LOGINKavian’s POVDraco and the soldiers descended on the rebel camp with a loud, savage cry, steel and boots tearing through the forest’s fragile calm. A heaviness settled in my chest, slow and sinking, the bitter thought pressing in—my warning had been ignored. They were all going to die.I was just about to rise from where I hid, to slip away before the slaughter burned itself into my memory, when everything suddenly went quiet.Too quiet.I stilled, breath held, and focused—letting my heightened hearing stretch outward, threading through the silence. Then I heard it.“There’s no one here. The camp is empty.”The words cut through me, and relief hit so sharply it almost made my knees weak.They listened.The rebels had taken my warning seriously. They were alive. And with that simple choice, they had placed themselves in my debt—a debt I would collect when the time was right.“This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Draco’s voice followed, tight and edged with fury. “How did they know we were
Rose’s pov“I need you so bad,” Shirin whispered into my ear, the words breaking into a soft moan, and my body reacted instantly, betraying me before my mind could catch up. A shiver rolled through me, starting at my spine and spreading everywhere at once.He started sucking on my ear, slow and deliberate, and I never knew that such a small, neglected part of my body could unravel me so completely. Every nerve seemed to wake up at once. Beneath the water, my skin tightened, my nipples hardening as a restless heat curled low in my belly, a tingling ache settling between my legs.His touch felt like fire against me, burning even through the cool water that surrounded us. The contrast only made it worse—better. I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted more. I wanted to be swallowed whole by the heat he was creating inside me. So I kissed him. I kissed him like it might be the last time, poured everything I was feeling into it. He kissed me back with a raw hunger, as if it were a challenge he
Kavian’s povI was tactful and careful as I followed Draco and the group of soldiers, keeping my steps light and my presence deliberately forgettable. I didn’t want a single soul to notice I was trailing them. I had just paused in a shadowed corridor, pressed against the cold stone as I waited for them to pass, when a faint, sweet scent drifted in behind me.I didn’t need to turn around to know it belonged to Rose.Under normal circumstances, her nearness would have lifted something in my chest—relief, warmth, even excitement. But now, it only tightened my nerves. I didn’t want her anywhere near this. Not when what I was about to do could put her in danger, even if I was doing it for her sake.The scent grew stronger, unmistakable. She was walking toward me. Damn it. I couldn’t even risk turning around.If she came any closer, I would lose Draco and the rebels entirely. I wouldn’t get ahead of the soldiers. I wouldn’t be able to protect her the way I intended to. My jaw clenched as I
Kavian’s POV“So why did Father ask you to wait behind?” Shirin asked once we were together again, inside Roshan's room.“Yeah, I’m kinda curious too,” Roshan added, and Arman’s gaze followed, steady and expectant.I didn’t want to lie to them—not because our father had warned me to keep quiet. His commands meant little to me now. But there was no way I could tell my brothers the truth. Not when it didn’t fully make sense even in my own head. Not when those words, spoken so calmly by Father, could tear something fragile between us apart. How was I supposed to tell them that the man they had remained loyal to all their lives was considering me as his successor—for betraying our pack and daring to stand against him?“Nothing important,” I said instead. “He just wanted to assure me he intends to keep the promise he made to Rose about not harming me.”I offered them only half the truth, leaving the sharpest edge buried.“Really?” Shirin said, studying my face, suspicion flickering briefly
Kavian’s POV“Someone should clean this mess up,” our father said, his tone flat, almost bored—as if he were pointing out spilled wine on stone rather than the body of a man he had just killed in cold blood. Not a single soul spoke. No gasp. No protest.Everyone here knew his cruelty. It had become so normal it was like the very air we breathed—unseen, unquestioned, suffocating only if you stopped to notice it. The old me, before Rose, would have watched with interest, maybe even satisfaction. After all, my brothers and I were shaped in his image, perfect reflections of his ruthlessness.But now my stomach twisted. All I could see was an unjust, needless act, so raw it made bile rise in my throat. I had to clench my jaw to keep myself from reacting.Servants hurried in, heads bowed, hands trembling as they dragged Lord Darian’s lifeless body away. Others followed, kneeling to scrub and mop the dark blood staining the floor, as if erasing it could undo what had just happened. The metal
Rose’s pov“Why your side? She should stay with me instead,” Roshan countered Shirin’s earlier words, folding his arms like the matter was already settled.“Nah, brother. If she’s staying with anyone, it should be me,” Kavian said calmly, though there was a firmness beneath it.“All of you are wrong,” Arman cut in. “I’m the oldest, so she ought to stay in my room.”“Oldest?” Shirin scoffed. “We were born on the same day. There is no oldest.”His brothers nodded in agreement.“But I came out first,” Arman shot back, his chin lifting. “So yes, I’m the oldest.”Their frowns only deepened. “And with the authority of the oldest,” he added, “she’s staying with me.”“Authority my ass. She stays with me,” Roshan said, already stepping closer.“No—me,” Shirin insisted, and just like that, the argument dissolved into playful shoving and mock threats.I watched them, laughter bubbling in my chest. The sight of them—bickering, teasing, half-wrestling—felt strangely warm.“Guys, guys, guys!” I fin







