I lit my third cigarette of the hour and leaned against a rusted metal post, as I watched the smoke twist upward into the dark sky. The street was dead quiet ,just how I liked it. No civilians, no dogs, no cameras. The industrial side of town always had that post-apocalyptic charm.The Cracked sidewalks, with the blinking lights, and the sweet scent of oil and old blood soaked into the pavement smelled like shit but it was pleasing.It had been two weeks since my last job. Boss told me to “lay low Reid, stay invisible and don't do nothing stupid.” and honestly, I’d rather be doing anything else.Than sitting around and pretending I didn’t exist? Not exactly thrilling.Fuck.I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts searching for anything to end my boredom, my thumb hovering over “Candy” — my go-to when the nights got dull. Was just about to send a “you free?” text when I felt it.A blade. Cold. Thin. Pressed against the side of my neck, I was just about to turn around w
BENNETT’S POVThe laughter around me felt distant, dull, and grating. My smile was fake, stretched tight across my face like a bad mask. I nodded when someone cracked a joke, even laughed along, but I was barely there. Not really. My mind was still stuck back on the moment Billy had it.Lucas. Engaged.To Brittney. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to breathe through the anger and keep myself in check.I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a scene, not in front of everyone. I was so mad at Lucas. After all the times we kissed like we were starving for each other and he’d made demands, telling me to stop seeing Avery. After the calls, the messages, dinner with my mother, and worst of all after that call yesterday where I gave a vulnerable part of myself to him and he in turn whispered filthy things to me.To think he already knew then that he was getting mated to Brittney made my blood boil. My fingers itched to punch his face in.The only reason I was still here was because we
KAEL’S POV The classroom was abuzz with low chatter and laughter. Final exams were a week away, and everyone could feel the tension. It was revision week, but no one was truly studying today. Everyone was too busy clinging to their final few days before everything changed. A group of students had gathered near the windows where sunlight spilled across the desks. The conversation had drifted from cramming topics and past questions to life beyond school. “Man, after finals, I’m getting out of here,” someone said from across the room. “My dad’s already setting up meetings with the council.” “Ugh, must be nice,” another groaned. “I’ll be lucky if I don’t end up locked in a basement doing pack accounting.” All the students burst into laughter. Then someone I think Calen was his name from Green Ridge brought up the discussion of mating and marriage. That opened a floodgate. “Oh, Tessa and I already have names picked out for our kids,” a grinning Alpha announced, wrapping
BENNETT’S POV The screen went dark as I ended the call. I sat there, breathing like I’d run a marathon, my hand still slack at my side, the faint wet heat of my release already drying on my stomach. Holy. Fucking. Shit. What did I just do? I stared at my phone like it was some kind of cursed artifact, then flung it onto the bed as if distance would lessen the shame. My face was burning bright, painful red. I grabbed a tissue from my nightstand, cleaning myself up as quickly as I could. I shouldn’t have called him. I shouldn’t have started that video. I definitely shouldn’t have stroked myself to his voice, or jerked off to the way he whispered all those filthy things. But I had acted on the spur of the moment. My body had reacted the moment I had heard his voice and my cock sprang to life. “Fuck,” I muttered, raking a hand through my hair. I groaned and collapsed back onto my pillows. The guilt sat heavily on my chest, but underneath it, something else pulsed. Ho
LUCAS’S POVMy room was spotless when I got access to it again. It had been thoroughly cleaned out.Not a sock lay on the floor, not a wrinkle on the sheets. Even the faint stain that used to be by the window, the one I’d stared at during every sleepless night, had been scrubbed clean.They’d erased everything like it never happened. Like I hadn't cut myself and bled on these floors. I stood there in the doorway, my jaw tight and my fists clenched. My ribs were no longer bruised, and my lip no longer split, but the fury I felt bubbled just beneath the surface.My injuries had all healed significantly.The healers might’ve pieced me back together physically, but they couldn't touch the ache in my chest or the shame still clinging to my skin.I was back in isolation, and this time, the silence was overwhelming.I dropped onto my bed, exhaling through my nose. The bedsheets smelled like bleach, not the musky scent of my cologne that I was used to or the faint scent of my mother’s favo
DOMINIC STORM’S POVThe knock came just after I had settled behind my desk, the sun just starting to dip past the mountain ridge. I had barely looked up from the trade agreement I was signing when the guard stepped in.“Alpha. She’s here,” he said. His voice wavered slightly which was unusual for him.I raised a brow. “Who?”He didn’t meet my eyes. “Seraphina. The witch.”I leaned back in my chair, my hands steepled together. Of course, it had to be her.I hadn’t summoned her.But I had made it clear, our agreement was simple: she came when I called. No surprises. No games. So what the hell was she doing on my doorstep now?Still, I nodded once. “Send her in.”The guard bowed quickly and left, and I took a deep breath, glancing at the large window behind me. From this far up, I could see the courtyard and the far training field beyond it. I didn’t see Kael or Lucas, not that I expected to. Lucas was still in the healer’s wing, weak and silent. Good. The beatings had made a mark thi