LOGINLiam's POV
I leaned against the bar, nursing a glass I hadn’t touched. My eyes never drifted far from Killian. He had Daphne pinned down with that stare of his, making sure she's not leaving her sight. But it wasn’t Daphne that worried me, it was Isla. Alpha Killian has instructed me to keep my eyes on Arielle while he would keep Daphne entertained in case any of them was planning anything against Isla. She had excused herself, whispered something into Killian’s ear, then disappeared into the corridor. I didn’t like her leaving out of sight. I tried to keep calm, but my gut wouldn’t let me. Most of the people here would surely stand against Isla once they know who she is. And if she so much as stumbled into their trap, they’d eat her alive. My phone buzzed with some irrelevant message, but I ignored it. My eyes flicked toward the far end of the hall, to where she’d gone. A shadow moved there a moment laIsla’s POV Killian came back without warning, jacket already half off, sleeves rolled like he’d peeled himself out of the world just to get back to me. I was still pretending to be annoyed when he stopped in front of me, eyes dragging over me slowly, like he was cataloguing proof that I was real and still here.“You’re smiling,” he said.“I’m not.”He reached out anyway, hooked a finger under my chin, tipped my face up just enough to make lying pointless. “You do this thing when you’re pretending you’re mad. Right here.” His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth. “It gives you away every time.”I swatted his hand. He caught my wrist easily, tugged me forward, and suddenly I was against him, my palms flat on his chest, feeling the steady certainty of him beneath my hands.“You disappeared,” I said.“I came back,” he replied, immediate, firm, like that was the only part that mattered.He leaned his foreh
Liam’s POV After what felt like forever trapped inside the car, watching time crawl instead of move, I finally saw the front door open. Daphne stepped out first, keys already in hand, Tasha close behind her, laughing about something I couldn’t hear. Mia followed last.They moved together toward Daphne’s car. I stayed where I was, engine off, watching. Daphne unlocked the doors, Tasha slid into the passenger seat, and Mia leaned in through the window to say something that made them both grin.Then the doors shut, the engine came alive, and the car rolled down the street.Mia stood there alone.I waited until the car disappeared completely, until the street returned to stillness, before opening my door. I stepped out slowly, dipping my hand into my jacket out of habit more than intention, and walked toward her.She turned when she heard my footsteps.“I hope I’m not the one stopping you from going out with them,
Liam’s POV My phone started buzzing nonstop on the nightstand, dragging me out of whatever half-sleep I’d slipped into. I grabbed it without checking the caller, ready to snap at whoever thought it was a good idea to call me at whatever hour this was.But the moment I saw her name on the screen, every trace of irritation died. She has no business with me unless Killian needs me.She didn’t waste time on greetings.“Killian needs you now. At the training ground.”Her tone alone told me it wasn’t optional. The line cut before I could ask anything.I sat up fully, rubbing my face as the weight of it settled. Killian didn’t call for me these days unless something was wrong, seriously wrong. And if she was the one delivering the message, then whatever pushed him to summon me was no small thing.I grabbed a shirt, decided against wearing it, and left my room with my pulse picking up for reasons I coul
Killian’s POV I stood in front of the mirror, knotting my tie, stealing glances at Isla sleeping on the bed. She’d knocked out right after dinner, right after I’d been busy pointing out constellations like a fool in love.I kept smiling at my own reflection, thinking of her then paused. Something shifted behind me.My eyes narrowed. I leaned closer to the mirror. Nothing. But I knew I’d seen something.I turned around slowly.The door which was closed a moment ago was now open. Just open. No footsteps. No sound.A chill crawled up my spine.I grabbed the gun from the drawer without a second thought.I stepped out into the hall and barely made it two paces when the door slammed behind me.I spun, grabbed the handle, tried forcing it open but it wouldn’t budge. I threw my weight into it, shoulder first, jaw clenched, but it held like someone was bracing it from the other side.Then som
Isla’s POV It touched mine, just barely, just a whisper of heat before my brain finally caught up with my body.And the moment it did, instinct snapped me awake.I slapped him. Hard.My palm stung instantly, but the shock in his eyes stung even more.I didn’t wait for him to speak. I didn’t wait for him to explain.I barged into the car, slamming the door behind me, breathing so fast it felt like I was swallowing my own heartbeat.I wished desperately that I could miraculously drive myself out of there, drunk or not, just to escape the humiliating mess I’d created.But all I could do was sit there, gripping the seat, praying the world would stop spinning long enough for me to disappear.We got home, and I stepped out of the car the second it stopped. I didn’t wait for Grayson to circle around or play the gentleman by opening the car door for me, my legs carried me straight to the house because if I hes
Isla’s POV Before I could yank my hand free, a shadow slid across the table.Grayson’s fingers closed around the man’s wrist, prying it off me with a calmness that didn’t match the tension in his shoulders.“That’s enough,” Grayson said, voice quiet, almost polite.The man jerked back, annoyed rather than intimidated. “Mind your business.”Grayson tilted his head, almost amused. “You put your hand on the wrong woman. That makes it my business.”Instead of backing down, the man shoved to his feet, puffed up by the cheap liquor and whatever pride he had left. “And what are you gonna do about it?”Grayson smiled, almost friendly.That was the only warning.His fist connected with the man’s jaw before anyone could blink. The hit sent the guy stumbling back into a table, knocking over glasses. Conversations died instantly. Music kept playing, but the room’s attention snapped to us like a pulled thread.







