LOGINHazel POVI didn’t sleep that night.The hospital lights were too bright, the beeping machines too loud. Lucas lay in the bed with bandages around his ribs and stitches on his lip. Mom sat beside him, holding his hand, her cheek swollen and purple. I stayed curled up in the plastic chair, one hand protectively over my belly, the other clenched into a fist.By morning, the doctor said Lucas would be okay, but he needed rest. No more work for at least two weeks. The police had come and gone — another “random home invasion,” they called it. I didn’t correct them. What could I say? Your Alpha King’s fiancée is trying to destroy my family?No one would believe me.But I knew the truth.As soon as visiting hours started, I left the hospital. My hands were still shaking as I took the bus to the city center. Rage burned through the fear now — hot, unstoppable. I was done being scared. Done hiding. Done letting Callie hurt the people I loved.Royal Corporations Tower rose in front of me like a
Hazel POVThe house was quiet that night, the kind of quiet that usually brought comfort. Mom had made vegetable soup again — thin but warm. Lucas joked weakly about his bruises while we ate, trying to make us laugh. I forced smiles and pretended everything was normal, but my hand kept drifting to my belly under the table. The baby had been fluttering lately, tiny movements that made my heart both swell and ache with fear.After dinner, Mom went to bed early. Lucas stayed up watching an old movie with me on the couch, his swollen lip still healing. I kept checking the windows and doors, double-checking the locks. The threatening message from earlier still burned in my mind.“You okay, sis?” Lucas asked during a quiet scene.I nodded. “Just tired.”He didn’t believe me, but he let it go. Around eleven, he finally went to his room. I stayed on the couch a little longer, too anxious to sleep. Eventually, exhaustion won. I curled up under a thin blanket and drifted off.A loud crash woke
Hazel POVMy phone buzzed on the kitchen table while I was washing dishes.I dried my hands on a towel and picked it up. The message was from an unknown number. When I opened it, my blood ran cold.“Tell your brother to watch his back. Next time we won’t stop at bruises. Stay away from Alpha Asher or your whole family pays. We know where you live.”A photo was attached — Lucas’s bruised face from yesterday, taken from across the street. My hands started shaking so badly I nearly dropped the phone.This wasn’t a random attack. This was Callie. It had to be.I felt sick. Not just morning sickness sick — deep, bone-chilling fear. They knew where we lived. They were watching us.I couldn’t breathe. Mom was in the living room folding clothes. Lucas was resting in his room, still sore from the beating. If anything else happened to them because of me…I had to end this.Before I could think too clearly, I grabbed my jacket and slipped out of the house. I took the bus straight to the city cen
Callie POVI couldn’t sleep.All night, the image of that pathetic girl throwing my money back in my face played on repeat in my head. The way she had looked at me—defiant, unafraid—made my blood boil. And Asher… the way he had warned me to stay away from her, like I was the problem.Me.His future wife.By morning, my fury had hardened into something colder. Sharper.I sat at my vanity, brushing my long hair with slow, deliberate strokes. Nylah lounged on the chaise across the room, scrolling through her phone.“I want her punished,” I said quietly.Nylah looked up, a slow smile spreading across her lips. “How bad?”“Not enough to bring attention to us,” I replied. “Just enough to scare her. Start with her brother. He works at that cheap garage on the east side. Send some thugs. Make it look like a random attack. Rough him up a little. Break a few things. I want her to understand that getting close to Asher has consequences.”Nylah’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Consider it done.
I couldn’t stop shaking with rage.The red Ferrari roared through the city streets as I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. That cheap little bitch had thrown my money in my face. In my face! And Asher… Asher had defended her. He had warned me—actually warned me—to stay away from her.Me. His fiancée.The humiliation burned hotter than anything I had ever felt. I had never been rejected like this. Never been pushed aside for some nobody from the slums.By the time I reached the Voss family estate, my blood was boiling. I stormed into my private sitting room and slammed the door so hard a painting rattled on the wall.Nylah was already there, lounging on the sofa with her phone. She looked up, eyebrows raised. “What happened to you?”“That girl,” I spat. “The one Asher dragged into his car at the track. I found her waiting by his Maybach like she owned it. I tried to put her in her place and she threw my money back at me!”Nylah sat up straighter, eyes gleam
Alpha Asher POVThe penthouse was quiet when I returned. Too quiet. The city lights glittered far below the floor-to-ceiling windows, but I barely noticed them. I poured myself a glass of whiskey and stood at the glass wall, staring out at nothing.Hazel’s face kept flashing in my mind—pale after the race, eyes red from crying, the way she had thrown Callie’s money back at her and walked away without looking back.I had dragged her into my chaos again. And once more, she had paid the price.I pulled out my phone and dialed Jaden.He answered on the first ring. “Sir.”“Dig deeper into Hazel Hudson,” I said, voice low. “I want everything. Family, finances, daily life, her mother, her brother—every detail. Don’t miss anything.”There was a short pause. “Understood. I’ll have the report ready by morning.”I ended the call and downed the whiskey in one burning swallow.Sleep didn’t come easily that night. When it did, I dreamed of her small figure standing in front of my car, water bottle
Alpha Asher POVAn hour had passed since I sent Jaden away. Exactly one hour. I didn’t look at the clock; I didn’t need to. Time obeyed me, or at least it tried to.I sat behind the massive ebony desk in my private office on the top floor of Royal Corporations. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked t
Callie POVThe Voss family estate was quiet that afternoon, the kind of quiet money buys—thick carpets swallowing footsteps, crystal chandeliers catching sunlight in lazy sparkles, air scented with fresh lilies and expensive perfume. I lounged on the cream leather sofa in the sunroom, legs tucked b
Hazel POVThe hospital room smelled like antiseptic and wilted flowers. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, too bright, too cold. I sat on the edge of Mom’s bed, holding her thin hand. She had woken up an hour ago, eyes glassy and confused. The doctor had come in, checked her vitals, and shaken
Hazel POVThe bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped inside. The air smelled like fresh lilies, expensive silk, and a faint trace of vanilla candles. Soft classical music played from hidden speakers. Mirrors lined every wall, reflecting endless versions of white gowns that shimmered under c







