로그인Nicholas doesn’t rush.He walks toward Gabriel like he has all the time in the world…like this moment has already been decided long before it ever happened.Each step is calm, measured, controlled, and predatory.Gabriel’s shoulders stiffen instinctively.Ragnar rises immediately beneath his skin, alert and sharp.The man approaching them looks dangerous.It isn’t loud, but it’s there…..clear, and unmistakable.The closer the man gets, the heavier the air becomes, thick with something powerful…something dominant, and something Alpha.Gabriel’s jaw tightens.When the man finally stops a few feet away from him, there’s a silence…tense and charged.They stare at each other, one assessing, the other guarded.“Who are you?” Gabriel asks, his voice low, rough from earlier emotions, but steady enough. “And how do you know my name?”Nicholas tilts his head slightly, then he chuckles soft and amused.Like Gabriel has just asked something…adorably unnecessary.“I know a lot about you, Gabriel B
Gabriel doesn’t look back.Not when the door closes behind him.Not when his sister calls his name.Not even when something deep inside him, something fragile and desperate, begs him to turn around.He just keeps walking.Ragnar is restless beneath his skin.He's not wild, not out of control, but wounded.The kind of wounded that sits heavy and quiet… the kind that makes a wolf dangerous in a different way.‘We should not stay,’ Ragnar mutters lowly in his mind, his voice rough with restrained rage. ‘This place reeks of betrayal.’Gabriel says nothing.Because he absolutely agrees with Ragnar.~~~He had never wanted to go back home, but he couldn't stay at his friend's house where he spent the night.The drive home felt longer than it should.Ragnar stayed close to the surface the entire time, his presence pressing against Gabriel’s control like a shadow that refused to leave.Neither of them had spoken on their way home because there was nothing to say.By the time Gabriel's cab pull
~DAMIEN~The silence after the door closes is suffocating.It presses into my chest, wraps around my throat, and makes it hard to breathe.Gabriel is gone.My son just walked out of this house… and I let him.I stand there for a long moment, staring at the door like if I look hard enough, he might come back through it.But he doesn’t.He won’t.“Dad…?”Ella’s voice pulls me back, soft and uncertain.I turn slowly.She’s still standing there in the hallway, her eyes moving between me and Holly, confusion written all over her face.Her hair is messy from sleep, her expression fragile… innocent.And for a second, I hate myself even more.Because she has no idea.No idea that in the span of a few minutes, everything she knows about this family has been shattered.“Why did Gabriel leave?” she asks again, quieter this time.Her voice trembles just slightly, and I swallow hard.My throat feels dry, tight, like the words are refusing to come out.But I owe her the trut
~DAMIEN~Gabriel is back.My son is back!!!Relief floods through me so fast it almost hurts.But it dies just as quickly because the moment he steps in, he sees us and his expression doesn't change.Not even a little.There's no anger, no shouting, no pain, nothing.And that…that emptiness is worse than anything.“H—Gabriel…..” Holly’s voice trembles beside me.But he doesn’t stop, he doesn't look at her or at me.He just walks past us like we don't exist, like we mean nothing to him anymore.My chest tightens painfully.“Gabriel,” I call, standing up immediately.He doesn’t respond.He heads straight for his room upstairs, and I hear the door slams shut.The sound echoes through the house like a gunshot.Holly and I move at the same time.We rush after him.“Gabriel, open the door,” I say, knocking firmly.No response.“Please,” Holly adds, her voice breaking. “Gabriel, just…just listen to us….”More silence, thick and unforgiving.I press my hand against th
~HOLLY~“What’s going on?” Ella asks slowly.Neither of us answers.I can’t.My throat feels like it’s closed up completely.Ella takes a few steps closer, her expression shifting from confusion to concern.“Why do you both look like this?” she asks, her voice softer now. “What happened?”Still… silence.My guilt grows, crawling up my chest, tightening around my lungs.Because she has no idea.No idea that everything she knows…everything she trusts…is already shattered.“Holly?” Ella looks at me directly now. “You were literally so happy this morning. What changed?”Her words hit me like a slap.I was happy, carefree, laughing, and now….I feel like the worst person alive.I drop my gaze immediately, unable to look at her.If I do, I might completely fall apart.“Did something happen?” she presses. “Did someone say something? Or….”She pauses.Her eyes flicker around the room.“Where’s Gabriel?” she asks.The question sinks deep, sharp, and painful.And my chest tightens again.I swallo
~HOLLY~The silence after Gabriel leaves is unbearable.It's loud, deafening and crushing.I can still hear his voice in my head.‘I hate you.’My chest tightens painfully, and a sob escapes my lips before I can stop it.I curl in on myself, clutching the bedsheet tighter around my body like it’s the only thing holding me together.But it’s not enough.Nothing is enough, because he's gone, and I did that.I destroyed him.“I…” My voice breaks completely. “I didn’t mean for this to happen…”The words sound weak and pathetic even to me.Damien is quiet for a moment….too quiet.And when I finally look at him…The expression on his face makes my stomach drop.Anger, guilt, and rage are all tangled together.His hands are clenched into fists at his sides, his jaw so tight it looks like it might snap.“He had no right….” Damien starts, his voice low and dangerous.“No.” I shake my head immediately, cutting him off. “Don’t.”My voice trembles, but I force the words o







