LOGINBailey's POV"Bailey, you’re trembling."I froze the second I heard Raven’s voice, my body reacting before my brain could tell it to stop, the heat like fire crawling under my skin, and when I looked up he was there, pressing me gently against the wall, his hands warm on my back and sides, and I couldn’t move or speak because the sudden surge of need hit me harder than it had the last time, and I didn’t even notice when he eased me down onto the nearest chair, his presence grounding me without saying anything."You okay now," he asked after a moment, his voice low and steady, and I nodded though I couldn’t really think straight, my hands gripping the edges of the chair like it was the only thing keeping me from completely losing control, and I wondered why he always seemed to know exactly how to touch me so nothing else could hurt even for a second."I was just… I don’t know," I said finally, my voice rough, "I came here to read but then it just…" I trailed off, my words failing me be
Bailey’s POV“My lady.”I heard the word before I even turned, and by the time I faced the door, Laila was already on her knees, her palms flat against the floor, her head bowed so low it looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.“My lady, please forgive me,” she said quickly, her words tumbling over each other. “I was careless. I was foolish. I should not have accepted anything for you without informing the guards. I swear I was not thinking.”I stared at her for a long moment, letting the silence stretch until her shoulders started shaking.“Look at me,” I said.She hesitated like she was afraid to, then slowly lifted her head, her eyes wet and red. “I would never betray you. I would never work with anyone who means you harm.”“I didn’t accuse you of that,” I replied.She swallowed hard. “Rider will.”That made my jaw tighten. “You are afraid of him.”“Yes,” she whispered immediately. “I am.”I nodded slowly. “You made a mistake.”She bowed her head again. “I know.”“And m
Bailey’s POV“I don’t care about him,” I said again, louder this time, because nobody seemed to hear me the first time, or maybe they heard me and just didn’t believe me. “I really don’t care about what happens to him.”Rider’s eyes narrowed immediately and he leaned forward like he was about to lecture me. “You should not say things like that.”“Why not,” I snapped. “Because it makes you uncomfortable or because it doesn’t fit the picture you want of me crying and begging for my father’s life.”Declan opened his mouth. “Bailey.”“No,” I cut in, pointing at the box on the table even though Declan had already moved it farther away. “The problem is not him. The problem is that someone thinks she owns you.”Raven went very still beside me and I felt it more than I saw it.“That note did not say leave the pack alone,” I continued, my voice shaking now because my wolf was fully awake and pacing and snarling inside me. “It did not say leave the throne alone. It said leave my mates alone.”S
Bailey’s POV“He didn’t come back with you,” I asked as soon as Declan stepped into the room, my voice already knowing the answer before my head could catch up.Declan closed the door quietly behind him and avoided my eyes. “He needed a moment.”I laughed, short and empty, and shook my head. “No he didn’t. He made a choice.”Raven shifted closer to me on the bed but did not touch me, his voice low. “Bailey.”“Don’t,” I snapped, then immediately felt bad and pressed my palms into my eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired of pretending I don’t see things for what they are.”Declan sat at the foot of the bed. “He cares in his own twisted way.”“That’s not care,” I said, my throat tight. “That’s control.”No one argued with me.My eyes drifted to the box again, sitting where they had moved it earlier, and my stomach turned. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to feel about that,” I whispered. “I hated him for what he did to me, and now I’m supposed to sit here knowing someone cut off his finge
Rider’s POV“What was that?”I said it out loud the first time I heard the scream, sharp and sudden, tearing through the halls, and I paused with my hand on the edge of my desk, telling myself it was nothing, telling myself it was just the heat, telling myself she had brought this on herself.“It’s just the heat,” I muttered to the empty room. “She’ll be fine.”Then I heard it again.This time it wasn’t just a sound. This time it dug into my chest and twisted, and before I could stop myself I was already on my feet, the papers on my desk forgotten as I walked out.I barely made it down the corridor before Declan appeared in front of me, his face tight, his shoulders tense.“Don’t,” he said immediately, holding up a hand. “This is not the time.”I frowned at him. “Move.”“She’s not in a state to see you right now,” he said, his voice low. “You should give her space.”“I said move,” I repeated, my temper flaring. “You don’t get to decide when I see her.”Declan stepped aside only half a
Bailey’s POV“Bailey,” Declan was saying, his voice cutting through the fog in my head even though it felt like I was underwater and everything was slow and hot and wrong, “Bailey look at me, you’re on the floor, you need to breathe.”“I can’t,” I said, or at least I thought I said it, because my throat felt tight and my skin felt too small for my body, and when Raven crouched in front of me and tried to touch my shoulder I hissed before I even knew I was doing it.“Easy,” Raven said quickly. “It’s me.”“I don’t want to be touched,” I said, my voice shaking, “I don’t want anyone else touching me.”Declan glanced at Raven. “She’s burning up.”“I know,” Raven replied. “Bailey, we’re taking you back to your room.”“No,” I said immediately, clutching the edge of the counter. “Don’t let him come.”Declan frowned. “Rider isn’t here.”I laughed, a broken sound that didn’t feel like laughter at all. “Of course he isn’t.”Raven didn’t argue with me. He slid one arm under my knees and the other
Bailey’s POVI didn’t know what to do with Raven standing there in front of me like that because I was used to Rider’s anger that filled a room and Declan’s jokes that never stopped flowing, but Raven was quiet, still and intense in a way that made my thoughts scatter instead of sharpening, and it
Bailey’s POV“Thank you,” I said quietly after a while, my voice hoarse and uneven, because no matter how confused I felt, what Raven had done still mattered to me, and I couldn’t pretend it didn’t.He nodded once, like it was nothing, like he hadn’t just held me together while I fell apart. “You d
Bailey’s POVI paced around my room throughout the day, restless as I waited for him to return. Hours passed slowly, stretching into evening, and eventually exhaustion won. I lay down on the bed, pulling the duvet up to my chest and tucking myself in.It was nearly midnight when I heard the sound of
Bailey’s POVI couldn’t stop replaying Raven’s words in my head even after breakfast was long over, every step I took beside him feeling careful, measured, like I was walking on something fragile and didn’t want to be the one to crack it, and the worst part was that I didn’t even know what I was af







