Lahat ng Kabanata ng Masked Desire: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

Ivan's POVI reach the archives just as the doors slam shut. The sound echoes across the courtyard like a death sentence. I don't hesitate – I slam my fist against the heavy wood, testing the locks. They don't budge. These aren't normal academy locks. Someone reinforced them. Someone who wanted to make sure whoever's inside stays inside."Shit," I breathe, stepping back. Through the narrow window beside the entrance, I can make out figures moving on the upper level. Jason's pale hair catches what little light filters through. He's up there with Kaelen and Avalon, and I'm stuck out here like a useless fool.The bond tears at my chest, demanding I get to them. To him. It's been like this for weeks now, this need to stay close to Jason, to touch him, to make sure he's safe. But it's worse tonight. The pull is so strong it makes my teeth ache.I force myself to think. Getting emotional won't help anyone.That thing in the forest is still moving. I can see it now, prowling along the treel

The silence in my head is deafening.I stand in the middle of the destroyed archive, glass crunching under my feet, and feel nothing. No pull toward Ivan. No awareness of Avalon's heartbeat. No sense of Kaelen's thoughts pressing against mine. The bond that's been humming in my chest for weeks is just... gone.The scent neutralizer burns in my throat like acid. I can taste metal and bitter herbs, but underneath that, there's nothing. No scent at all. Not mine, not theirs, not even the musty smell of old books that usually fills this place."Jason?" Avalon's voice sounds far away, even though he's standing right beside me. "Are you okay?"I turn to look at him, but it's like looking at a stranger. The familiarity is gone. The unconscious recognition that told me he was pack, was mine, was safe. Now he's just another person in a room full of broken things."I can't feel you," I whisper.Ivan moves closer, but when he reaches for me, I step back. His touch feels wrong now. Cold. Empty. L

Kaelen's POVThree bottles of stolen whiskey later, and the pain is still there. Raw and throbbing in my chest like an open wound. Avalon sits across from me on his dorm room floor, his back against the bed, golden hair falling into his eyes as he tips the bottle to his lips."You were right," he slurs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "About everything. About my father. About the Council. About me being selfish."I don't want his apologies. I want him to hurt the way I'm hurting. I want him to feel what it's like to be forgotten, to be replaced, to be nothing more than a convenience."Drink," I say, pushing the bottle toward him. "Stop talking."He obeys, taking another long pull. His cheeks are flushed, his movements clumsy. Good. I need him drunk. I need him vulnerable. I need him to stop thinking about Jason for five fucking minutes."I miss it," he mumbles, staring at the amber liquid. "The bond. I miss feeling connected to something. To someone.""To Jason, you mean."

Jason's POVThe announcement about Liam's death echoes in my head as I walk through the empty corridors after the assembly. Another student dead. Another life cut short in this place that's supposed to be safe. I keep thinking about his throat being cut, about the blood, about how easily someone can just... disappear.But what's really bothering me is the figure I saw last night. Someone in a hood, watching my room. Watching me. I couldn't make out who it was, but the way they moved, the way they stood... it felt familiar somehow.I'm so lost in thought that I almost miss them until it's too late."Well, well. Look what we have here."Brett steps out from behind a pillar, flanked by two other guys I recognize as Ivan's usual crew. My stomach drops. Brett has always been the worst of Ivan's betas - cruel where Ivan is calculating, stupid where Ivan is strategic."Where's your protection now, omega?" Brett sneers, cracking his knuckles.The word hits me like a physical blow. "I'm not—"

Avalon's POVThe weight of the agreement burns in my jacket pocket as I walk through the academy corridors toward Jason's dorm. My father's signature is still drying on the parchment, sealing both my future and Jason's fate. But right now, all I can think about is the way Jason looked at me earlier—trusting, desperate, choosing me over Ivan.I pause outside his door, my hand hovering over the wood. Everything I've worked for, everything I've sacrificed, comes down to this moment. The deal with my father. The promise to deliver Jason. The conditions I negotiated to protect him.The door opens before I can knock."Avalon," Jason says, and there's surprise in his voice. "I didn't expect to see you tonight.""I wanted to check on you," I say, stepping inside. "After what happened with Brett today."His room is smaller than mine, simpler. The bed is unmade, clothes scattered across the floor. He looks tired, worn down by everything that's happened. The split lip from Brett's attack has swo