ログインCass's POVI was stunned. Completely and utterly stunned. She came here so that I could help her. Help her as in sleep with her. The words hung in the air between us, heavy and loaded with implications I did not know how to process.This felt like a golden opportunity. The kind of opportunity the old me would have grabbed without thinking, without hesitating, without considering anything except my own desires. But that was exactly why it did not feel right at all.I took a step back. My hands were still shaking, and I clenched them into fists to make them stop."I cannot do this," I said. "I am sorry, Sage. I cannot."Sage's eyes widened. The flush on her cheeks deepened, whether from the heat or from shock, I could not tell. "What? Why not?"Seeing her in pain, seeing her like this, was making me crazy. Every moan that escaped her lips sent a jolt straight to my groin. Every shift of her body on the bed made me want to forget everything and just take her. Seven years of wanting her,
Sage's POVI felt like I was under a spell. My body had refused to move when his arms were around me, and even now, leaning against him with his fingers still close to my face, I could not make myself step back. I knew it was the bond's doing, demanding that we close the distance. But I was not stopping it. That was the problem.My mind had been slowly growing a soft spot for him without me even noticing. It was annoying. Infuriating. I had spent seven years building walls, and somehow, without permission, he had started chipping away at them.I was still leaning on him. His body was warm against mine, and his touch was making my legs go weak. If I pushed myself away right now, I would probably fall. My knees would buckle, and I would end up on the floor, and that would be more embarrassing than anything else that had happened tonight.So I stayed. I told myself it was self-preservation. I told myself anything except the truth.I watched his face get closer. His eyes were dark, focuse
Vex's POVHer words had really brought me back to reality. I had been spiraling, drowning in the failure of those five samples, letting the weight of my own expectations crush me. And she had pulled me out with a few sentences and an insult. That was what I needed. Not praise. Just the truth, plain and unvarnished.My family had made me believe that failure was not an option. From the time I could hold a pencil, I had been told that I was exceptional, that my intelligence was a gift that set me apart from everyone else. They praised me for every correct answer, celebrated every academic achievement, and never once taught me how to handle being wrong. That praise had made me cocky. It had made me proud. It had made me insufferable, even to myself.But Sage did not care about any of that. She did not care about my family's name or my reputation or the long list of accomplishments I had stacked up over the years. She was blunt. She did not talk to me like she wanted to get on my good sid
Sage's POV I nudged him as soon as i closed the door. "Very funny Vex. I am doing this for Milo. I want this to end. Once and for all."But in my mind, the truth was different. The shorter amount of time Milo spent around these men, the lesser the chance that they would find out she was their daughter. I did not want them to know. I could not let them know. Every moment they spent together, every bond they formed, every smile Milo gave them, was another thread pulling me closer to the moment when the truth would unravel whether I was ready or not."Thank you for accepting," Vex said.The word sounded strange coming from him, foreign. Vex did not thank people. He demanded, he analyzed, he corrected. He did not express gratitude.It felt weird. Unsettling.I followed him back to the lab. The room was cold, the lights dim, the equipment humming softly in the corners. The virus sat in its glass case, alive and pulsing, that purple mass moving like it had a heartbeat of its own. I stared
Vex's POVI noticed the drained look on Sage's face when Kael said those words. Her color drained further, and her eyes went wide with something that looked like fear. She held Milo tighter, as if she was about to be taken away."What do you mean by that?" Sage asked. Her tone was filled with dread, the kind of dread that comes from a secret you have been keeping for years finally being dragged into the light.I stepped forward, my knee still aching from where the ice had struck me. "What Milo was going through, the outburst after using her blood, it is actually common among children with powerful abilities. Its something that i have read about among other things in our territory."Sage stared at me. "What are you talking about?"I continued. "When children start showing signs of their abilities at a very young age, their core is so powerful that their fragile bodies cannot handle all of it. The power builds up, and when it reaches a breaking point, it lashes out. They cannot control
Sage's POVThe men stood frozen for a moment, their faces pale, their eyes wide. Kael's grip on Tom loosened. Cass ducked as a shard of ice flew past his head. Vex stumbled back against the wall."Stay back!" I shouted. "Do not come any closer!"Kael asked. "What is happening to her?"I kept my distance from Milo, watching as fire erupted from her mouth and ice exploded from her hands. The floor was covered in frost and ash. "This is the aftermath of her using her blood to cure someone. Her powers become unstable. They lash out."Milo screamed again, a sound of pain and frustration and fear all tangled together. I could not hold her. I could not touch her. And that hurts way more.Vex's voice was hard, judgmental. "Why would you allow her to do this? You knew what would happen. You have seen this before."I snapped my head toward him. "It usually happens an hour later. I had no time to prepare. I had no time to get her somewhere safe. I never got the chance to even get her out of thi







