Ariaâs POV I nodded, steady. âYeah. All of them.â She just sat there, stunned, her lips parted but no words came out. For a heartbeat, I thought sheâd start interrogating me, ask a million questions, maybe even call me a liar. But she didnât. She just⌠let it be. Interesting. Less than an hour later, the front door opened, footsteps echoing through the penthouse. The Apex brothers were back. Kaid was the first to appear, his sharp gaze sweeping the room until he locked eyes with the woman sitting calmly at the table. âWhy didnât you call me?â Kaid asked, his tone dipping into that deep rumble he reserved for when he wasnât pleased. âI would have picked you up.â His mother waved him off, her soft smile returning. âThatâs exactly why I didnât. I can take care of myself.â Kaid frowned. âStillââ âYou have a lot of explaining to do, young man,â she cut in, her voice warm but firm, laced with that impossible-to-ignore motherly authority. Kaidâs eyes flicked to me, then back to
Ariaâs POV Quin practically glowed with happiness as she buzzed around her smart house apartment. âI canât believe youâre really staying with me for a while,â she beamed, her soft curls bouncing as she spun to face Eliza. âWhat made you finally agree to stay?â Eliza shrugged like it wasnât a big deal, but I could see the hesitation in her eyes. âI just didnât want it to seem like I was hanging around because of all the riches youâve been enjoying.â Quin waved her off like that was the dumbest thing sheâd ever heard. âPlease. Thatâs all the Apex brothersâ doing.Youâre not that type. I know you.ââUgh. You two are disgustingly sweet best friends. Makes me sick.â âShut up.â Quin laughed softly, brushing me off as she walked toward the kitchen. âIâll go grab something for us to eat. Thereâs a ton of stuff in the fridge.â When she left, I turned to Eliza, my tone dipping low. âhow are you feeling?â âIâm good. Itâs likeâŚâ She exhaled, the tiniest smile tugging at her lips. âItâs like
Selenaâs POV I walked through the hall of the compound, the low hum of security scanners buzzing as I passed. The red lights flickered, then turned green as I was cleared. Of course I was. They knew who I was. Even in this secret locationâthe heart of the Shadow Packâwhere the walls had no ears but the people did, I still carried weight. Maybe not as much as I did at the academy, where everyone fell in line with just a glance from me, but here? Here, I was still important enough to make people move. The agents I passed dipped their heads in respect, stepping aside quickly. I didnât bother acknowledging most of them. Power wasnât given hereâit was taken. And Iâd taken enough to know where I stood. But it wasnât enough yet. I marched toward the office at the end of the hall, the one with the thick black doors and the no-nonsense secretary perched like a guard dog outside. She glanced up from her desk, her expression carefully blank. âState your business.â âIâm here to see Mr. X.â
Elizaâs POV I let out a shaky breath. âThatâs why I brought you here.â The look on Ariaâs face said it allâsharp, guarded, furious, but under all that, confusion. She wanted answers. I understood that look. Iâd worn it myself more times than I could count. âWhy did I just hear Priscilla talking about getting rid of Quin?â she demanded, her voice low and tight. I motioned to the chair across from me. âSit.â She hesitated but eventually she crossed the room and sat, her arms folded. I ran a hand through my hair and sat down too, my legs feeling heavier than they should. Where do I even start? I sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. âI donât even know where to begin.â âStart from the part where Priscilla gave you the order to get rid of your own friend,â Aria snapped. âHow long has this been happening? Why?â I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. âI didnât have a choice.â Her eyes narrowed. âWhat do you mean you didnât have a choice?â âTheyâve had me on a leash for year
I sprinted across the field, the wind cutting sharp against my skin as I pushed harder, fasterâuntil I crossed the line first. Tylaâs footsteps thudded behind me, her breathing ragged when she finally caught up. She bent over, hands on her knees, panting like sheâd been chased by hellhounds. âHowâŚhow are you that fast? And youâre not even out of breath.â I shrugged, wiping the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand. âUsed to running errands.â She groaned, flopping to the grass like sheâd been dramatically struck down. âBut itâs still insane. You have to rest at some point.â I flicked a glance at the others using the fieldâstudents from higher ranks, glancing at me with the usual scorn laced in their eyes. I smirked, turning back to Tyla. âWe canât rest. Not yet. Weâre the only ones in our team. You know that means we have to work twice as hard.â Tylaâs response was to dramatically collapse to her back, flailing her arms like a child. âFine. Then Iâm dead. Trainingâs over.â
Ariaâs POV The Apex brothers had a whole damn floor just for thisâa private infirmary in their penthouse tower. Iâd only seen pieces of this place, but apparently, there were entire levels I hadnât even touched. Maybe one day, when I wasnât constantly fighting for my life or unraveling conspiracies, Iâd bother to explore the rest of their world. But right now, my focus was glued to the restrained figure on the sturdy infirmary bed. Quinâs wolf. We got her. Thank the moon goddess for that. And someone else. My eyes flicked to Kaid. There he was, sitting like a wounded beast, scowling so hard it was a miracle his face hadnât cracked. His entire aura screamed donât touch me, and yet. There were two male attendants hovering over him, fumbling with the silver bullets still lodged in his skin. âLeave it,â Kaid growled, batting their hands away like they were flies. âI can get them out myself.â Yeah, that tracked. Kaid would rather rip out his own damn bullets with his teeth th