All Chapters of Bloodlines & Hearts: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Screw Alexandra and her stupid winter gala. Lydia repeated this mantra for what felt like the hundredth time as she pushed through the heavy library doors, nearly smacking a fellow student in the process. She didn’t apologize. Her mood was way too crap for manners The fact that she was spending her free period digging through dusty archive instead of, well, literally anything else was just further proof that Alexandra freaking Moreau had way too much power over her life right now “Coat checking,” Lydia muttered under her breath like it was a curse word. The librarian sent her a glare over her glasses. “What the hell do I even know about being in a committee?”Nothing. That was the whole damn problem. She didn’t know the first thing about designs, lightning or anything close to fancy galas where people wore designer dresses that probably cost more than her mother’s entire life savings. She would have honestly preferred to stay in the background, out of the spotlight but of course, t

The day everyone at Luxemount had been stressing over, talking about and prepping for nonstop had finally arrived. The Frosted Midnight winter gala Every dorm was in chaos. Some students had stylists in their rooms, full makeup teams, personal photographers, even people filming behind-the-scenes videos like it was a red carpet event For Lydia, it was just her and Vanessa playing fairy godmother for each other. Not that Vanessa couldn’t afford some of the fancy stuff, she could, maybe not the full celebrity treatment, but something. Still, she didn’t. She wanted Lydia to feel included, so she kept things simple on purpose She told Lydia no one else could do their faces the way she could. Said she was obsessed with her own skills and didn’t trust anyone else. That was a lie, of course but a kind one. And Lydia believed her And honestly? Vanessa kind of meant it. She had spent her time stalking YouTube makeup channels like it was a full time job, pausing, rewinding, practicing on bot

Lydia stared at the basement door for a full thirty seconds, her hand hovering over the handle. Every rational part of her brain screamed that this was insane. They were at a formal gala. Hundreds of werewolves upstairs, including his family. The risk was astronomical. But her feet had carried her down here anyway.She pushed open the door to storage room B-12. The space was cramped, filled with extra chairs and decorative props from past events. A single overhead bulb cast harsh shadows across the concrete walls.Ethan was already there, pacing like a caged animal. His tie hung loose around his neck, the top button of his shirt undone. The moment he saw her, he stopped moving."You came," he said, relief flooding his voice."I shouldn't have." Lydia closed the door behind her but stayed pressed against it. "Ethan, we can't do this. Not here. Not tonight. There are too many people who could...”He crossed the small space in two strides and kissed her, hard and desperate. All her prote

Lydia didn’t know how long she stayed curled up on the edge of her bed, phone still pressed against her ear long after the line had gone dead. Ethan’s words had filled her like fire and broken all at once. Everything hurt– her chest, her head, her heart. It wasn’t just that she missed him. It was the fear. Fear of what came next. He had told her to brace herself. Warned her without saying much at all. She wanted to call him back, ask what he meant, beg him to let her in, just a little. But she knew he’d already made up his mind. She could feel it. Whatever he was about to do, he was doing it with or without her permission And maybe that was the part that hurt the most—realizing she had no say. No power. She just had to sit here and wait So she told herself she’d let it go. That she’d trust him to do what needed to be done. That somehow, after all this, they’d still be okay. Still be standing, still be holding onto each other no matter what was left of them. It felt naive. Almost ch

Riley’s mind was racing. No plan felt good enough and every second wasted made her chest feel tighter. She was pacing before she realized it—half-talking to herself, hands moving, eyes scanning the room for nothing in particular Then she stopped cold. “Elvis,” she muttered, more to herself than EthanA second later, she got louder. “Elvis. Elvis.” She stared patting down the table, then the bed, searching for her phone like it might have grown legs Ethan looked at her, eyebrows drawn. “What?”She didn’t answer. She just grabbed her phone and went straight to contacts, scrolling fast “Riley,” Elvis answered on the second ring. “I’ve been trying to reach you. You okay?”“Kinda,” she said pacing. “I need you to check something with your father.”“What’s this about?”“It’s Lydia. She’s missing,” Riley said quickly. “And we are sure our dad have something to do with it.”Ethan’s jaw clenched.“We just need to know if she’s...” Her voice caught. “If she’s still alive.”The last part hit