로그인The morning light filtered weakly through Percy’s thin curtains, casting pale stripes across the couch where I’d crashed for the second night in a row. My body ached from the awkward position, but it was nothing compared to the heavier weight pressing on my chest. Davin still hadn’t texted back. Not a word since that explosive fight in the quad. His confession hung in the air like smoke I couldn’t clear—How do you want me to say I want you as my girlfriend?—and the silence afterward felt louder than any yell. I missed my friend, the safe, easy version of him, but romance? After Girad, the thought made my skin crawl. Percy had checked on me twice already, her own eyes shadowed from nightmares she wouldn’t fully share.“You okay over there?” Percy asked from the kitchenette, sliding a mug of coffee my way. Her tattooed arm flexed as she moved, the ink a reminder of the armor she’d built after what those three monsters did to her. “Davin’s still ghosting?”I nodded, sipping the bitter br
Corleone’s POVThe cab ride back from the club felt endless. Every red light made my heart stutter in a weird way. I kept twisting in my seat, scanning the sidewalks through rain-streaked windows, convinced Girad’s shadow hid behind every stranger. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking and fidgeting. Tears slipped down my cheeks as the driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror but said nothing. Percy sat beside me, her arm wrapped tightly around mine, holding me in place.“I can’t go back to my place tonight,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “He knows where I live. He said he’s watching. He’ll be there.”“You’re staying with me,” Percy said firmly, squeezing my arm. “No arguments. The bed is yours as long as you need it.”When we finally reached her apartment, I collapsed onto the couch and let the sobs come out full force. The alcohol had worn off, leaving only raw fear and terror. “He found me so easily, Percy.” My sobs were louder than my words. “After everything, I dyed my hair, avo
Corleone’s POVThe cab ride back from the club felt endless. Every red light made my heart stutter in a weird way. I kept twisting in my seat, scanning the sidewalks through rain-streaked windows, convinced Girad’s shadow hid behind every stranger. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking and fidgeting. Tears slipped down my cheeks as the driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror but said nothing. Percy sat beside me, her arm wrapped tightly around mine, holding me in place.“I can’t go back to my place tonight,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “He knows where I live. He said he’s watching. He’ll be there.”“You’re staying with me,” Percy said firmly, squeezing my arm. “No arguments. The bed is yours as long as you need it.”When we finally reached her apartment, I collapsed onto the couch and let the sobs come out full force. The alcohol had worn off, leaving only raw fear and terror. “He found me so easily, Percy.” My sobs were louder than my words. “After everything, I dyed my hair, avo
Martil leaned against the brick wall outside the lecture hall, the late afternoon sun warm on his face but doing nothing to ease the knot of unease twisting in his gut. He’d seen Corleone that morning in the hallway—pale, eyes darting, that fake little smile she’d given him when he handed her the mail. She’d brushed him off again, polite but distant, and it had stuck with him all day. Something was wrong with her. He wanted to push, to sit her down and ask what shadows were chasing her, but timing mattered. For now, he let it sit.His phone stayed stubbornly silent. He pulled it out for the sixth time and dialed Kaleb.Voicemail. Again.“Damn it, Kaleb,” Martil muttered, voice low and rough. “It’s me. Pick up. This radio silence isn’t you, man. Call me back the second you get this.”Kaleb wasn’t just his best friend—he was his right-hand man, the one who kept the underground fight club running smooth on the edges of Berlin. Loyal to the bone. If Kaleb missed a training session or didn
Martil leaned against the brick wall outside the lecture hall, the late afternoon sun warm on his face but doing nothing to ease the knot of unease twisting in his gut. He’d seen Corleone that morning in the hallway—pale, eyes darting, that fake little smile she’d given him when he handed her the mail. She’d brushed him off again, polite but distant, and it had stuck with him all day. Something was wrong with her. He wanted to push, to sit her down and ask what shadows were chasing her, but timing mattered. For now, he let it sit.His phone stayed stubbornly silent. He pulled it out for the sixth time and dialed Kaleb.Voicemail. Again.“Damn it, Kaleb,” Martil muttered, voice low and rough. “It’s me. Pick up. This radio silence isn’t you, man. Call me back the second you get this.”Kaleb wasn’t just his best friend—he was his right-hand man, the one who kept the underground fight club running smooth on the edges of Berlin. Loyal to the bone. If Kaleb missed a training session or didn
Martil leaned against the brick wall outside the lecture hall, the late afternoon sun warm on his face but doing nothing to ease the knot of unease twisting in his gut. He’d seen Corleone that morning in the hallway—pale, eyes darting, that fake little smile she’d given him when he handed her the mail. She’d brushed him off again, polite but distant, and it had stuck with him all day. Something was wrong with her. He wanted to push, to sit her down and ask what shadows were chasing her, but timing mattered. For now, he let it sit.His phone stayed stubbornly silent. He pulled it out for the sixth time and dialed Kaleb.Voicemail. Again.“Damn it, Kaleb,” Martil muttered, voice low and rough. “It’s me. Pick up. This radio silence isn’t you, man. Call me back the second you get this.”Kaleb wasn’t just his best friend—he was his right-hand man, the one who kept the underground fight club running smooth on the edges of Berlin. Loyal to the bone. If Kaleb missed a training session or didn







