LOGIN~ Harvey ~Even flanked by my officials, my sister, and Gina, I can still see Lazar drawing Maya away. Her shock when he walked onto the training grounds looked real. But is she genuinely unaware of who he is, or was she simply caught off guard by meeting him unannounced? That's a question I can't answer.She looks far from pleased as he leads her off — though maybe she's only annoyed that no one coordinated this with her. They return to the grounds perfectly composed, no trace of a falling-out.All through the training, my eyes stay glued to her, hunting for anything that might tell me what's really going on. And for once, Zev and I are perfectly aligned — we both hate having a bloodsucker anywhere near Maya.The way he looks at her. The way he moves around her like a preening peacock mid-courtship. And Maya accepts his attention eagerly."Don't you dare let a leech snatch our mate. Maya is ours!"Agreed — unless she's a traitor
~ Maya ~Lazar's eyes hold mine, and the silence stretches long enough for everyone to notice something is out of place.Harvey steps up beside me with a bright, teasing smile, placing a hand on my shoulder to pull me close."Your Highness, you asked so much about my Luna — so here she is. My dearest mate, Maya Devereux." He turns to me, his smile stretching unnaturally. "Maya, let me introduce the Vampire Crown Prince, Lazar August Cornell III. Though it seems the two of you already know each other rather well. Care to explain?"Lazar stiffens, narrowing his eyes. "Alpha Harvey, we'll speak privately after the training.""I'd like to hear the explanation right now," Harvey barks.Something ignites in Lazar's eyes — for a second, I catch a red glow — and he looks Harvey dead in the eye, pupils shrinking, his voice ice-cold and every word sharper than a blade."We will speak after training. Now, let us begin."Ab
~ Maya ~ My gaze sweeps the crowd. My brother looks composed, but his eyes don't lie — he's sick with worry for me. Come on, it's just a spar, not a duel. Harvey's expression is even more puzzling. Jaw hard, face pale, fists curling. Is he seriously worried a wolfless girl could hurt his precious Georgina? Georgina flips her beach-wave curls and gives me a look like she's already beaten me without lifting a finger. She doesn't know yet that I plan to wipe that smug smile off her face. She sees the wolfless disgrace, the easy win, and she's already gloating. What she forgets is that I'm Gamma-blooded. I trained for years — before I let them convince me a wolfless girl had no reason to bother and walked away from the ring. But skill like that doesn't vanish. It just waits. Georgina is an Alpha, yes, and she trains daily, but she leans on raw wolf strength and a frightening aura, not technique. In a friendly spar, stripped of both, combat has never been her strong suit. And there's
~ Harvey ~"…a vampire who forced the mark through his mind—" The elder's words echo in my head. It was one of the theories raised when I first marked Maya. And damn it — now, knowing she's grown close to none other than one of the most powerful vampires alive, one stray thought won't leave me: what if the vampire prince had a hand in forcing me to mark Maya? What if it's all part of some larger conspiracy — to get close to me, betray me, and help take over my pack?"Are you out of your mind?" Zev growls, baring his teeth and lashing his tail frantically."You saw the photos yourself," I bark back."Photos of a girl casually sipping a drink with a friend. There's nothing in them that says Maya is some villain out to invade packs and crown herself queen of everything. I'm certain she doesn't even know who Lazar truly is.""How can you be so sure?"He growls at me. "Are you seriously Alpha-blooded? Couldn't you tell? When you spoke about the vampire prince, her heartbeat never spiked. H
~ Maya ~I send my final project off to the university and dive fully into work. Graduation is less than a month away, and I curse myself for how foolish I was to turn this job down at first.This is heaven — literally architecture heaven. A shame I won't be here long, but for now I can enjoy it fully.Buried in sketches, I don't notice it's already afternoon.A knock at the door startles me, and I look up to see Lola, smiling ear to ear."Hello, Maya. Derek and I are heading to lunch — would you like to join?"Voluntarily eat with my ex? Throwing myself into a snake pit would be a better option than sitting across from Derek — or worse, beside him."Thank you, Lola. I have a lot of work. I'll just order takeout," I say dryly.But instead of leaving, Lola invites herself into my office, sliding into the chair across from me."I'm sorry for everything — for ghosting you. You can't imagine how devastated
~ Harvey ~Being on good terms with Maya actually feels good."See? I told you — she's a gem. And she never schemed against you," Zev says.I want to object out of habit, but I stop myself, because I truly believe she didn't drug me, and I know she didn't take the waitressing job to humiliate me or make me pity her. She took it to pay her bills."Still, that vampire-protection bracelet is a question mark," I tell Zev.He chuckles bitterly. "She told you a human friend gave it to her. She wasn't lying. But I'd bet the same friend sent the roses — so we should watch him. He wants far more than friendship."I want to brush him off, but he's a part of me; he knows my answer even when I won't voice it."I've hated seeing other males near Maya since the moment I marked her. But aren't we the same, you and I — mated to Maya, with Gina still waiting for us?""Waiting for you, maybe. I chose Maya. I want Maya and no one







