LOGINRayna~ I never lied — that was one thing I prided myself on. My honesty. But tonight, standing between my brother and my captor, the lie slipped too easily. My fingers twitched at my sides, betraying my unease. Ralph looked at me in disbelief but didn’t push, his eyebrows raised slightly, the crease in his forehead deepening. Sven? His eyes looked… hurt. Like he already knew. A flicker of tension ran across his jaw, and the faint twitch of his nostrils told me he smelled the truth anyway. He hadn’t given me any reason to trust him, so why did that sting? “It’s getting late, Rayna,” he said finally, his voice cutting through the silence. “We should head back to the pack house.” A pause. “And Ralph—you’re welcome to spend the night.” Something was missing in his tone. The usual possession, the power, the smug control—gone. He even avoided looking at me as he spoke. “There’d be no need,” Ralph replied stiffly, arms folding across his chest. “I already booked a room.” He pulled m
Sven~ Gods, how hard was it for people to do their fucking job. I squeezed my forehead between my fingers, walking back into the restaurant. It was completely silent, save me my shoes thundering into it.I glanced up from my phone, stopping in my tracks the second I noticed the table was fucking empty and there was no sign of Rayna. Just great. My jaw tightened, irritation cutting sharp beneath my skin. My eyes caught the host lingering by the doorway, and I called him over with a short, clipped motion. “Where’s the girl?” The man looked around like I hadn’t done that already, eyes darting to the empty chairs as if she might magically appear between blinks. “She was just here,” he stammered. No kidding. My patience was wearing thing. I gave her one order, just one and she couldn't keep to it. I dragged a hand down my face, fighting the urge to snap his neck just to make a point. “I’ll ask once again,” I said, each word sharp enough to draw blood. “Where did she go?” The
Rayna~My chair screeched against the floor as I stood so fast it nearly toppled. I barely felt my heels hitting the tiles as I ran toward the man standing by the door. My breath caught halfway.He was here—my brother was right here.“Ralph!” The name tore out of me, it rough and breathles. He turned at once, eyes widening before a smile broke across his face, arms opening wide. His shoulders dropped, relief washing over his features like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.My vision blurred, tears clouding my sight and for a second, I thought my legs might give out beneath me. The entrance suddenly felt too long, too far—but Ralph’s long strides closed the distance in a heartbeat."Ray," his voice was a choked exhale, filled with extreme relief.He pulled me into a fierce, breathless embrace, his arms tightening around me as if he feared I would disappear. "I finally found you."The dam broke and everything that I’d gone through came reeling back. My body shook as I clutched a
Rayna~ La Mirabelle came into view, the neon sign buzzing faintly, bright enough to sting my eyes. This couldn’t be a coincidence. And if it was, it was a bad one. We were outside his territory. The car rolled to a stop. I stayed still, fingers tight on the seatbelt. The hum of the engine slowly faded, replaced by the quiet thud of my heartbeat in my ears. “Are you enjoying the feel of my leather?” Sven’s voice broke the silence, smooth but with that teasing lilt he used when he thought he was being funny. I turned to him too fast. “What are we doing here?” He looked at me, one brow lifting like I’d asked the dumbest question in the world. “To eat?” “I know that,” I said, sharper than I meant to. “I mean—why here?” My chest tightened, something uneasy crawling under my skin. He knew things about me—what I liked, what I avoided, where I’d been. And somehow, that knowledge felt more dangerous than comforting. His smirk faded. “Hey, princess.” His voice came softer now, lower.
Rayna~ Except orientation meant something other than showing me around the office, and letting me grow accustomed to my new work space, Sven made sure to work me to the bone. Orientation my fucking ass. After the grand tour, which by the way wasn't some friendly walkthrough but a full-on briefing, he practically dumped a mountain of documents on my tiny desk. “You should get acquainted with the business while you're here.” he said right after dumping them on my desk and dashed out almost immediately. I stared at the papers for a solid minute, hoping the words would magically start making sense. They didn't. It was just numbers, manifestos, export codes and shit I didn't fuck with. My brain was doing backflips just trying to keep up. By the time I got to the third page, the letters were practically dancing. Goddess, I wasn't cut out for this. I could just resign and focus on my future Luna duties, that was more my thing than this all crap. But Sven didn't underst
Rayna I let the hot water beat down my back, trying to wash away the ache in my muscles—and maybe the entire disaster that was today. My body was wrecked, but it was my mind that wouldn’t stop spinning. Every memory of Reeves’ face, his anger, the sharp edge in his tone—it all looped in my head like a broken record. I still didn’t understand his outburst. One second he was furious, the next… remorseful. I didn’t know whether to be mad, hurt, or just tired of it all. Mostly I tired. I just wanted— The door slammed open. I froze at the sound, glancing around the room . Just one break, that’s all I ask the goddess for but I’m guessing she hates seeing me rest. The water kept running, echoing in the silence. I turned the knob off fast, the room suddenly too quiet. “Who’s there?” I spluttered, voice catching in the back of my throat. There was nothing, no footsteps or sign that anyone was there with me. My pulse pounded against my ribs, so loud it hurt. “Sven?” I call







