CROSSI couldn’t sleep a wink that night.Even with Nyx lying in my arms, completely bare under the sheets, her body warm and her breathing soft, I still felt a weight on my chest that refused to lift. Her presence usually brought me peace and comfort, but tonight, not even that could ease the storm inside me.The conversation I’d had with her mother at the restaurant kept playing in my head.“Alpha Slade isn’t your biological father either.”At first, I’d been furious. I’d thought she was just saying something cruel to get under my skin. But she had maintained her words without a flinch, and had even told me to go ask him myself if I didn’t believe her. Said she’d been his favorite whore once, and that she’d known more about him than even his Beta did. That was why, after she ran, he’d hunted her because she knew too much. He wanted his secrets buried with her.I couldn’t help but start to believe her. Somehow. As wild and unpredictable as she was, something told me she wasn’t lyin
KAIDENI rushed straight to the cell that evening, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. A guard had brought me a message, saying that Calantha wanted to see me. Urgently.I’d been in the middle of an important meeting with Bradley and some of my top soldiers. They were updating me on the progress of our latest investigations. But the moment I heard her name, I didn’t care what anyone was saying. I left everything and everyone behind and headed straight to her.When I arrived at the holding quarters, the guards slowly moved to open the cell door. Their sluggishness annoyed me. Had they been napping? How could they be sleeping when Calantha was inside? Anything could have happened to her!I wanted to call them out right then and there, but I held it in. Calantha came first. I’ll deal with them later.I stepped inside the cell, and the moment she saw me, Calantha stood up from her bed.“Hey…” she began softly, but I was already by her side, scanning her body with frantic eyes, my hands
NYXThat night, Cross helped me pack my things from Eloise’s place, and drove me back to his apartment.As we stepped inside, I had to cover my mouth with both hands to keep from crying all over again.If someone had told me just this morning that I’d be back here—in his apartment, as his girlfriend again—I would’ve laughed in their face. Or maybe cried. Because I was sure we were done. I was sure I’d lost him.But here we were. Back. Somehow.My eyes scanned the apartment as if I hadn’t seen it in years, even though I’d only left that morning. “You missed being here, didn’t you?” Cross’s voice came from behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist. I leaned into him, my head rested on his chest. I nodded.“Yes.” My voice cracked as I looked up at him. My lips trembled with a smile. “And I missed you too.”It amazed me, how how fast and deep I’d fallen for this male. But I didn’t regret it. “I missed you too, beautiful one.” His voice was tender and full of that same ache. He leaned
CROSSI had two choices: either go to Nyx and tell her the good news first, or go confront my father about what I’d just found out. That he wasn’t my real dad.I chose the first. The second option felt like stepping into a storm I wasn’t ready for. Especially if what Nyx’s mother had told me was actually true.So as I got back on the road, I dialed Eloise. She answered after a few rings.“Hey,” she said, her voice soft like she had been expecting me. And from her tone, I could already tell that my hunch had been right. Nyx had gone to her. That alone brought a wave of relief over me.“Hey, El,” I began. “Is Nyx with you? I really need to see her.”She didn’t reply right away. Then after a brief pause, she spoke gently.“Cross… she said she can’t see you right now. She’s hurting, Cross. And I think you are too. Maybe some space will help you both heal…”“We’re not half siblings,” I cut in, my eyes focused on the road, one hand gripping the wheel and the other tight around the phone. I
CROSSNyx’s mother sat across from me at the restaurant, hunched over her plate and eating like she hadn’t seen food in days. It was hard not to stare. The way she chewed, her mouth full and unapologetic, was embarrassing to watch. Yet, I couldn’t look away. I just sat there, arms folded across my chest, a quiet frustration building inside me.This woman… my mother? The heavens really did have a twisted sense of humor, didn’t they?I glanced down at my wristwatch again. She’d been eating non-stop, shoving food into her mouth as if we were at some all-you-can-eat buffet she had to win. She’d insisted we order half the menu, claiming she needed to “fill her stomach before talking.”I was starting to lose my patience.“Are you going to start talking, or do you plan to eat the entire restaurant first?” I asked, trying to keep my tone even despite the irritation that laced it.She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked up at me briefly with a piece of chicken clutched in her hand
CALANTHAI was sitting on the edge of my bed while the elder physician ran his usual checks—taking my temperature, inspecting my eyes, drawing a little blood. It was the third day in a row he was doing this, always performing the same set of tests like he was trying to confirm something over and over again.I watched him as he began packing up his tools into his leather case. “What’s going on?” I asked, curiosity rising in my chest. “Is there something wrong with me?”He paused slightly, then gave a soft chuckle. “Oh, nothing to worry about, My Luna,” he said, glancing up at me while still tucking things into his bag. His eyes were sparkling with what looked like joy. A faint smile curled at the corners of his lips. “If anything, it’s good news.”“Good news?” I leaned forward a little, my heart thumping. I moved to the very edge of the bed so I could hear him better. For some reason, I felt nervous.He finally stopped packing, straightened a little, and looked directly into my eyes.