登入Ryan I could barely breathe.Every part of my body hurt as I struggled to stay standing across from Aaron. Blood dripped down my arm and side while my chest burned with every breath I took.I still could not understand how this was happening.I had fought countless enemies my entire life. Lycans stronger than normal wolves. Rogues. Alphas. Killers trained from childhood.I defeated all of them. I never truly lost a fight before. Not once. But Aaron… No, this wasn't Aaron, this was El.Whatever was inside him was far stronger than I had expected.Every attack I made felt useless. He blocked them too easily, moved too fast, and barely seemed tired no matter how hard I fought.Meanwhile, my own body was reaching its limit.Aaron slowly walked toward me with an amused smile while I struggled to steady my breathing.“Is this really the great Lycan King?” he mocked. “I expected more.”I glared at him and forced myself upright despite the dizziness hitting me.Aaron laughed softly.“Did you
RainNothing Priscilla said made sense to me.I stood there staring at her while my mind tried to piece everything together, but the more she talked, the less I believed her.“El is inside Aaron,” she said again urgently. “Rain, I’m telling you the truth.”“That’s impossible,” I replied immediately.“It’s not.”“You expect me to believe Aaron suddenly became possessed by some El?”Priscilla looked frustrated. “You’ve seen strange things since coming here. Why is this so hard to believe?”“Because Aaron is Aaron,” I snapped. “And half the time you lie just to save yourself.”That made her flinch slightly, but she quickly recovered.“You don’t have time to argue with me.”I shook my head and stepped away from her. “I need to find Ryan.”A terrible feeling had already started building inside me. My wolf was restless and uneasy, pacing wildly in my chest like something horrible was about to happen.I didn’t wait for Priscilla to stop me. I turned and ran through the estate as fast as I co
RyanI stared at Aaron in disbelief, my chest rising hard as I tried to process what I was seeingThis wasn’t Aaron’s doing, it was El.That thing had somehow found its way into Aaron’s body.For a second, I honestly thought I was imagining it. I had expected El to crawl back to Hannah somehow. He always seemed drawn to weak minds he could twist easily. But Aaron? I never thought he would get close enough to latch onto him.Then Aaron smiled.Except it wasn’t Aaron’s smile.There was something wrong with it. Cold. Mocking. Empty.“You look surprised,” he said.My jaw tightened. “I’m tired of you.”Aaron leaned casually against the wall like we were having a normal conversation instead of standing in the middle of a nightmare.“I’m serious,” I snapped. “I’m done with this. I should’ve destroyed you a long time ago.”He laughed softly.“You’ve been saying that for a while, Ryan.”Anger burned through me instantly. I was so sick of him. Sick of his games. Sick of him crawling into people
RainI wasn’t tired anymore. At least, not enough to sleep.After leaving Ryan outside by the balcony earlier, I’d gone back to my room hoping I could calm down and clear my head, but instead I just ended up pacing around for what felt like hours.Everything irritated me lately.My emotions kept changing too quickly, and I hated how little control I had over it.One second I wanted to cry. Next, I was angry for no reason.Then there was Ryan.Even thinking about him annoyed me.Part of me still felt hurt every time I remembered him kissing Priscilla. I sighed and left my room, deciding maybe walking around would help clear my head.The estate was unusually quiet at this hour. Most of the servants had already disappeared into their quarters, and the few people still awake moved carefully through the halls like they were afraid of disturbing something.As I turned down one of the side corridors near the back of the estate, I suddenly heard a voice.“…you said I’d be safe.”I slowed imm
RyanMorning came with a strange kind of tension hanging over the estate.It was in the silence of the hallways. In the way servants avoided eye contact and moved too quickly whenever they passed by. Even the air felt wrong somehow, heavy enough that it irritated me more with every passing minute.I barely slept.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Aaron standing in that field talking about Rain’s death like it was some necessary sacrifice. Then I’d remember waking up locked inside that room, and my mood would worsen all over again.Something was seriously wrong.I stood near the window of my room staring out at the cloudy skies beyond the estate while absently rubbing my jaw. The bruise there still ached faintly.I needed answers.And right now, the only person I trusted enough to help me think straight was Malcolm.I grabbed my phone from the table and dialed his number.The call failed immediately.I frowned and tried again.Nothing.A third attempt.Still nothing.That annoyed me i
RyanWhen I woke up, I felt a sharp, splitting pain behind my eyes that made it feel like someone had driven metal straight through my skull.I groaned quietly and pressed a hand against my forehead, trying to steady the violent dizziness twisting through me. For several seconds, I couldn’t even remember where I was.Then like a flash, I recalled Aaron punching me in the field and my eyes snapped open immediately.The room around me was dark except for a single lantern burning weakly near the wall. I was lying on an old couch inside what looked like one of the unused studies in Aaron’s estate. Dust covered most of the shelves, and the air smelled faintly of old paper and wood.Why was I here?Slowly, I pushed myself upright, only for another wave of dizziness to slam into me hard enough that I nearly fell back down again.“What the hell…”Even my wolf senses felt strange, somehow dulled and sluggish like something was interfering with them.That part bothered me most.I’d taken worse
Ryan The moment the kiss ended, I knew the problem had been solved. Not in the way I expected, perhaps. But solved all the same. Rain stood a few steps away from me, her breathing uneven, her eyes wide with shock. Her fingers hovered near her lips as if she could still feel the imprint of mine t
RainThe next morning came too soon.I had barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the dark trees of Nightshade pressing in, heard Ryan’s voice telling me I had no value if I failed, felt the weight of eyes on me.When I finally gave up on sleep, I sat at the edge of the bed, staring at my
RainBy the time my father finished speaking, my heart was beating so hard I could barely hear anything else.Hannah stood beside him, her chin lifted, her eyes fixed on me with a look I knew too well. Not quite a smile. Not quite pity. Something in between.I knew she was waiting for what I'd say
Rain Morning came too quickly.I barely slept the second night in his room. Not because I was afraid he would touch me this time, but because my mind wouldn’t stop moving. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the training field again. I heard his voice, sharp and cold. I saw the way he had looked at







