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36. Empty
November 2026,
Scars Bay, USA
Alyanna
Cold water hit my face and cascaded down my body.
'He didn't have the luxury of hope of a future together like you did.'
Tears welled up in my eyes. Heartache formed a ball in my throat, choking me up.
How could I have not thought of it? How could I have been so callous? How could I have been so self-centered in my misery that I failed to see how it would have affected the one person I cared about the most?
I had hurt Jay more than I could have even imagined. I had hurt the one person I love with all my heart. The one person I never wanted to hurt. The one person I stayed away from by telling my broken and bruised heart that while he might be hurt, he was at least safe. Alive. But it seemed like he hadn't done much of living. Just like me. He had been hanging on to the past. Just like me. But unlike
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Pause, Rewind, Play 37. See You Soon
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaKate opened the door to her bedroom and we walked in."BOO!"I jumped in shock and my hands flew to my chest.The lights turned on and I came face to face with a grinning William. "Gotcha, Squirt.""Helliam!" I admonished, but I couldn't stop my lips from lifting up in a smile.This wasn't the first time this had happened. When we were kids and Kate and I had sleepovers, Will would sometimes crash them - much to our annoyance - and we'd spend the entire night talking and hanging out or doing sometime crazy. When we grew up a little, Kate and I would catch Will sneaking into the house in the middle of the night, drunk, and looking back on it, probably high on drugs. We'd take care of him and put him to bed or if he wasn't in the mood to sleep, we'd stay with him and give him company. When we beca
Pause, Rewind, Play 39. Promise
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaIt was still a couple of hours before sunrise so none of the house staff were out and about. Quickly and quietly, I navigated my way out of Kate's bedroom and to woods from around the gardens.I knew my way around the property very well, courtesy of Kate. Sometimes, she managed to drag me to parties with her that we had no business going to. To hide from Kon and her dad, she figured out a way to sneak out of her bedroom and pass through the grounds withoutbeing noticed or getting caught on camera. She also managed to create a way over the mostly impenetrable property walls. Kate was an unstoppable force when she put her mind to something.The route I was taking was the same. I, too, would pass through unnoticed if things had remained the same in the last five years. And I hoped I did. Because, I couldnot afford t
Pause, Rewind, Play 40. Car
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaI walked into my bedroom only to find it empty.Shit.Where the hell is she?I ran into the bathroom. Open and clear.I rushed to the closet. Empty.Where the hell is Alya?I knew she wouldn't be inside the manor. Someone would immediately spot and recognize her. She wasn't dumb enough to do that. Which means she left. She was definitely dumb enough to do it with the right motivation.If she left, there was only one route she'd use to leave. So, I ran.Why the hell would she leave? Did something happen? Was she upset?Of course, she was. With the night she'd had and after I broke my promise of cheering her up, I wouldn't blame her if she wanted to leave. But if she wanted to be left alone, she could have just locked the be
Pause, Rewind, Play 41. Stall
November 2026,Outskirts of Scars Bay, USAKaterina"Stella?"Stella's eyes widened when she saw me. She glared at one of her men. "What the hell isKaterina Van Ackerdoing here?" she hissed. "I asked you to only get-" she exhaled sharply. "Incompetent shits," she spat and turned towards us again."Stella?Youdid this?" I asked, still in absolute disbelief.Why the hell would she do this?Stella -Jayden's girlfriend Stella,had been the one who had us kidnapped. She had been the one who paid Caleb to do it for her.Even the thought of his name fuelled the fiery hot mass of anger in my chest. I couldn't believe he would do this to me but the evidence was undeniable.Earlier, I could chalk this up as a mistake but now I knew that it was anything but. Caleb betrayed me. For
Pause, Rewind, Play 42. Warehouse
November 2026,Outskirts of Scars Bay, USADimitri"If only you had listened to me and stayed at the safe house, this wouldn't have happened. But you couldn't follow a simple safety protocol because you care more about beingniceand letting Katerina do whatever thefuck she wants," Andrei growled. “Might as well lick the dirt off the bottom of her fucking shoes while you let her walk all over you.”My grip on the steering wheel tightened and I pressed my lips together to stop myself from saying anything.He was right. This was my fault after all.I agreed to let Katerina and Alya leave the safe house. I went with them to the manor. It was my job to protect them. I never should have left them alone. It was stupidity on my part to think that they would stay there because they had no motive to go. But they did have a moti
Pause, Rewind, Play 43. Play
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaKaterina had been painfully silent while we waited by the car for Dimitri to come out.Of course, she was. Dimitri had made a show of displaying his supernatural speed and strength in there. Katerina was in shock.I didn't know what to say to make it better so I remained silent.After what felt like forever, Dimitri walked out with...Caleb? They were followed by over a dozen men - some fine, some injured but all holding on to guns.What the hell happened in there? What was Caleb doing here? Did that man end up calling him after all? Was it truly a misunderstanding?Kate stiffened when she spotted them but made no indication of what she was thinking otherwise. Dimitri grew visibly disappointed when he saw her lack of reaction.Caleb, unaware that I was alive, looked at me in bewilder
Pause, Rewind, Play 44. Supernatural
November 2026,Scars Bay, USADimitriAfter Andrei dropped off Alyanna at Jayden's, Katerina asked him to drop her off at her apartment complex.So naturally, I got off with her too.I thought she would get annoyed by that or tell me that she needed space but she didn't even react to my presence. That stung more than I thought it would. Anything would have been better than being ignored. Her silence was deafening.We rode up the elevator and she marched straight towards her apartment. I stood there, watching her punch in the code to her apartment, unsure if she wanted me to follow her or let her be for a while.She entered and then slammed the door shut after her.My heart stopped. I really thought she would keep the door open and gesture for me to come in after her or ask me to join her. It was something we did with the bathroom door when we wanted to take a sh
Pause, Rewind, Play Characters
Alyanna Rosellini (Human) Parents - Alaric & Darla Love Interest - Jayden Carlton Jayden Carlton (Human) Cousin - Ajax Love Interest - Alyanna Rosellini, Stella Katerina Van Acker (Human) Parents – Benjamin & Eleanor Brothers – Konstantin & William Love Interest - Dimitri Volkov (Ex – Ajax, Felix) Prince Dimitri Volkov of Soare Luna (Lycan) Family – Prince Andrei, Prince Mikhail (Sofiya, Max, King Nikola & Queen Avalyn – not mentioned) Love Interest - Katerina Van Acker (Ex - Althea) Prince Andrei & Mikhail (Lycans) Family – Prince Dimitri (Sofiya, Max, King Nikolai & Queen Avalyn – briefly mentioned) Konstantin Van Acker (human) Father - Benjamin Siblings – Katerina, William Wife- Cassandra William Van Acker (human) Parents - Benjamin & Eleanor Siblings – Katerina, Konstantin Stella (human) Love Interest - Jayden Carlton
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