MasukEthan’s POVPain blossomed across my chest like fire, sharp and invasive, far beyond anything a normal wound would bring. My wolf instincts screamed at me, demanding that I heal, but something was wrong. The healing pulse that usually surged through my body in seconds refused to respond. Jax was silent too. My lungs drew in ragged breaths, my heartbeat thundering like a drum in my ears, and it hit me then—poison. The assailant had coated the dagger. My ability to recover naturally was being suppressed.My vision blurred at the edges, the world tilting slightly as the stretcher jolted forward beneath me. Cold air brushed my skin, antiseptic and metal filling my senses as pressure burned deep in my chest where the wound had been hastily sealed. My mind went to instinct, to split-second calculations. If Sophia had not called my name in time, if I had turned even a fraction of a second later, the strike would have landed straight through my heart. The thought sent a surge of anger through
Sophia's POV The first thing I noticed was the faint, antiseptic smell mingling with the sweet tang of lavender in the air. My eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the soft, sterile light of a room that felt unfamiliar and too clean. Machines hummed quietly in the corners, beeping at intervals, and a thin, white sheet covered me from chest to knees. I realized my head throbbed lightly, not painfully, but enough to make me lift a hand to my temple, wincing.Hospital. That was the first thought that struck me. The next was the dull ache in my arms and legs, bruises blooming faintly beneath my clothes. Panic wanted to flare, but it was tempered by the relief that my body felt mostly intact. Nothing broken, nothing deep. Minor injuries. I exhaled shakily, heart still racing from the memory of the car.And then I saw him. Ethan. Sitting in a chair just beside the bed, his gaze fixed on me, worry etched in every line of his face. His dark eyes softened as soon as they met mine, the tensi
Marcus POVI swear I’m going to make them pay, even if it’s the last thing I do on this earth,” I roared, kicking at the ruined fake jewelry scattered across the floor.Glass skittered and clinked as the pieces flew, catching the light one last time before landing in ugly, broken piles. The sight only fueled the fury burning through my chest.“Calm down, Marcus. People are still watching,” Lila said, her voice coaxing, but it grated on my nerves like a persistent buzz.“Do I look like I fucking care?” I snapped.I turned on the bystanders still lingering in the room, their eyes wide, their phones and cameras half-raised as if they were afraid to miss a single second of my humiliation. Rage surged, hot and uncontrollable.“The hell are you all staring at?” I barked. “Can’t you see the show is over? Get out!”They didn’t need to be told twice. Panic rippled through them as they scrambled toward the exit, bumping into one another in their rush to escape my wrath. Someone knocked over a d
Sophia's POV The sound of glass crashing into the ground echoed across the room as people gasped. I turned too late and saw a shard of glass flying straight toward my face, but it froze just inches from my eye. My breath hitched, my heart suddenly racing in my chest.A thin trail of blood slid down my cheek. Then another. It took my mind a few seconds to catch up, to realize that it wasn’t my blood.Ethan stood between Marcus and me, his hand wrapped tightly around the jagged edge of the glass shard, stopping it from moving any farther even as Marcus pressed down with all his weight. Ethan’s hand was coated in red, but his face… his face was carved into fury, as though the pain hadn’t even registered.“E-Ethan,” I cried, my body finally snapping out of shock.He didn’t look at me as he shoved back. One moment Marcus was lunging toward me, the next he was slammed against the platform, groaning as he tried to push himself upright.“It seems you’ve forgotten your place, Marcus,” Ethan sn
Sophia's POVBy the time Ethan and I reached the venue of Marcus’s new jewelry store, cars had already filled the parking lot, the media present and ready to capture the unveiling moment.Ethan had his hand pressed to the small of back, guiding me protectively as we gently pushed through the crowd to the front, to get a better view. Marcus was giving some bullshit speech about following your dreams and never giving up. I rolled my eyes, Zyra hissing inside my head, whispering curses at him.As soon as his eyes landed on us, a smirk stretched across his lips. He pointed in my direction, causing the media to turn to capture our faces.“...and lastly, I'd like to thank my dear ex wife. This had originally been our dream together, but after she left me, she tried to bring our dream to life alone—and failed woefully,” he said, the last words laced with spite.I tried to look offended, keeping the smile threatening to break free firmly at bay. Marcus bought it. He mistook my silence for regr
Sophia's POVSomething was wrong, but I couldn't detect where the issue was from. I knew it the moment I woke up, having a heavy feeling in my chest, like a storm was coming."Zyra, do you feel that?" I asked."Yes," she replied, her voice tensed. "Something's off."I checked my phone, seven missed calls from Ethan's mother, three from my lead supplier and two from the craftsman who'd been working on my custom pieces.My stomach dropped, I had to call them all back, called Ethan's mother first."Sophia, thank the Moon Goddess." Her voice was strained. "We have a problem, a big one at that.""What happened?""Three of your suppliers called this morning, they're canceling their contracts, with no explanation. Just... canceling."My blood ran cold, I couldn't get it right. "What? Why?" My voice cracked. "I don't know, and it's not just them. Two of your craftsmen quit, they said they didn't want to work with you anymore and several customers who placed orders yesterday are demanding







