glancing up at the sky, “has impeccable comedic timing. It must be attracted you, I think?”I couldn’t speak. I just judged him hard and called him an asshole. Yet it took just an action for those feelings of anger and angst to completely dissipate. If I opened my mouth,
DALAWhen I opened the door, the last thing I expected to see was a maid.Maybe not the last thing, but it was a cheerful maid. That rarely happened, especially not with Agnes. Her brows were creased in a permanent frown, and she always looked utterly irritated by everyone’s existence, except now she was smiling at me.“Hi, do you need my help with something?” I asked immediately, oscillating between a smile and a straight face.“One of the young Alphas has requested your presence. Meet in the yard in 10 minutes.”My brow shot up. “Who?”“You will find out.” Her smile didn’t falter. It was becoming more and more unsettling. “10 minutes.”I barely kept from rolling my eyes. Knox was the only one who would do this. The urge to say no made my tongue a playground, but it wasn’t Agnes I would be saying no to. “Okay.” She nodded, and I closed the door, leaning against it to catch my breath. I wasn’t mad at Knox anymore, and he’d apologized.I just didn’t want to be cordial with him. Not r
VANDERThere was no better indication of trouble than when my stepmother chose to talk to me over her real son. My stomach formed a knot before I took a single step, reminding me that I was apparently still open to feeling things.I stayed behind her, slowly maneuvering the wheelchair, although I was unsure what to say. What was I supposed to say to someone who lost their legs because of me?Supposedly. The blame wasn’t hard to take, but I wondered how distressing it must have been for her.“Have you had breakfast?” Lady Ambessa asked suddenly.I shook my head, then realized she couldn’t see me. “Not yet.” I was more than ready to refuse any invitations for a family breakfast.I was the last person my father wanted to see, and I shared the same sentiment. “Good,” she said and said nothing more. I didn’t know where we were headed, but subconsciously, I headed to the grand dining hall, taking the initiative.To my surprise, when we arrived, there was no one but the maids. I finally bre
KNOXI’ve done worse.Worse things. To worse people. I have done things that would keep most people up at night, gnawing at their souls, but I always slept just fine.When did that end? Because sleep seemed to have eluded me. The moment I shut my eyes, her face was the first thing I saw.Those huge eyes staring at me with so much fear in them. That wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be to her. Every single time after that, all I saw was the way her eyes filled with so much fear and hatred toward me. Even the way she slammed that damn door in my face like I was some kind of monster still stuck to my memory, and maybe I was.I wouldn’t usually mind that. But this—this tightness in my chest, this constant ache gnawing at my ribs wasn’t just guilt. Funny, it could be but o wouldn’t even know what guilt feels like anymore. All I knew was that I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I don’t even remember what I said that night. I was drunk and out of my fucking mind. But I remember to
KAII didn’t even like pies.Seriously, I didn’t. I found them too sweet, too flaky. That was definitely too much drama for a bite of fruit and sugar. But for some reason, when Arya handed it to me—still warm, wrapped in a little dish towel that smelled like cinnamon and rosemary—I didn’t hesitate.It just seemed more valuable than it actually was, and I took it like it was a damn treasure. As if I’d been waiting all day for someone to make me a pie.Which, again—I hadn’t. I don’t even like pies.I liked the way she smiled when she gave it to me. She looked like she hadn’t slept and wasn't thinking about the bruises under her eyes or the way her hands still shook a little when she thought no one was watching. I guess that was my little thank you gift for helping and practicing hijacking a car.I should probably call my dealer to see if the upgrade was done for the girls. I carried it upstairs, headed to Knox’s room, and tapped on the door with my foot.“Bro,” I called, “you alive in