RoshanThere was a twitch in Ridwan’s fingers again.Not the kind that came from a shift or a fight…but from restraint. A pulling back. Like his instincts were coiled tight beneath his skin, struggling not to rip through.I watched him from the far side of the command deck. He paced from one end to another, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. And that… that alone told me everything I needed to know.Something had shifted.And I didn’t like it.“What did you find?” I was trying my best not to lose my cool.I hated how much it seemed like I was the only one affected by Lynda’s shenanigans I waited for an answer, one that Ridwan didn't bother providing.He had that distant look again. Eyes on the wall but focused on something far away. Not memory. Not planning. Something worse.Emotion.I straightened slowly and walked over to him, stopping just a few feet away. “I asked you a question.”He blinked, dragging himself back to the present. “Nothing. The room was empty.”“Empty,” I repe
RidwanShe wasn’t the most beautiful woman in the room.Not in the way the others tried to be…dripping in satin and jewels, backs straight with practiced elegance, smiles stretched tight like masks. No. She wasn’t like them.She didn’t need to be.She walked like the moon followed her. Like she didn’t owe anyone an apology for taking up space. And the moment my eyes landed on her across the summit floor, something inside me…something feral…snapped.I went still.Just for a second.But that second swallowed me whole.Her scent hit next. Soft, wild. Like rain against stone and warm skin under the sun. It didn’t just drift through the air…it wrapped around me. Tugged at me. Sank into my lungs and refused to leave.“Ridwan?” Roshan’s voice cut through the loud music.I didn’t answer.I couldn’t.She turned her head slightly, and the curve of her smile. It was so effortless that it sent a bolt of heat crawling up my spine. She didn’t look at me. Not really. But my wolf howled like she had.
ElmaThe moment I stepped into the grand foyer, I realized I’d risked more than my pride.It wasn’t just the guards or the pack emissaries I was sidestepping…it was them.Roshan and Ridwan Ligaya.I’d rehearsed my walk a hundred times. Fluid. Polite. Unremarkable. But as I crossed the marble floor, I felt too visible, too obvious, my breath too loud in my own ears.My pulse pounded as I passed the main table, and surrounded by wolves in perfectly tailored suits. Even though i didnt look up, i could still feel their eyes all follow my every movement.It was part of the act, that way no one paid me any serious attention. But even as I stood here, even as I settled in the seat assigned to nextons minor delegation, I was beginning to regret coming here. It was a mistake, I shouldn’t have let my curiosity get the best of me, but now I was seated here while their eyes examined every inch of my body.I had spent years browsing about them, following every news and trend about them. I had d
RoshanRidwan was pacing again.Nothing new. He did that when he was pissed, or when his wolf was close to the surface. Tonight, it was both.His steps were sharp. Calculated. Like each one was a strike against the stone floor.I leaned against the edge of the table, my arms crossed against my chest as I followed his every move“Keep pacing like that and the floor’s gonna file for harassment.”He didn’t stop. His jaw was tight. “You’re not funny.”“I’m not trying to be,” I defended, still not taking my eyes off him. “But we’ve been going in circles, and I’m getting bored.”“Then get up and do something.”“I am.” I tapped the glowing map on the table. “I’m solving our Lynda problem.”That got him to pause. Just for a second.“She’s not a problem,” he muttered. “She’s a ghost.”“She’s a threat,” I corrected. “One we haven’t been able to catch. And I don’t know about you, but I hate losing.”His eyes flicked to the summit layout hovering between us. Pack boundaries. Security lines. Entra
ElmaIt started with the wind.Not just any wind.This one in question was deep , cold and unforgiving. If burying myself with books and ancient artifacts has taught me anything?Then it would have been that this wind was a warning.My legs could almost touch my legs as I ran, but I didn’t care, even though I was barefooted and barely able to catch my own breath. I had just one mission and that was to find my way out of the forest… to find my way even though the trees threatened to hold me back.I sucked in every bit of air I could get as I tried my way despite the sharp twigs that snapped beneath my damp feet, . The ground sucked at my soles like it wanted to keep me. But I didn’t stop.Because something was behind me. More correctly, two things and it was ironic because I couldn’t see them but I knew deep in my gut that they were present. I could feel them all around me Their presence was overpowering and even though I didn’t see them.I felt them.It wasn’t a loud feeling, instea
Ridwan“You’ve been feeling that too?”Roshan’s words echoed in my head like a damn ghost.I hated itI hated that even hours later, as we sat in the control center, with our eyes fixed on the flashing screens, As we watched the codes running, files decrypting—I wasn’t really there. My fingers moved across the keyboard out of habit.A habit that had been formed out of defense.But no matter how much I tried to distract myself, my mind kept slipping. Back to his voice. Back to that damn question.I didn’t bring it up again. Roshan didn’t either.He buried himself in intel and command logs, sharp and precise like a weapon on a mission. Jaw clenched. Voice clipped. The usual cool detachment he wore when something was bothering him too much to say out loud.He wasn’t just trying to find Lynda.He was hunting her.He wanted her cornered. Caged. Erased.And I should’ve felt the same. Hell, I wanted to. But unease kept crawling beneath my skin like a warning I couldn’t name. Like something