LOGINRhea POVFor Kenzie to take me seriously, I ended up telling her most of what he had done. About how he had been harassing me. How he had been pressuring me, practically threatening me to sleep with him.Of course I skipped the most important part.The why.To my surprise, Kenzie was furious by the time I finished. She paced the room, cursing him out under her breath like she was deciding exactly how she would strangle him if she ever saw him again.“Oh my god, I am such a fool,” she said finally, dropping down beside me on the floor once some of the anger drained out of her. “I thought he was a decent man. I was even pushing you toward him without knowing he was a monster. No wonder you were so upset that day.”I pressed my lips together, my mind flashing back to the mall. To how trapped I had felt. “It’s not your fault,” I said quietly. “You didn’t know.”“No, don’t say that,” she cut in immediately. “I should have known. I should have seen how scared you were, but I was too busy be
Rhea POV I was getting discharged today.It felt strange, almost too fast, considering I had only been in the hospital for a day and a half. But the doctor said I was stable enough to go home, and the whip marks had almost completely faded.Since Mom was having routine checkups today, I had insisted on returning home myself. But she panicked the second I suggested it and practically begged Kenzie to come pick me up instead.And as much as I kept telling everyone I was fine, I didn’t actually want to be alone. I was grateful Kenzie was here. Grateful for the noise. For the distraction.“Oh my goodness!” Kenzie suddenly gasped, jumping up from the hospital bed and shoving her phone toward my face while I was folding my clothes.“What is it?” I asked, squinting hard. The screen was way too close, and the light stabbed at my eyes.“Can’t you see?” she said, her voice buzzing with shock and excitement. “Those are two dead bodies tied to a light post in the middle of the street. Their insi
Dorian POV “I’m pregnant!” she said fast, squeezing her eyes shut like the words themselves might bite her. Time stopped. The red haze blinked out just a fraction as the beast inside me froze, just as confused as I was. “What did you say?” I asked, needing to hear it again, needing to make sure I didn’t hallucinate out of pure rage. “I’m sorry,” she said, tears streaming down her face, tears that meant absolutely nothing to me. Vivienne apologizing was rarer than a blue moon and usually twice as suspicious. “But… I’m pregnant.” “You know that isn’t my child. We haven’t had—” “I know that,” she cut in before I even finished. “Then whose is it?!” I demanded, trying hard not to roar it even as my claws stayed buried in her arm. “You know who it is,” she said. “Who else have I been sleeping with if not—” “No.” I cut her off, releasing her suddenly and stepping back like her voice was poison. “You’re mistaken. That isn’t Ragnar’s.” “Do you think I am a slut?” she snapp
Dorian POV A lie. It was all a fucking lie. My grip tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles screaming white, and I didn’t care how reckless my driving got until I tore through the gates of the pack estate. I ignored every greeting from the guards and the maids, pushing past them without stopping to breathe. I stormed straight into Vivienne’s chambers, shoving the door hard enough that the maids inside flinched. When they saw it was me, they bowed so low their hair almost touched the floor. I ignored them too, heading for Vivienne’s bedroom only to find more maids inside but no sign of her. “Where is she?” I asked, my voice almost a growl. “The… the garden…” the maid stuttered. I huffed once, frustrated enough to snap something in half, then turned and headed for the private garden behind the estate. I had only made it a few steps in when I saw her silhouette. That alone made my fists clench again, my breathing turning heavy, and instinctively I quickened my pace.
Rhea POVSeeing the scars only made my heart race harder because all I could think about was last night. Maybe it was partly his fault. I mean, I wouldn’t have been beaten this bad if this idiot in front of me had just decided to leave me alone.“It’s nothing,” I huffed, trying to turn my head away, but he caught my chin with his other hand and dragged me back to meet his expression, which was getting darker by the second.“Don’t lie to me,” he said, and the whole energy in the room clenched tight. I could literally see the red creeping into the grey of his eyes. “Tell me, who fucking did this!” he yelled, gripping me harder, and I flinched before I could stop it.“Was it Vivienne?” he said, and the second that name left his mouth I felt everything inside me drop. I tried not to let my face react, even though my whole body had started shaking. “Did Vivienne do this to you?” he asked, but I shook my head fast. Too fast.“Dammit,” he cursed loudly and let go of me instantly, pushing to
Rhea POV “How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere? Does your arm hurt?” Kale’s questions kept coming one after another, his grip on my arm tightening before he finally loosened it and pulled back. I tried to smile but it was the weak kind, the type that doesn’t even pretend to reach your eyes. He huffed and stepped back, dragging a hand through his hair like he was two seconds from losing it. Then his gaze shifted to Damian, who was now getting to his feet. “What are you doing here?” “I was the one who found her,” Damian replied simply. “Oh. Really? Thank you,” Kale said immediately, sounding genuinely grateful, which made Damian just nod. “I’ll be leaving now,” Damian added, glancing at me for half a second, but I dropped my head even more. “You do that,” Kale said. “And don’t tell Mom I’m here. I snuck out.” At that, Damian actually chuckled under his breath. “Sure thing, buddy.” He gently patted Kale on the back before turning and leaving. The second he was gone,







