VanessaThe minute I slipped out the back gate, I could tell the city was cracking. I ran without thinking. The edges of my wrapper kept slipping from my grip, tangling around my ankles, slowing me down.I yanked it up and kept going, eyes flicking over my shoulder every few seconds. If anyone was following, I’d see them. If they shot, I’d hear it.The smoke was thick in the air. The side alley was narrow, the walls too close, but I shoved forward. The city was folding in on itself. My legs moved faster than my thoughts.I heard the gunshots before I saw the soldiers. Pop pop pop. I dropped instantly. My elbow cracked against the concrete and split open, but I didn’t scream. I bit down and curled in. My heartbeat was all I could hear.Then I saw an old man, whose legs were bad, trying to crawl across the open street with nothing but a wooden stick. I shot up, ran toward him before my brain caught up. He looked up, eyes wide like he wasn’t expecting anyone to stop. I grabbed him under
VanessaNina's pregnancy complications and morning sickness made me feel even more responsible for her. I got her bland foods she could nibble on, ginger cookies, and made some coconut water for her, trying to give her as much comfort as possible.I could tell Alec was frustrated with the new developments. He wanted me out of the palace as soon as possible, but what was the worst that could happen if I stayed in my lane? Now that he’d warned the staff to stay away from me, maybe they’d actually listen and leave me the hell alone.Nina's forehead had finally cooled a little. I sat behind her on the bed, rubbing gentle circles on her foot while she leaned forward and tried to keep her breakfast down.“I’m telling you, if I move too fast, my head spins like I’ve been hit with a plank,” she mumbled.“You said that five minutes ago, and you haven’t moved since,” I replied. “At this point, the dizziness is just in your spirit.”She groaned. “Maybe. But this child is already ungrateful. Can’
Alec My head throbbed from holding it together. Lucas was doing everything possible to drag this charade. I stayed quiet because grief made people stupid and I didn’t want to play the villain at a grieving husband. Still, hearing him spit that nonsense made something coil tight in my chest. I held my tongue from saying what I would regret. “I didn’t kill her,” Vanessa said again, standing in the center of the room. Her voice didn’t rise. She wasn’t pleading. She sounded tired like she had rinsed it through too many times already. “Why would I ever be that dark just because she found out about me and Alec? That’s not enough reason to take a life.”The room sat heavy after that. Then some murmurs.“I’m not scared of Maya’s damn whip,” she continued speaking unfazed by whatever they thought. “And I didn’t ask for this bond either. Isabella never once confronted me. So I had no reason to fear her or hate her or wish her dead.”“You heard her,” I said. The words came sharp, with no inte
VanessaPackmates did what they always did, turning Isabella's death into a string of assumptions.Everyone wanted to know why the tragic scandal happened right under their alpha's nose. But this was beyond tragedy. It was messy and dirty, and it wasn’t some stranger-in-the-night murder.This was someone close. Someone she trusted.My legs curled beneath me as I sat at the far edge of Nina’s couch, lost in thought. It was safe to keep my mouth shut for now.But every angle in my head pointed to Lucas.Mr. Perfect, all-knowing beta. He was grieving. Or maybe he wasn't. No one was saying it out loud. She cheated. He found out. And now she’s gone. Not exactly subtle, is it?Lucas would probably fool people with his charm and look broken in public, but behind that, he could be a monster. His wife was slipping. She was breaking out. Maybe he couldn’t take it.Maybe Olga ran with it, fed it back to him, or maybe Lucas heard it from someone else.I hated how everything spiraled from it. Hate
AlecThe scent of darkness clung to Lucas's living room. He was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, knees up. I didn’t move to touch him. Instead, I stood there, looking at the rug where the pool of his wife's blood had been. The outline was still faint. Or maybe it was my imagination.Lucas’s red-rimmed eyes locked on me.“You knew, didn’t you?”My heart skipped. Sweat ran down my back. I’d never been in this tight a spot. Ever. I could still hear their little boy’s cries even after Maya had taken him away, before Lucas lost his mind in front of the boy. And thank the stars she did.“I’m sorry.”Even I didn’t believe my apology. “Lucas, I need you to breathe. We don’t have the whole picture yet.”He scoffed. “The picture? My wife is dead. You knew she was fucking that dirty guard!”I flinched. “I tried to warn her.”“No, you didn’t. You threatened her.”I didn’t argue. He wasn’t wrong. But I didn’t mean it as a death sentence. I didn’t know that would be the last time I’d se
Vanessa Nina’s eyes sparkled across the dinner table.At first, I thought she was just tipsy on the wine she barely sipped. But then she reached for Gary’s hand, and turned to Alec and me.“I’m pregnant.”My fork froze mid-air.Gary blinked, then blinked again, like he thought he heard wrong. Nina giggled, and waved the empty glass of juice she’d been drinking all evening. “No alcohol, remember? Someone in this house has to start making sense.”Gary stood up so fast his chair nearly tipped, scooping her into a ridiculous spin that made Nina squeal and slap his shoulder. “You’re going to break the baby before it even grows!”He kissed her forehead and looked at her like she was the center of every sun.I clapped my hands and laughed through it. I was genuinely happy. I really was. Nina deserved this. She’d been trying for so long. I remembered every failed attempt, every crushed hope, every time she whispered “next month maybe.”But beneath the smile curling on my lips, my heart curle