LOGINSerena's POVNathaniel came down the stairs with low energy. His hand gripped the railing the whole way, and I honestly wasn't sure he'd make it to the bottom without passing out again.Mason spotted him right away and every muscle in his body became tight."Wow, he's awake." his voice was loud and mocking.Nathaniel stopped on the last step.Mason pushed himself away from the window and stepped toward him. "Are you happy now? Now that you've gotten what you wanted?"Nathaniel sighed. He looked exhausted, more than his young years could even hide. "Listen. Mase, I know you're angry butā""I'm more than angry. Iām pissed. You've fucking ruined everything.""Masonā" Mrs Storm called out."No, Mom. Don't Mason me. He did this on purpose."Nathaniel's brow furrowed. "What?""You heard me." Mason turned to him, scent sharpened like daggers. He looked like he was barely holding himself back. "You've never wanted Victoria."Nathaniel's jaw clenched. "That's not true.""Don't fucking lie to m
Serenaās POV Nathaniel was still sleeping, still breathing me in deeply. His skin was almost colorless, but he nestled in every so often and that made me calm. Lying with him like this shouid have made me uncomfortable, but somehow, it stirred something deep in my heart. It felt like this was right where he belonged. Mrs Storm loomed over us, her face full of worry. Mason stood near the doorway. He hadnāt said a word since they brought Nathaniel upstairs. But he looked devastated, as if he was only holding himself together by force. When Nathanielās nose bumped mine and his head snuggled up under my chin, Mason made a pained sound. I looked up just in time to see his face before he looked away. Jealousy and heartbreak was written on his every feature. āI canāt do this,ā he said, his voice broken. Then he turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. For a few seconds no one spoke. And I lay there, unable to bring myself to choose between a dying person
Serenaās POVI was sitting on the edge of my bed, just freshly showered and still crying when I I heard a car pull to a halt in front of my house. Then there was a knock on the door. It sounded urgent. I reached the bottom of the stairs just as my mom came out. We both gave each other uneasy look. For some reason, my heart began to pick up. When my mom opened the front door, they walked in, carrying him through the doorway.Nathaniel.His arm was draped over Masonās and another manās shoulders. A woman whom I presume to be his mom walked besides them, her face a mask of fright. Nathanielās head hung forward, his dark hair wet and sticking to his face. His tall body pressed against the men and he could barely keep his head up.My stomach tightened for some reason.I didnāt understand why they brought him here. But I felt it; a sudden pull behind my ribs, quiet and insistent, as if something under my skin had
Nathanielās POVI slammed my door locked and leaned back against it. The room was completely dark, the curtains blocking out the moonlight. I didnāt bother turning on the lights. I just slid down to the floor with my back against the wood and stayed there, my knees pulled up, hands locked together so tightly my knuckles ached. But they couldnāt stop shaking. I felt like I was about to have a panic attack. Every single time I closed my eyes or even blinked I saw her. Serena. The girl iād marked without consent.I dragged both hands through my hair, hard enough to hurt. āWhat did I do? What do I do?!!!ā I demanded.Only silence answered me back, silence and the sound of my own uneven breathing. And suddenly I was filled with regret. I shouldnāt have gone there. I should have stayed home, or left when Victoria asked me to. Then none of this would have happened. I sat by the door, stewing in that regret for the rest of the ni
Serenaās POVI sat on the edge of my bed after Mom left the room, my mind a whirlwind of fear and uncertainty.What if Mason denied responsibility?What if he tried to hide from this?āCall him!!! Now!ā my inner goddess chided. Best to rip the band-aid off fast. I sighed and picked up my phone to call him. But then I saw a text from Katie.She'd almost been hurt last night. Feeling guilty, I opened her text. Katie: Rena, Iām so sorry for what happened. I didn't know the drink was spiked. And I couldn't help you, iām so sorry. Are you okay?I stared at her words for a long second before typing back.Me: Hey baby. Itās okay. You donāt need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing. I was reckless and you and a lot of others could have gotten hurt being close to me. So don't beat yourself up. You couldnāt have known.The three dots appeared almost immediately.Katie: iām sorry Rena š„²
Serenaās POVI was floating in a dream. The first thing I remembered was the heat. Not warmth. But real heat. And how it had almost swallowed me whole.I remembered music playing somewhere in the background, I remembered startled gasps and screaming. Then Mason, his arms around me, moving me up.Then nothing. After that, everything blurred. I woke slowly with a splitting headache. It was so bad I groaned and pressed my hand against my temple to quell it. And for a few seconds, I had no idea where I was.Then the fog from my sleep cleared and I recognized my bedroom. My curtains were half-open, and bright sunlight spilled across the floor.I stared at the ceiling, trying to remember what happened? Then I gasped, sitting upright. My drink had been spiked. I'd gone into an induced heat, and then Masonā I felt a sudden sharp sting around my scent gland. I lifted my fingers to brushed it and they touched something tend







