LOGINThe private room was comfortable and well-furnished. It had plush velvet sofas, a low table neatly arranged with snacks and tall windows with an unobstructed view of the beautiful night sky. Although everything had been prepared with great care, the atmosphere felt far too quiet for Paige’s taste.
Paige lounged casually on the sofa, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. In her hand was a small plate filled with sliced fruit and biscuits. She picked up a piece of fruit and chewed slowly, as if nothing in the world were important enough to make her hurry.
Across the room, Naomi stood tall. Her posture was flawless: back erect, hands folded in front of her body, and a neutral expression on her face.
For several moments, neither Paige nor Naomi spoke. The room was wrapped in a silence that felt different somehow. The tension lingered, constantly present like stretched-too-tight air.
Paige glanced at Naomi from the corner of her eye, then let out a s
Sabrina opened the apartment door with one hand. Her bag hung from her shoulder and she looked weary after a full day of work. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the scene in the living room.At that moment, Irene was sitting on the sofa at a slight angle. Her left arm was wrapped in a thin bandage and several reddish scrapes were visible on her shin. In front of her, Chloe was crouching down, carefully fixing the last bandage in place.“Oh my God!” Sabrina exclaimed reflexively. She hurried over to Eirene and Chloe immediately. Panic was clear on her face. “What happened to you, Eirene?”Chloe looked up first. “Eirene was almost hit by a car,” she answered quickly. “Luckily, a man helped her.”Sabrina turned and received a nod from Eirene. “Oh God.” She immediately dropped her bag carelessly and moved closer to Eirene. Crouching down to be level with her, she asked again. “But you&rsqu
The private room was comfortable and well-furnished. It had plush velvet sofas, a low table neatly arranged with snacks and tall windows with an unobstructed view of the beautiful night sky. Although everything had been prepared with great care, the atmosphere felt far too quiet for Paige’s taste.Paige lounged casually on the sofa, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. In her hand was a small plate filled with sliced fruit and biscuits. She picked up a piece of fruit and chewed slowly, as if nothing in the world were important enough to make her hurry.Across the room, Naomi stood tall. Her posture was flawless: back erect, hands folded in front of her body, and a neutral expression on her face.For several moments, neither Paige nor Naomi spoke. The room was wrapped in a silence that felt different somehow. The tension lingered, constantly present like stretched-too-tight air.Paige glanced at Naomi from the corner of her eye, then let out a s
The palace corridor felt emptier than usual. Wall lamps cast a pale glow onto the marble floor, creating long shadows that shifted slowly in time with the unhurried yet purposeful footsteps of someone walking.Fabrizio walked towards Yoren’s chamber. His dark coat was neatly folded over his arm. His face was as calm as ever and his stride was steady. His expression was flat, not betraying any sense of ease, but rather reflecting his habit when his mind was racing through possibilities.Several metres before reaching Yoren’s door, Fabrizio slowed his steps. At the end of the corridor, he saw Ruth just leaving Yoren’s room with Beth.Fabrizio stopped while Ruth closed the door and Beth carefully pushed the medical trolley, its small wheels squeaking softly against the floor. He waited until Ruth turned around, their gazes meeting.For a moment, no one spoke. Fabrizio remained silent, as did Ruth. Yet their eyes seemed to speak, conveying u
The examination room fell silent again once the transfusion process was complete. The tubes had been removed, the needles cleaned and the medical equipment tidied away by assistants who left one by one without making a sound. Now, only Yoren and Louise remained in the pale-coloured room that had all too often borne witness to the space between hope and despair.Yoren leaned back against the treatment bed, his upper body propped up slightly by the backrest. His face looked better than it had a few hours earlier; the flush that had risen from the pressure had now subsided. He looked better, even though Louise knew it was only superficial.Louise stood beside the bed, holding a slim tablet displaying the latest monitoring results. She observed Yoren’s heartbeat for a moment; it was now more stable. His blood pressure had also begun to fall back into a safe range.“Alpha,” Louise called shortly afterwards. “How do you feel now?”
Fabrizio’s office was quiet, filled only with the soft hum of the air conditioner and the cold glow of the computer screen, which was still on. The curtains were half open, allowing the newly risen moonlight to seep in faintly and cast indistinct shadows across his face.Several photographs were scattered on the desk. They were taken from various angles: faces, chests, hands, wounds and crude tattoos belonging to people who were no longer alive. The bodies of the rogues who attacked Eirene were stiff, their eyes staring blankly. Blood had dried on the asphalt, mingling with dust and last night’s rain.Fabrizio stood with both hands braced against the edge of the desk. His gaze was sharp and cold as he scanned every detail, trying to pierce the layers of dead flesh to see the truth beneath.As I suspected, Fabrizio muttered inwardly. They didn’t work individually.Fabrizio picked up one of the photos. He studied the patt
Yoren's face hardened. With firm emphasis, he said, “I'm fine.”His words were brief and flat, almost like an order for the conversation to end there and then. However, Ruth was not fooled. She could see that he was unwell, so she decided to stay. Instead, she stood before him, back straight and hands folded in front of her abdomen—a posture she always adopted when about to say something Yoren would not want to hear.“Alpha,” Ruth said softly. Her voice was laden with caution. “Please allow Lady Paige to donate her blood to you.”Yoren did not answer. He remained still, his gaze fixed on the tall window at the side of the room. He watched the sunlight pierce the glass and reflect coldly on the marble floor, while he himself felt no warmth.“We don't know when Eirene will come here,” Ruth continued. This time, her voice trembled slightly, despite her efforts to hide it. “I’m worried your ill







