River’s POVMy phone tucked between my ear and shoulder while I rummaged through the bottom drawer of my desk, searching for a file that had decided to play hide and seek with me.“The house was just left with finishing touches, thank goodness,” I told Hailey, still shuffling papers around. “They wrapped everything up in a day or two… You should come visit soon.”“I certainly will,” she replied, her voice bright. “So we can pop some champagne and celebrate the new house properly.”That made me smile. “Exactly.”“By the way, how’s Steven?” she asked.“He’s good. Dropped him off at his wrestling class earlier,” I said, moving another pile of files aside. “He misses you all so much.”“Aww, we miss him too, trust me,” she chuckled. “Peter hasn’t stopped pouting. We’ll definitely come and see him soon. Promise.”I finally spotted the missing file, wedged awkwardly at the back of the drawer. Relief swept through me as I pulled it free and carried it back to my chair. “That will make him so
Hailey’s POVJust as Zed shoved his way past me, anger boiled in my chest. I spun toward the staircase, ignoring Peter’s voice behind me.“Hey, baby, calm down,” he called, but I didn’t.My legs carried me up, two steps at a time, the fury in my veins louder than my own heartbeat. By the time I reached the room I had given her, my hands were trembling. I didn’t bother knocking—I twisted the knob and shoved the door open.“Hey! Can’t you knock!?” Charlotte snapped, her voice dripping with annoyance. She was sprawled on the bed, eyes glued to her phone like she didn’t have a care in the world.I clenched my jaw. “What did you do?”Her eyes flicked up at me briefly, then back to her screen. “What do you mean by ‘what did I do’?” she mocked, mimicking my tone.Rage flared hotter. I stormed to the bed, snatched the phone right out of her hands.“Hey! That’s not nice,” she shouted, sitting up. “Give me my phone back.”“Not until you answer my goddamn question,” I shot back, gripping the pho
Jay’s POVI chased after her car, my bare feet pounding against the dusty road, my voice breaking as I yelled her name.“River! Please just stop!”But she didn’t stop. She didn’t even slow down. Instead, she pressed harder on the accelerator, the distance between us stretching with every heartbeat. My chest burned from running, my lungs screaming for air, but I kept going, desperate to reach her.After a while, I couldn’t keep up. My legs felt heavy, my throat raw. I slowed, then stopped, bending slightly as I tried to catch my breath.And then… I just stood there.She took the right turn at the end of the road, and in seconds, she was gone, swallowed up by the world beyond my sight. I stared at the empty space where her car had been, hoping—no, begging that she’d come back. That she’d change her mind, pull over, and run back into my arms. Maybe kiss me long and hard and tell me we could fix this.But deep down, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Not even the king of wolves could mak
River POV I let out a harsh laugh. “Oh please, Jay. I’m not a fool.”In my room, I grabbed my box and stuffed my remaining clothes into it. He was still there, still talking.“I don’t think you’re a fool, River,” he said. “But she came in and tried to seduce me. Hell, I had no idea she was even in the house.”I ignored him, my heart pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears.When I was done, I yanked the zippers closed on both boxes and rolled them out of the room. My feet carried me toward the stairs, but halfway down, I stopped and turned to face him.“You had her pressed to the wall, Jay. Your hands were wrapped around her neck. How’s that for seduction?”The hurt in my chest burned hotter. I didn’t wait for his answer. I just shook my head and kept going down the stairs.By the time I reached the bottom, Steven was in the living room, sitting cross-legged on the couch, eyes glued to the TV.“Steven, wear your shoes. We’re leaving.”His little head turned toward me, confusion wr
River’s POVI slammed the box onto the bed, the sound echoing through the room like the crack of a whip. My hands were already pulling hangers from the wardrobe, tossing clothes into the box with no care if they wrinkled.I was mad. No… I was livid.How could he do this to me? After everything? After all the love, care, and loyalty he swore he had for me?I yanked a dress from the hanger, folded it once, and shoved it in. My movements were sharp, almost violent.I should’ve known it was too good to be true. So much for finally finding the right man.But I didn’t cry. Not because I didn’t want to — the tears just wouldn’t come. Or maybe… maybe I wasn’t hurt the way I thought I would be. Maybe it was worse than that. Maybe all I felt was disappointment — disappointment that he’d let me down like everyone else… that he’d proven I would never find someone who could love me without betraying me in the end.I could already picture it — him walking in here any second with some pathetic excus
Jay’s POVAnd Goddess… she was completely naked underneath.For a split second, I forgot how to breathe.Charlotte stood there like she knew exactly what kind of effect she was having on me. Her skin was flawless, glowing softly in the light that streamed through the half-open blinds. Her breasts were full, high, and round, tipped with peaks that tightened under the cool air. My gaze trailed lower, over the smooth curve of her waist that dipped into a perfect hourglass, down to her hips, wide enough to make a man lose his mind. Her legs… long, silky, and toned, they looked like they’d been sculpted just to tempt.And Goddess help me… she was beautiful.Her eyes flicked down to the front of my jeans, catching exactly what she wanted to see. The corner of her mouth curled into a wicked, knowing smile.Yes, it was hard. Hard as stone.I knew it was wrong in every possible way, but right then, the part of me that knew better wasn’t in charge. My kind ran on instinct, and right now, insti