MasukKane’s Quarters – That EveningThe mansion buzzed with quiet urgency.Leo had been discharged, and Kane had made only one demand:“Move him upstairs. Near me.”No arguments.Within the hour, Leo’s old room had been emptied—his books, clothes, games, and even his old sketchpads carried to a new room just two doors down from Kane and Castelle’s suite.The walls were freshly painted, the mattress soft. A personal air purifier whirred quietly in the corner. Everything smelled like lavender and new beginnings.But Kane wasn’t done.He knelt before Leo’s wheelchair and gently strapped a sleek black band around his wrist.“Tracking monitor,” Kane said. “It monitors vitals, stress levels… everything.”Leo blinked, too tired to argue.Kane then pulled out a silver pendant.“Necklace does the same. Hidden beacon inside. If you're in distress—even if you whisper—I’ll know. Understand?”Leo looked at him. “You don’t have to—”“I do,” Kane said sharply. “I’m not taking
Leo’s Room – Four Days LaterThe mansion had gone still. Not quiet—still.The kind of stillness that comes before a storm breaks bones.No one dared disturb Kane. Not even to breathe near him.He hadn’t left Leo’s side in four days. Not to eat. Not to sleep. Not even to scream..Lucien and Matteo handled all external affairs. One glance from Kane had been enough:“Keep them alive.”The implication: Until I decide who burns first.They all knew it—Delilah had crossed a line only Leo could pull Kane back from.She was banking on one thing to stay safe—Leo’s mercy.Because Kane would raze the world, but never against Leo’s will.She was hiding behind Leo’s heart.And Kane hated that heart had once loved her.Castelle had done what she could.She offered tea, back rubs, warm baths. She wrapped Kane in her arms when the pain made him tremble, he sought release between her thighs because nothing else soothed him.But it was only her. Only Kane in Castelle’s arms that g
Meanwhile in Leo’s RoomThe machines hummed low.IV fluid dripped with sterile rhythm.Leo’s body lay still—limp, quiet—but something deep within him stirred.His breathing hitched.Brows creased faintly.And then, in a voice so soft it could’ve been the air itself, his lips parted around a single name.“Rem…”A tear slipped from the corner of his closed eye, trailing a silver path down his pale cheek.Even in unconsciousness… he remembered.The man.The only one—other than Kane—who had ever made him feel truly seen. Truly wanted.Remile.That was the name Leo knew him by. A shadow of a man who held him through sleepless nights. Who whispered promises against his skin. Who kissed him with a reverence Leo had never known.The man who touched his scars like they weren’t flaws.The one who looked into him and didn’t flinch.Remile had seen through the mask. Past the pain. Into the trembling core of Leo’s heart—the part that begged to be loved.And
The control room was silent except for the low hum of the monitor and Matteo’s voice—clipped, trembling with restrained fury.“She was here,” he said, rewinding the footage again. “The night before Leo collapsed. Delilah entered through the east corridor at 12:07 a.m. She was in Leo’s room for over an hour.”Kane didn’t speak. His fists were clenched at his sides, veins prominent. Each inhale a battle against combustion.Lucien clicked into another tile. “There’s more. Past three weeks—garden, east parlor, south wing. She’s been meeting him. Talking to him. Feeding him whatever poison she could.”“She used him like bait,” Matteo growled. “She knew Leo wouldn’t tell you.”“Leo was desperate,” Lucien murmured. “He thought she changed. He just wanted a mother.”Kane turned. Walked away. Not a word—just a storm bottled behind silent eyes.A few moments later.....The screams echoed through the cement hallway. One of the guards stumbled out, vomiting. Inside, blo
The machines beeped steadily in the background, Leo’s body still motionless, save for the subtle rise and fall of his chest. Kane stood like a statue, arms crossed, eyes fixed on Leo—haunted.He ran a hand through his thick hair, fingers curling at the roots like he wanted to rip something apart. His jaw was tight, a vein ticking at his temple.The door creaked open behind him.Lucien and Matteo stepped in quietly.Kane didn’t flinch.He didn’t have to look to know who they were.Only when he sensed their pause did he finally turn.His eyes were dark. Hollowed. Wild.“How’s my Queen?” he asked hoarsely.Lucien gave a soft nod. “She’s curled up in my bed. With Lyra and Mason. She misses you, but… she’s okay. She’s safe.”Kane’s fist clenched. The sound of his knuckles cracking echoed through the room.Without warning, he turned and punched the wall.Hard.The plaster cracked under the force, his knuckles splitting open.“Check the fucking CCTV,” he barked, his
The room was still. The warmth of their bodies tangled beneath the duvet. Kane’s breathing had evened out, his arm draped protectively over Castelle, who lay nestled against his chest, heart steady for the first time in days.But then—A scream tore through the silence. Shrill. Gut-wrenching. Kareen.Kane was up before she could blink.Castelle barely had time to grab the sheet and clutch it to her chest before he was at the door, yanking on his trousers with shaking hands. She followed quickly, dragging on the nearest robe as her heartbeat thundered in her ears.Down the hall, doors opened. Footsteps echoed. Shouts filled the once-quiet corridors.Another scream—“HELP! KANE!” Kareen’s voice cracked like glass.They burst into Leo’s room at the same time as Lucien and Matteo, Kareen crouched on the floor, sobbing violently over something—someone.Leo.He was slumped at the foot of the bed, his wrist split open in a jagged line. Blood pooled beneath his limp







