NINA’S POV I told myself a hundred times I shouldn’t have agreed to this, and yet my feet kept moving anyway, carrying me away from the school and toward Derek’s house like I had no say in the matter. The way he had grabbed my hand in the parking lot, the way he tugged me along with that same mischievous grin he’d always worn—it had done something to me. And maybe, just maybe, I had let it.It was easier to pretend I wasn’t making the choice. Easier to say he had pulled me here, dragged me, convinced me. But the truth? I hadn’t pulled away. Not once.The air outside was sharp with autumn chill, the kind that burned the lungs a little when you breathed too fast. Derek was walking just ahead of me, still holding my hand like he was afraid I’d change my mind. His grip was firm, warm, steady. I hated that it made me feel secure. I hated that it felt so different from Jace’s touch, rough and overwhelming, like he was always fighting with himself even while holding me. Derek wasn’t like th
NINA’S POV.I hated this. I hated the way it burned inside my chest like I’d been set on fire, and he was the one holding the match. Jace. Always Jace. Always doing this—stepping in, pushing, kissing me like he owned me, then leaving me stranded to drown in the wreck of my own thoughts while he ran off to whatever party or fight he thought was more important than me. He didn’t stay. He never stayed. And worse—today? He had the nerve to snap at me, to look at me with that glare like I was nothing, like I was just in his way.My fists tightened on the edge of the desk, nails digging into the wood. Why did he keep treating me like this? Why was I always left behind, like I was some leftover, like I didn’t matter beyond being the thing his wolf couldn’t ignore? I could feel it—the pull, the mate bond crawling beneath my skin, chaining me to him like I didn’t have a say. And I hated it. Hated how he could walk away and still my body would burn for him, still my heart would ache when he was
JACE’S POV.I woke up to a pounding in my head that felt like someone had split my skull in half. My throat was dry, my chest tight, and there was a loud pounding noise in my head. I blinked, vision swimming. It took me a minute to register that I wasn't in my room. The posters on the wall, the half-folded clothes at the corner, the hockey sticks leaned against the desk in Killian’s room.“What the fuck…” I muttered under my breath, sitting up too fast. My muscles burned like I had been dragged through hell. My knuckles ached, my ribs were sore. I felt like a fucking hungover dool, should it have been so long I drunk my ass out the fuck was going on.“You’re up.” I turned toward the voice and saw Killian leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. His hair was messy like he hadn’t bothered to comb it this morning. He had that look that said he’d been waiting for me to finally stop sleeping like the dead.“You feel like shit, huh?” Killian asked, and his lips tugged into that annoyin
JACE'S POV.I dragged in a breath, trying to calm the pounding in my chest. My lips still burned. My fists itched. My wolf paced inside me, restless, wild, hungry. I wanted to go back in, wanted to grab her again, but I knew if I did, Killian would gut me before I got two words out.I shoved my hands into my pockets, rolling my shoulders, forcing the grin off my face before he noticed. Killian was beside me, his arm slung loose around my neck like we were just two boys heading out for another night, no weight pressing down on either of us. He was too relaxed. Too at ease. And I hated how he kept glancing sideways at me, like he’d seen more than he should.His eyes dropped to the bruises on my arms, the scars still raw and bleeding across my knuckles. “You went too hard again, didn’t you?” His voice was low but pointed, the kind that demanded an answer even if I didn’t want to give one. “Training session? Or did you get into it with someone?” He pressed, not buying my fucking lie eve
NINA'S POV.I shoved him off me the instant my head caught up with what had just happened, palms pressed against his chest harder than I meant to, my heart thrashing in my ribcage. My lips burned, my breath caught in my throat, and I scrambled to put space between us before I completely lost myself again. Just then, the sound of footsteps approached; my brother was coming.I swallowed, pressing my back against the counter, my hands gripping the edge so tightly I thought the wood might splinter under my nails. I forced myself to breathe, trying to stay calm, desperately trying to relieve the tension in my body, to still before he walked in and saw both of us.Killian stepped inside, his eyes flickering between me and Jace. For one long second, he paused, a breath of silence filling the room before he gave a low chuckle, shaking his head.“Relieved,” he said, glancing between us like he’d been expecting a massacre. “I’m actually relieved neither of you has gotten into a fight. Yet.”My
NINA’S POV.The knock was still rattling the air when the door flew open, not waiting for a response from me, the owner of the home, no pause, no wait, and of course fucking typical of Jace, no respect.I let out a scoff when hearing him approach the kitchen, then he stopped. I raised my head in his direction as our gazes locked. I dropped my eyes to his body. He was bleeding, and he was scared. His knuckles split open raw, long gashes striped his forearms, red still seeping in lines that trailed down to his wrist. His face was no better than cuts running across his cheekbones, a bruise swelling dark under his eye. His shirt clung to his chest, half sweat, half blood.My throat felt sore, my hands trembled, and glass in my hand slipped before I even realized I’d let it go, shattering against the tile. The sound echoed in my ears. Shards scattered at my feet like tiny pieces of the control I swore I had. “What the hell happened to you?” Killian asked his words directed at Jace. His h