LOGIN~ AliceI didn’t slam the door because I was angry.Okay… maybe I did.But mostly?It was because if I stayed one more second in that room…I was going to cry.And absolutely not.Not in front of him.The hallway stretched out in front of me, quiet and polished like nothing had just happened.Like my chest wasn’t tight,like my throat didn’t burn, like something didn’t just… crack.I don't cry, but I don't know why this hurt so bad.I kept walking Fast, Because stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant feeling.And feeling?Yeah… no.“So dad was right after all…” I muttered, my voice low, almost bitter.I blinked hard, forcing everything back.“…Kael doesn’t have a heart.”“Ugh!” I groaned, dragging a hand through my hair.“Why do I even care?!”He said he didn’t care,So why should I?And his voice replayed in my head.“My dad died the moment he sold me away.”My jaw tightened.“…Still doesn’t justify it,” I muttered quickly, shaking my head like I could physically throw the thought a
~ KaelSomething was off.I noticed it before anyone said a word.From my window, the estate didn’t look normal.Too much movement.Too many guards shifting positions.Servants walked faster than usual, whispering, glancing around like they were waiting for something to explode.It wasn’t panic.No.It was controlled tension.And in a place like this? That was worse.I didn't know what's happening, and I didn't care at all.I took a slow sip of my wine, leaning slightly against the window frame Watching. Observing.Always observing.“This house…” I muttered under my breath, “…can never stay quiet for long.”A guard ran across the courtyard,another followed.Mira passed through, her expression serious.That caught my attention, mira didn’t panic easily.So whatever was happening…It was big.Still… No one had come to me.No one had said anything.Which meant one of two things.Either I wasn’t important enough to be informed…Or they thought I was better left out of it.I smirked slightly.
Chapter 191~ IrisThe house was moving again.Not like before… not light, not joyful.This time it was sharp. Focused. Controlled chaos.Guards were being repositioned. Orders whispered instead of shouted. Servants moved quickly, quietly, like they understood something serious was unfolding but didn’t dare ask questions.Everyone was preparing.For something we couldn’t even see yet.And I hated it.“Mom,” Alice’s voice cut through my thoughts.I turned to her,She stood with her arms crossed, her expression unusually serious. Mira stood beside her, equally focused.“For once,” Alice continued, “let’s not rush into danger blindly.”I raised a brow slightly.She rolled her eyes. “I know, shocking. I can think.”Mira snorted softly.“I’m serious,” Alice added, stepping closer. “If we go now, they’ll expect it. We don’t even know what we’re walking into.”She paused.“Dad will be fine.”I held her gaze.Fine. That word felt fragile, but I nodded slowly anyway.“Then what do you suggest?”
Chapter 190Iris The kitchen felt… normal.For the first time in days, it didn’t feel heavy or suffocating or like something was about to break. It just felt warm. Lived in. Safe.And maybe it was because of her.Alice stood beside me, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back in the most unserious way possible, trying, and failing to cut vegetables properly.“No, no, no,” I laughed, reaching over to stop her. “At this point, you’re fighting the knife, not cooking.”She gasped dramatically. “Excuse me, I am trying to bond with you. Don’t ruin my moment.”“Your moment is about to send someone to the healer’s wing,” I muttered, gently taking the knife from her hand.She leaned against the counter instead, watching me with that look she gets when she’s pretending not to care, but clearly does.“Okay,” she said, tilting her head. “Teach me then, oh wise Luna.”I smiled faintly despite myself, guiding her hands this time. “Hold it like this… steady, not aggressive. The food didn’t offend you.”She
Duncan The hotel was too quiet, not peaceful,no.The kind of quiet that makes you think too much.Too clean. Too controlled. Too far from everything that actually mattered.Three days.Three days since I left.Three days since I left her.I leaned back in the chair, staring at the city lights through the window. Everything looked small from up here. Manageable.If only it actually was.“You’ve been doing that a lot.”Calista’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.I glanced at her. She was sitting across from me, legs crossed, watching me like she was trying to read something I wasn’t saying.“Doing what?” I asked.“Thinking like the world is on your shoulders,” she replied calmly.I huffed lightly. “Maybe it is.”She tilted her head slightly. “Or maybe you just like carrying things alone.”I didn’t answer that, Because she wasn’t wrong.She leaned forward a bit, resting her arms on her knees. “You left her in a bad way, you know.”My jaw tightened. “I didn’t come here to talk about Ir
Chapter 188AliceFirst of all… let me just say this, If anyone thinks I don’t know what’s going on in this house, they’re very wrong.I see everything.Mom pretending she’s okay? Not okay.Alpha Dad acting like he didn’t just mess things up and leave. Annoying.Kael and Mom suddenly spending time together? Suspicious… but interesting.Probably they are mother and son Bonding, since Rowan is locked away again.And Mira?Oh, Mira is a whole show on her own.That celebration night? Iconic.Messy… but iconic.I was drunk.Not “tipsy cute drunk”no.I mean gone.Mira was right there with me though, so at least I wasn’t embarrassing myself alone.I remember leaning on her, laughing like the world didn’t exist when Thorne showed up with that “I’m tired of your nonsense” face.“Ugh… Thorne always coming to the rescue,” Mira said like she had rehearsed it.I snorted. “Because he loves you.”She waved me off,” serious, if it were left for me, he would leave me for dead.” I said, and she laughe
Chapter 39~irisI sucked in a shaky breath as her words settled, heavy and poisonous. Anastasia straightened, pacing slowly in front of me like a lecturer savoring her point.“A father,” she said calmly, almost thoughtfully. “And his daughter.”She stopped and looked at me,her head titling.” Do yo
~ AliceI hadn't planned on running into iris.If I were honest, i hadn't planned on seeing anyone this morning. I had gone to my father's estate for the simplest reason possible to grab a sealed envelope form his study. Old council documents he’d asked me to keep safe weeks ago. He’d already left
~ EuniceI didn’t need secrets to want Iris.I never did.People liked to dress it up as jealousy. As rivalry. As some warped extension of my relationship with my brother. They were wrong.I wanted Iris because she didn’t belong to anyone.Not truly.Yes, she was tangled up with my niece now.Emotio
Chapter 34~Iris I lay awake staring at the ceiling, counting the cracks like they might rearrange themselves into answers if I looked long enough.They didn’t.The bond was still there, quiet now, like an old bruise you forget about until you roll the wrong way. It pulsed beneath my ribs, dull an







