✨ What would you do if you were Lena—risk everything by refusing Clara, or sell your soul to keep your secret buried? 👉 Comment your opinions and don't miss the next chapter.
The beach resort was alive in its own rhythm, even after the sun had fallen into the horizon. From the open-air lounge, laughter drifted like faint music, mingling with the mellow tunes played by a saxophonist near the bar. Lily stretched her arms above her head, the long day’s weariness finally catching up to her. She exchanged a smile with Maya as they stepped inside, their bare feet leaving faint trails of sand that quickly disappeared under the dim light.“It feels good to breathe without worrying who’s lurking in the shadows. Even if it’s for a couple seconds,” Lily said with a tired sigh. Her hair glinted in the glow, framing her face in soft waves.Maya chuckled, brushing strands of sea-tangled black hair out of her face. “Don’t jinx it. We’ve had one crisis after another. Poisoning, rogues, reporters…” Her tone grew sharper. “Sometimes I wonder if fate is deliberately cruel or if someone is pulling strings just to watch us squirm.”They moved toward the sleek bar counter,
The evening sun spilled its last golden drops across the sea, turning the waves into beautiful glassy silver panes. The open-air lounge of the resort buzzed faintly with distant laughter, clinking glasses, and the hum of waves rolling against the shore. Torches flickered in the sand, swaying with the warm breeze, their flames feeding the growing shadows.But in the far corner of the lounge, hidden behind a marble pillar and low-hanging fronds of palm leaves, silence settled like a blade suspended in the air.Lena stood perfectly still close to a roll of cushioned chair, her long fingers curled into tight fists by ger side. Her dark hair, tousled by the wind, framed a face that wore the mask of calm—but Clara could see the cracks forming underneath.Across from her, Clara leaned back lazily, though her eyes were anything but relaxed. They gleamed with the sharpness of someone who had just uncovered something powerful. Something dangerous.For several long seconds, neither of them spo
The ocean was an endless, restless drumbeat in the background, waves rolling in and breaking against the stretch of golden sand below the cliffside resort. Lanterns swayed in the salty breeze that cut through the open-air lounge, their glow dim and honey-soft against the descending evening. Guests moved like silhouettes—laughing, flirting, sipping wine as if the world itself was a feast laid out just for them.But Lena felt none of that ease. She remained standing in a corner of the lounge, her stance angled just enough to keep her sightline wide. The taste of her conversation with Ethan still clung bitterly to her tongue, and no amount of wine could wash it away, but she had not problem trying to make it work.She ordered for a drink from the bar and gulped it down once. She also needed to prepare herself for the inevitable conversation she dreaded.She ordered for another and took her time to drink it. She turned her glass slowly in her hand, the red liquid catching the light lik
The lounge by the sea was painted in shades of serenity. Low couches, dressed in pale beige cushions, formed a loose circle that faced the endless stretch of water. Lucas leaned back against the cushions, one hand curled lazily around a sweating glass of lemonade, his other arm stretched along the top of the couch. Beside him, Liam was nursing a drink with a lime wedge floating near the rim, his posture far more composed but no less relaxed. Lily had slipped off her sandals and tucked her legs beneath her, sipping from a cocktail that carried the bright tang of pineapple and rum.Maya was laughing at something Aiden had said, her bracelets jingling softly whenever she gestured with her hand. Graham sat with his arm draped casually over her shoulders, though his expression was one of quiet thought rather than laughter. Aiden was tipping back his drink as though the golden liquid was simply water.The six of them looked almost like ordinary college friends enjoying a seaside break.
The resort’s common lounge opened into a wide expanse of open-air elegance. Glass walls slid apart to reveal the gentle sweep of the beach, where the tide lapped against golden sand in a rhythm almost too calm for the stormy undercurrents of wolf politics unfolding within.Guests lounged across wicker chairs draped in pale cushions, sipping colorful drinks that glittered in the late afternoon light. The scent of grilled seafood and coconut oils clung to the air, mixed with the faint smell of saltwater. The ceiling fans spun lazily, though the sea breeze did most of the work in keeping the space cool.Ethan was already there, sprawled with calculated ease on one of the resort’s cushioned loungers near the bar. His posture screamed confidence, as if he owned the place, his shirt unbuttoned just enough to show off sculpted muscles that caught a few curious glances from passing women. A glass of something dark and expensive sat in his hand, condensation dripping lazily down its side.
The sun had already begun its slow descent, dipping into the horizon and painting the ocean in golds and purples. The salty breeze carried with it the faint music from the resort’s beachside bar, a soft hum of laughter, clinking glasses, and the gentle crash of waves. After the chaos of the day, the defeat of the Crescent rogues, the confrontation with Clara, the world finally seemed still. Almost too still.The group had gathered in one of the lounge areas of the resort, a half-circle of cushioned seats facing the sea. For once, no one was standing guard. No one was running. It was a chance to breathe.Lucas leaned back, a tall glass of champagne in his hand, though his gaze was far away, his jaw tight. Beside him, Liam stretched out his legs, ever the picture of confidence but his eyes betrayed the storm underneath. Lily sat between the Alpha twins, her presence grounding them both, her hand brushing Lucas’s shoulder every so often as if to remind him he was still here, still w