LOGINMELISSA.“Why are you sorry?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them, my voice edged with confusion. His apology had caught me completely off guard, leaving me momentarily unbalanced, unsure of how to process it. My brows furrowed slightly as my thoughts began to race.Did he not enjoy kissing me?Or… was it just a moment of impulse for him? Something he acted on without thinking—only to regret it the very next second?The thought stung more than I expected.“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath, the word barely audible, yet heavy with the frustration building inside me.Almost instantly, a dull ache spread across my chest, slow and suffocating, like something was tearing me apart from the inside. It wasn’t sharp or loud, it was worse than that. Quiet. Persistent. Lingering in a way that made it impossible to ignore.“I—I… You were crying, Melissa!” he said, his voice uneven, as if he was struggling to keep up with everything happening between us. He paused, draggin
LOUIS.I honestly did not like the way Mr. Copper was staring at my sister. There was something in his gaze, something cold, something calculating, that made my jaw tighten instinctively. He was an asshole, that much was clear. A man who could treat his own sister the way he did… Goddess knew what he was capable of doing to any other woman who didn’t hold the same place Amelia did in his life.The thought alone made my blood run hot.I exhaled slowly, trying to rein in the irritation clawing at my chest, but it didn’t help much. If anything, it only sharpened my thoughts, darkening them.I just hoped—no, I needed him—to stay far away from Ann.Because if he didn’t… if he so much as crossed a line with her, I wouldn’t hesitate. Not for a second. I had taken down men far worse than him over the years, and adding his head to that number wouldn’t weigh on my conscience in the slightest.Not even a little.Ann had left me a few minutes ago, and I didn’t need anyone to tell me where she was
Melissa.I felt…I didn’t quite know what I was feeling. It was confusing, tangled, like two emotions fighting for space inside me. Maybe I was happy. Yes, there was a lightness somewhere deep within me, something soft and warm. But at the same time, a dull ache spread slowly across my chest, heavy and persistent, refusing to be ignored. It wasn’t sharp enough to hurt, yet it lingered, pressing quietly against my ribs.I exhaled and waved it off, as though dismissing it would make it disappear.And then, suddenly, without warning, one thought pushed through everything else.I wanted to see Louis.A small, almost embarrassed smile curved on my lips as his image slipped into my mind so vividly it startled me. The memory came uninvited—the way I had walked into his room without knocking, careless, unaware… and then froze. The sight of him had caught me completely off guard, stealing the air from my lungs.My smile deepened, turning sheepish as heat crept up my neck.That moment… it had do
Melissa.I hated this damn mate bond.Hated it with everything in me.It felt less like a connection and more like a curse, something that kept pulling at me, dragging me toward a place I had no intention of going. No matter how much I resisted, no matter how loudly my mind screamed against it, my body betrayed me in ways I couldn’t control.And right now, it was doing exactly that.I hated the man whose lips were on mine.I hated him.And yet…I couldn’t find the strength to push him away immediately.My body reacted before my mind could catch up, softening against him, melting into his embrace like it remembered something I wished I could erase. His presence surrounded me, overwhelming, suffocating, and yet… familiar in the most dangerous way.My fingers moved on their own—tangling into his hair, and gripping tightly, not out of affection…but because I needed something.An outlet.A way to release everything that had been building inside me for years, anger, betrayal, pain, humiliat
Fredrick.I had only stepped out for a moment.Just briefly, long enough to get something Amelia and I could eat. It wasn’t meant to take time. I had even quickened my pace on the way, mindful of how particular she could be with her meals.Amelia didn’t like cold food.Not even slightly.And my parents had made it clear, more than once, that I was to take proper care of her. Their words still lingered in my mind as I made my way back, firm and expectant.So I didn’t delay.But the moment I got to the room and pushed the door open…She wasn’t there.I paused, my grip tightening slightly on the tray in my hand as my gaze swept across the space.Empty.Completely empty.A small frown formed on my face as realization settled in almost instantly.There was only one place she could be.The triplets’ room.Of course.I let out a quiet breath and turned immediately, my steps quickening without hesitation. If she was there, then I needed to get to her quickly, before the food got cold, before sh
Cain.I stood there, unmoving, as everything unfolded right before my eyes.It all happened so fast.One moment, we had all stood here, taking to Melissa, before she was taken away by Louis and the next… it had turned into chaos, with Caleb's and Davian's fists flying.A heavy breath slipped past my lips as I watched the scene, a strange unease settling deep in my chest.Things were slipping.And for the first time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever had been broken between us… might never be fixed again.Most especially with Melissa, I could feel the defiance emanating from her. It burned through her like wildfire, unrestrained, unapologetic. There was no hesitation in her anymore, no fear, no submission.Just anger and I really couldn’t understand it. My brows furrowed slightly as my thoughts spiraled.Why was she this mad at us?We only punished her back then.That was all it was supposed to be, a punishment. A correction. Something temporary.So why…Why did she look at us
Melissa.The moment I stepped into the hall, the atmosphere shifted.I could feel it instantly.Dozens—no, hundreds—of eyes turned in my direction the second I crossed the doorway. Conversations that had been flowing freely moments ago slowed, then faded into curious murmurs as people openly stared
Cain.For a moment, I remained frozen.The words Lycan Prince echoed inside my mind like a distant thunderclap, unsettling something deep within my instincts.Slowly, I turned my head toward the door.“Come inside!” I ordered immediately.My voice was calm, but the tightness in my chest betrayed th
Louis.I had paced the length of the room so many times that the polished floor beneath my boots might as well have been worn thin.Back and forth.Back and forth.Restless energy coiled tightly in my chest, refusing to let me sit still for even a moment. Every few seconds my gaze drifted toward th
Cain.The crack of the final lash still echoed in my ears as I stepped down from the podium.It rang sharp and clean, like wood splitting beneath a blade. The sound refused to fade, rebounding against the walls of my skull, threading itself through the steady rhythm of my heartbeat.“Punishment com







