ANMELDENCiara’s POV“I’m waiting, Ciara.”Dax’s voice cut through the noise in my head and I blinked, forcing my expression to stay steady even though inside me thoughts were crashing into each other like drunk cars on a rainy highway. He stood there watching me with that terrifying calm he always wore when he was seconds away from doing something irreversible, his posture relaxed, hands behind his back like a king waiting for tribute while a woman’s life literally hung in the balance at his feet.I swallowed slowly and glanced down at Vivienne who was still on the marble, mascara streaked across her face like war paint gone wrong, her lips trembling, chest heaving, eyes darting between me and Dax like she was trying to guess which one of us would be her executioner.The deep, vicious, honest part of me wanted to walk over, press the barrel of a gun to her forehead, and pull the trigger. Because I knew. I fucking knew she’d helped Jasper. Maybe not with the poison itself, but she’d known. Sh
Ciara’s POV"GUARDS!"Dax’s voice cracked through the courtyard like a gunshot and the force behind it almost knocked the breath out of my lungs. The air itself seemed to vibrate as his Alpha aura rolled out in a violent wave, thick, suffocating and absolute. For a terrifying second I thought my knees would give out but somehow… somehow it felt like the pressure curved around me instead of crushing me but Vivienne was not so lucky.She's slammed face-first onto the stone floor with a choked scream, her hands clawing uselessly at the ground as if she could dig herself into safety. The servants around us dropped instantly to their knees, foreheads almost touching the tiles, bodies trembling like leaves. Even Jasper, who still had one arm loosely around my waist from helping me up, went rigid beside me. I felt his chest rise sharply as he fought to breathe under the weight of his father’s rage.That was the real power of the man they called the Blackthorne Alpha. One word from him an
Ciara’s POVI woke up with a loud yawn and the first thing that hit me was the rich scent of food. My eyes snapped open and I froze for a second, disoriented, before reality slowly settled back into place. Servants were already standing around the room like silent statues waiting for my first move. Some held trays covered with silver lids, steam curling lazily into the air. Others stood beside racks of clothes that looked too expensive to even touch. The curtains were half drawn, letting in soft morning light that painted everything gold and unreal.The moment I pushed myself up, they all bowed.“Good morning, Madam.”Their voices were calm, respectful and perfectly trained. It still felt strange hearing that word directed at me like I actually belonged in this world.Seeing them like this made something in me soften and I couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto my lips. I’d been receiving this kind of treatment since I got discharged two days ago and no matter how many times
Ciara’s POVI was wolfing down breakfast like I hadn’t eaten in weeks when Dax sat across from me quietly watching.“Do you want to tell me anything, Ciara?” he asked and I froze mid-bite.My stomach twisted instantly, not from the food this time but from the invisible knife always hovering over my throat. One wrong word. One careless truth that slipped and everything I was trying to protect could be wiped out before sunset.I swallowed slowly and forced a shy smile, lowering my gaze like a wife who had nothing to hide.“No… nothing,” I mumbled.Then I resumed eating like my life depended on it because it did, silence was safer than honesty and secrets were the only shield I had left.“Okay then,” he said calmly after a moment. “Once you’re done, prepare. We’re going home. We have a lot to do.”He stayed a few seconds longer, like he wanted to say more, like something was weighing on him too. Then he stood and walked out.The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I released a brea
Ciara’s POVI stared at Jasper in pure horror and my hand reached to protect my child from him... God, my life's messed up and I'm losing my shit!"Answer me wifey, also, do you miss me?" He asked again and I moved away from him, my eyes never leaving him for a second but he moved closer. I need to get control of my damn panic attack but how do I control it when the person responsible was staring me right in the eye and looks like he was a few minutes from snapping my neck.Jasper stared at me like a man who had just finished performing on a grand stage and seeing my reaction, his lips curling into a slow manic grin that made something cold slide down my spine. He tilted his head slightly, studying my face like he was waiting for applause, waiting for admiration, waiting for me to acknowledge the brilliance of whatever twisted masterpiece he believed he had just created.But my body was still locked in panic, my chest rising and falling too fast, my fingers clutching the sheets like
Ciara’s POV“Jasper… What the hell is going on?” Dax asked, and before anyone could even brace for whatever answer was coming, Jasper shoved the bleeding woman forward and she stumbled badly, her bare feet sliding on the polished hospital floor before she crashed down hard, her cries breaking into ugly sobs that sounded more animal than human. Blood smeared beneath her palms as she tried to crawl away, and I found myself shrinking backward on the bed without even realizing I was moving, my spine pressing into the headboard while my eyes stayed locked on the nightmare unfolding in front of me.Jasper looked like he had been dragged through hell. His shirt was torn, his sleeve soaked in dark with blood, and his breathing was heavy enough to make anyone believe he had fought his way back from death itself. For one stupid second, if I didn’t know him the way I did now, I might have believed it too but I knew this man was putting on an act!Then he suddenly dropped to his knees, the mov
Ciara’s POVWe walked in silence down the long corridor, Jasper’s hand warm and steady around mine, his thumb brushing slow circles over my knuckles like he was trying to anchor me.Every step felt heavier than the last. The villa’s shadows stretched long under the low sconces, portraits of dead Bl
Ciara’s POVDax smiled at me, a small, sad, almost gentle smile and something inside my chest twisted so hard I nearly gasped. I forced an awkward chuckle and sank back into my seat, trying to look calm, and collected, like I hadn’t just jumped up like a desperate child at the mention of a “third o
Ciara’s POV “What happened with your father?” I asked Jasper, voice low as I helped him change into a fresh black shirt.The old one had been ruined, blood-soaked and was already in a heap on the floor. His wound had been stitched by one of the villa doctors, neat, tight black threads across the d
Ciara’s POV The whole room was holding its breath. You could hear the silence if you listened hard enough, it was thick, and heavy, like the air itself was afraid to move. All eyes were locked on the man at the head of the table.Dax Blackthorne.He sat there like he owned the room, the house, th







