Chapter Forty-oneKendall’s POVI was engrossed in the paperwork spread out before me when the door to Declan’s study swung open, and Olivia swept in with a scowl etched on her face. Without warning, she launched into an episode, warning me to stay away from Declan.I glanced up from my work, unfazed by her threats. “Sorry, Olivia, but I can’t just stay away from Declan,” I replied calmly. “He’s my mate.”Olivia’s eyes narrowed at my words, and she scoffed derisively. “Your mate?” she spat, her tone dripping with disdain. “You really think Declan cares about you? You’re just his little brat, Kendall.”I bristled at her words, my temper flaring. “That’s not true,” I shot back, my voice tinged with anger. “Declan and I share a bond that you’ll never understand. You’re just the side chick, Olivia, and you know it.”The air crackled with tension as Olivia and I squared off with her. But before either of us could escalate the confrontation further, Olivia’s hand darted beneath her fake bab

Chapter Forty-twoKendall’s POVEverything happened at the speed of light andå I was still in a state of shock. The glare Declan shot my way made me die and come back to life multiple times as my heart rammed rapidly against my chest.“This better be a bad dream which I will eventually wake from.” I said in my head.Still numbed with the sudden turn out of events, I maintained my position, trembling where I stood still clutching the dagger.Olivia hadn’t given me cause to be scared of her up until now. Her action right now was enough to keep me on my lane to prevent any future recurrence.Who knows what will happen next time?“What is going on here?” Declan had asked, breaking the ominous silence in the study. He had his eyes fixed on me all the while and I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me that he had already visualized what had happened in his head.Pushing the dagger on the floor away from me, I straightened up as I opened my mouth to talk but only air came out.Not wanting him t

Chapter Forty-fourKENDALL’S P.O.V.“What happened?” I found myself asking as I fell on my knees beside him. Holding up his hand, I allowed it to fall back to the floor.His body was warmed and still maintained the normal color instead of being cold and turning blue like I had imagined. Still not convinced that he had life in him, I checked his pulse.For more than three minutes, I was trying to feel his pulse. Scared, I placed my ear above his chest trying to hear his heartbeat but since my head wasn't on his chest I couldn't hear a thing so I resumed holding his wrist.After what seems like forever, I felt it. It was weak but thankfully, he hadn't lost it.“What on heaven's name happened to you Caden?” I asked, hitting his cheeks hoping his eyelids fluttered open but it was still tightly shut.Pulling myself up, I grabbed a bottle of cold water from the fridge and then began to sprinkle it on his face. After a few seconds of this practice and there was no sign of life in him, I empt

Chapter Forty-sixDeclan’s POVThe next morning, I woke up with a bitter taste in my mouth, still reeling from the betrayal I had discovered the previous night. I glanced over at Shannon, who was still fast asleep, her peaceful expression mocking meI wanted to wake her up, to confront her about what she had done, but something held me back. Instead, I got up and prepared for the day ahead, my mind consumed with thoughts of Kendall and the betrayal I felt.After I dressing up, I left the room and went straight to see how my friend was holding up that morning. I entered the room and saw Caden still sleeping, it didn’t seem as if he’d woken up since yesterday even though he looked stable laying there peacefully.I sat there with him for some minutes and then decided to leave so I could check things in at the boarder. When I returned after an hour, as I entered my office, I saw Kendall sitting at the desk, buried in paperwork. Without a word, sat down too, then handed her a stack of pape

Chapter Forty-eightKendall’s POVI didn’t know how long I lay on my room floor bemoaning my fate but I was certain it spanned for more than an hour.When I woke off, feeling exhausted and drained of all my energy, I groped my way towards the bathroom to clean up. While doing this, I purposely ignored looking into the mirror but curious to see my current look, I had no choice but to have a peek of myself.On seeing my disheveled face and the bruises I had sustained, tears began to roll down my cheeks. For the next few minutes that followed, I was sobbing silently.Right now, I really wished I could run away but I was trapped.Even if I had the opportunity to run off like I was in a dire need of, I had no idea on where I should head to. My home which was supposed to be my haven was going to reject me.If only my father hadn’t forced me into this I wouldn’t have been in this mess in the first place — I said in my head as I wiped my face with the back of my palm.After cleaning up, I mad