Kai wanted to throw hands at that statement.“Both and neither? What’s that even supposed to mean?” His eyes had changed color. His Lycan was close to the surface now—too close. That steel-grey had gone almost silver, the tendons in his neck standing out as his jaw clenched tighter.I took a small step back, instinctively bracing.Theo didn’t flinch. He just looked at Kai like he was mildly inconvenienced by the outburst.“Calm down, Kai,” he said, tone dry but firm. “Don’t make this into what happened with Kayla.”The room went still.Kylan flinched.Kieran looked up from where he'd been leaning against the wall, sharp and alert now.And Kai? He didn’t speak. But his entire body tensed like someone had just cracked open a scar with their teeth.I barely heard myself whisper, “Theo—”“I know what I said,” Theo cut in, gaze still fixed on Kai. “And he knows what I meant. This isn't about dragging old grief out of its grave—this is about not repeating it.”“Kai,” Kieran said carefully,
I was anxious, I kept on rubbing my hands against my jeans. The kids didn't go to school today.It’s not as if they had one. The council had the school expel them. It was my fault.I sat cross-legged on the living room floor, watching as Finn pushed toy soldiers across a faded rug and Luna braided the tail of her stuffed unicorn with intense concentration. The quiet stretched thin around us, uncomfortable and heavy, like the calm before a very personal kind of storm.I hated this part the most—the in-between. The waiting. The pretending things were normal when they absolutely weren’t.“Can I ask you something?” Finn said suddenly, glancing up from his imaginary battlefield.I blinked, startled. “Of course.”He hesitated, then said, “Why doesn’t anyone like the Kings?”I looked at him. His brows were furrowed like he was really thinking about it, not just repeating something he'd overheard.I tried to smile, but it felt weak. “What makes you say that?”“People talk funny around them,”
I stared at Kylan, waiting for him to speak. His usual playful grin had melted away, replaced by something heavy and raw. Shadows pooled beneath his blue eyes, and suddenly he looked years older. More tired. More human.He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face as if bracing himself to reveal a secret he’d buried deep.“Kayla,” he finally murmured, the name coming out soft and bruised, like an old wound he’d never quite let heal. “Her name was Kayla Rivenhart.”I frowned, the unfamiliar name hanging strangely in the air. My stomach knotted with an instinctive dread. “Who was she?”His jaw tightened briefly before he released another weary sigh. “She was my mate. My true mate. I was the only one among the three of us who had a true mate and my brothers were not connected to her.”His words struck me with an unexpected ache. Something twisted sharply in my chest, a surprising jolt of jealousy that I wasn’t proud of. But I forced myself to breathe, to listen, to understand. Because whoev
I didn't know what to say. Or where to even start. Everything felt raw, like picking at wounds that hadn't fully healed yet. Lizabella stood across from me, her eyes blazing, confusion and anger flickering over her face like wildfire. Her fists were clenched at her sides, the way she always did when she was trying to hold back something big."Briar," she said, voice tight, wounded, "you owe me an explanation. I'm your best friend—at least I thought I was. How the hell can you keep secrets from me like this? After everything we've been through, after all these years?""Liz," I tried, my voice hoarse and tired. "It's not that simple.""Not that simple?" she echoed sharply, disbelief shaking her voice. She took a step closer, glaring at the three kings who stood silently behind me. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ever since these—men—came into your life, you've been pulling away. Hiding things. You think I haven't noticed? And now Luna—my god, Briar, your own daughter. She's convulsing,
I didn't like the witch. I remembered her, the same witch from the last time we met. I knew she didn't like me either. I could see it in the way her lips curled faintly at the edges, how her gaze skimmed over me like I was something sour she'd tasted before. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly, cool and calculating.The feeling was mutual, trust me.She paced in front of us, thin hands clasped at her back. Her silvery hair fell in perfect, sleek waves over one shoulder, not a single strand out of place. It pissed me off a little—okay, a lot—that she could look so unbothered while my entire life unraveled."So," she began smoothly, gaze flicking briefly to Kai, then back to me, "you've awakened it.""Apparently," I said, tone clipped.Her brows lifted, faint amusement glittering behind her careful expression. "Do you even know what your ancestors sealed away, Briar?"I hesitated, throat dry. "No."She smiled thinly, a secret twisting her lips. "Of course not. You women never do. Too busy r
I didn't want to freak out but I was freaking out. I had the eyes of a snake. No, a cat. Gosh, I didn't fucking care.I paced up and down with the mirror clenched so tight my fingers ached. My heart thundered against my ribs, each frantic beat reminding me how utterly screwed I was."Briar," Kieran said, gentle but guarded. He stood off to the side, arms folded tightly across his chest. Always the rational one, always controlled. He had thrown on a black shirt and jeans at some point, and right now, he seemed like the only solid thing in this room.Kai was standing near the window, still shirtless, arms tense at his sides, every muscle outlined with stress. He stared at me, expression unreadable, his jaw clenched tight enough to break teeth.And Kylan—god, Kylan just looked stunned. Bare-chested with messy hair, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung shorts. He hadn't spoken since handing me the mirror, just watched me with wide, uncertain eyes, as if waiting for me to shatter into p