LOGINIsla's POV
"Just a minute, Liam!" I shouted, my voice bouncing off the walls as I tightened Killian’s tie knot.Beta Liam was already pacing somewhere outside the door.Killian scoffed. “Why does he get here so early? He doesn’t even live here.”I tugged the tie sharply, earning a grunt. “Because unlike someone, he actually respects time.”He smirked, eyes dropping to me. “You should advise him to forfeit his bachelor degree, Isla. A man his age shouldn’t be this lonely. He needs a woman who’ll pin him down and make him apologize to me every morning for being late. Might fix his attitude.”“You’re one to talk,” I said, dusting off his suit lapel. “Look at the pot calling the kettle black. Both of you are like twin fossils who think work is a wife. Honestly, if the Moon Goddess ever planned a pity ceremony for lonely men, you two would be seated on the front row.”He raised his brow. “A pity ceremony? That sounds hKillian's POV I packed the last file into the drawer, aligning it neatly before locking the office door behind me. The day had been long, but for once, I didn’t feel that dragging heaviness that usually came with it. There was a strange lightness in my chest, the kind that made me hum, an unfamiliar tune that had somehow found its way into my head.By the time I reached the front gate, Liam was there, his usual stance, alert, shoulders squared, face serious. I slowed my pace, still humming, and greeted him with a grin that seemed to catch him off guard.“Did you check on Lucien?” I asked, adjusting my cuffs as I stopped beside him.“Yes, Alpha,” he replied, quick and crisp. “He’s already headed back to his pack.”“Good.” I gave his shoulder a firm pat, the way I always did when I was pleased with something. “Well done.”Liam blinked, clearly unsure what to make of my mood. It wasn’t every day I handed out compliments so easily.“Can I ask,” he began cautiously, “why do you seem… ha
Daphne's POV “Something’s not right,” I whispered the moment I stepped into the house. My heels clicked against the floor, and it wasn’t until I sat down that I realized I hadn’t even taken them off. My mind was far away, lost somewhere between confusion and disbelief.Mia peeked out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. “You look like you just managed to escape an airplane crash. What’s going on?”I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to make sense of it. “Let’s just say a man once loved you… then something happened, and suddenly he didn’t again. But you, like a fool, kept loving him anyway. Then one day, out of nowhere, he starts doing things he’s never done before.”“Miracle happens,” Tasha said from the couch, raising her brow like it was a joke.I shot her a look. “Be serious, Tasha.”She held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m listening.”Mia came closer, her curiosity written all over her face. “So… Killian’s being nice to you?”I nodded slowly. “He smi
Isla's POV “What are you doing here, Lucien?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.I wasn’t supposed to ask anything. I was supposed to turn, shut the gate, and walk away like he didn’t exist. But my hand, it stayed on the lock, frozen, useless.Lucien smiled faintly, like seeing me wasn’t part of the plan but a pleasant accident. “I’m glad you’re still alive,” he said, his voice too calm for the chaos his presence stirred inside me. “I wondered where you went after you were banished.”I almost laughed. The audacity. The way he said banished like it was some gentle misunderstanding, like he hadn’t stood there and watched it happen.“After I was banished?” I repeated, tilting my head, “Or after you banished me?”That got him. His jaw tightened, just a little, and his hand that held the flower shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not apologizing for anything,” he said, though his tone betrayed him. “But I just want you to know that I never really wanted any of it. It was Arielle’s mu
Killian's POV The moment I stepped into the building, everyone turned. The usual stiff silence that followed my arrival didn’t come this time. Instead, heads lifted, greetings, too loud, too cheerful for a Monday morning.“Good morning, Alpha!”“Morning, sir!”“Alpha Killian!”I smiled back at them. “Good morning, Jenna.”“Morning, Leo. Nice tie.”“Morning, Thomas, still beating people at chess?”They froze mid motion, a few blinking like I’d just announced a holiday. Someone whispered, “Did he just greet Thomas by name?” Another muttered under his breath, “He never smiles unless it’s bad news.”I kept walking, trying not to laugh. They had no idea what was making me this light today. If they did, they’d probably run out the door in confusion.By the time I reached my office, I was still grinning, right until I opened the door.Daphne sat on the sofa, legs crossed, pretending to flip through a file. Across from her stood someone who didn’t belong here.“Alpha Lucien.”I stopped. “Yo
Isla's POV "Just a minute, Liam!" I shouted, my voice bouncing off the walls as I tightened Killian’s tie knot. Beta Liam was already pacing somewhere outside the door.Killian scoffed. “Why does he get here so early? He doesn’t even live here.”I tugged the tie sharply, earning a grunt. “Because unlike someone, he actually respects time.”He smirked, eyes dropping to me. “You should advise him to forfeit his bachelor degree, Isla. A man his age shouldn’t be this lonely. He needs a woman who’ll pin him down and make him apologize to me every morning for being late. Might fix his attitude.”“You’re one to talk,” I said, dusting off his suit lapel. “Look at the pot calling the kettle black. Both of you are like twin fossils who think work is a wife. Honestly, if the Moon Goddess ever planned a pity ceremony for lonely men, you two would be seated on the front row.”He raised his brow. “A pity ceremony? That sounds h
Isla's POV Calista stepped forward with that slow, confident walk she always had, like she owned whatever ground she set foot on. I really hated her for bullying Killian.She looked at Killian, then at Scott, then at me, as if measuring who could be bartered and who could not.“You want your son pack's freedom back,” she said, voice soft but sharp. “You want an end to this little chaos. I want my family intact, and I want my daughter’s future secure. Hear me out.”She didn’t wait for him to answer. She laid out the offer in plain cold sentences that she would take Scott and Elijah and every vampire under her wing out of his territory tonight. She would remove whatever threads tied them to his borders, relocate them to a place far from his reach, and she would never interfere with Killian’s alliances or Daphne’s marriage again, not publicly, not privately. In return, he would heal Scott immediately where we stood, and he would give them safe passage out of







