Maddox’s POVThe quiet around us feels fragile, almost too thin to trust fully, and as I watch Veyra curled into herself, something deep in my chest tightens painfully. She seems smaller somehow, more vulnerable despite everything we have all seen her capable of. The fire inside her, the one that so effortlessly consumes everything in its path, has dimmed now, leaving behind something softer, something uncertain. I want to reach for her, to hold her and tell her it will be alright, but I know words are not enough to chase away shadows this dark. Instead, I push myself off the wall, turning to pick up the clothes I brought earlier, folded neatly and set aside for when she woke.“You might feel better once you're dressed,” I say quietly, handing them to her carefully, keeping my movements gentle. “We have a lot ahead of us, and it’ll be easier to face if you aren’t wrapped in a blanket.”She blinks up at me, her expression wavering between gratitude and uncertainty, before finally reach
Veyra’s POVWhen I wake, it feels like my entire body is buried beneath something heavy. Not just exhaustion, but something deeper, like my own skin is weighing me down. Every muscle aches, every breath feels like it takes effort. For a moment, I just lie there, staring up at the ceiling, unsure if I even have the strength to move. But slowly, and carefully, I force my eyes open.The light in the room is soft, but it still stings against my tired eyes. I let out a low groan as I push myself upright, dragging the blanket tighter around my body. Everything feels wrong and unfamiliar, but the worst part is the nagging sense that I should know exactly where I am. When I glance around, the memories trickle back like cold water.Dagen’s family pack, my enemy, a pack I was warned of.At least, that’s what this place used to be.Now? I’m not sure what to call it anymore.“How are you feeling?” Rael’s voice breaks the silence, gentle but cautious, like he isn’t sure how close he’s allowed to g
Dagen’s POVDagen’s POVVeyra sleeps beside us, her breathing slow and steady at last. Her heat has finally settled, though I suppose it makes sense. We’ve all mated her now. We’ve all knotted her, and she’s fed from every one of us. Whatever that did to her, whatever it changed, has left her too exhausted to stir. She hasn’t moved since her body finally gave out.I glance towards the others, watching them in the quiet that hangs between us like a held breath.“We need to go see her father,” I say quietly.“Soon,” Maddox answers, shaking his head slightly as his gaze flickers toward Veyra’s sleeping form. “Let her recover first. We still don’t know what she’s going to be like when she wakes up. She’s mated to all of us now, and she drank from each of us too. That’s not something we’ve dealt with before.”“I’m still creeped out by it,” Vane mutters from where he leans against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest. “Vampires feed on blood. And she’s supposed to be this thing that co
Rael’s POVI feel the shift before anyone else. It settles into the air like the first drop of rain before a storm. Her breathing changes, her body trembles, and though Dagen’s knot is still locked deep inside her, I know her heat is already returning. It shouldn’t be possible, not this soon, not after what she’s just endured, but nothing about Veyra has followed the rules from the start. Her body is changing in ways none of us fully understand, and now we’re all forced to watch it happen without knowing how to help her.I step closer, unable to stop myself. Every instinct I have tells me to stay back, to let the others handle this, but I can't. Not when I can feel the pulse of her confusion and fear vibrating in the air between us. She doesn't even lift her head when I kneel beside her. She just stays there, her breathing unsteady, her body locked in that fragile stillness that tells me she is holding on by nothing more than instinct now.“You drank from him,” I say softly, my voice
Veyra POV
Vane POVMaybe I am pathetic for not getting any sense of satisfaction from all this new information. I should feel justified, maybe even triumphant, but all I feel is the dull churn of frustration low in my chest. Rael should have told us. With his background as a rogue, even if he no longer claims it, he should have been the one to warn us about what could happen. Instead, he kept quiet, and now he stands there trying to explain it away with a shrug, claiming she didn't act like this before. That excuse falls flat. It doesn't sit right. It feels like he is hiding something, and I do not trust half-answers when we are surrounded by people who could snap at any second.He has been holding back from the start, and this is just another reminder that I do not really know who he is or what else he might be keeping from us. The more I think about it, the more it eats at me. If Kieran had lived, maybe we would have had answers, but now he is dead. Whatever Dagen wanted to ask him has been l