Semua Bab Masked Desire: Bab 71 - Bab 80

Ivan's POV The pounding on my door comes at dawn, sharp and insistent. I'm already awake, have been for hours, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Jason's screams echoing through the corridors last night. The sound had cut through me like a blade, and I'd almost broken down his door to get to him. Almost. But I'd seen Avalon and Kaelen in the hallway, seen the way they'd talked in hushed, urgent voices before disappearing into Kaelen's room. Whatever was happening to Jason, they were behind it. The pounding intensifies, and I hear voices outside. Official voices. My stomach drops. "Ivan, open this door immediately." I recognize the voice—Dean Blackwood, the academy's head of security. Beside him, I can make out at least three other figures through the frosted glass of my door. I sit up slowly, my mind racing. There's only one reason security would be at my door at dawn, and it has everything to do with the knife that's currently hidden beneath my mattress. The same knife

Jason's POVThe detention facility smells like disinfectant and despair. Brett leads me through narrow corridors lined with dampening stones, their magic making my skin crawl. I keep my hood up, trying to look inconspicuous as we pass other visitors and guards."Ten minutes," Brett whispers as we stop outside a reinforced door. "That's all I could arrange."The visiting room is small and sterile, divided by a thick glass partition. Ivan sits on the other side, dressed in standard detention gray, his hands cuffed to the table. When he sees me, his eyes widen with genuine surprise."You actually came," he says through the communication spell woven into the glass. "I thought... after everything, I thought you believed I was against you."I sit down slowly, studying his face. He looks tired, older somehow, but his eyes are the same as I remember. "Why did you want to see me?""Because I need to tell you the truth. About Liam. About why I killed him."My heart hammers against my ribs. "Why?

Ivan's POVThe cave is cold and damp, but it's the only shelter I can find. My body aches from the fight, from the transformation, from the rage that nearly consumed me. I lean against the rocky wall, trying to gather what's left of my strength.I never wanted to reveal what I am. The lycan bloodline was supposed to stay hidden, buried with the old wars and forgotten grudges. But Avalon... what he did to Jason, the betrayal in those amber eyes - it made me lose control completely.Jason is gone. Taken to Ravenscrest territory, probably locked away like some prize to be claimed. The thought makes my hands shake with barely contained fury.I can't save him like this. Not alone, not weakened from the escape and the fight. There's only one place I can go, one source of power strong enough to help me get Jason back.Home.I haven't been back to the Lycan territories in years. Not since the war. Not since my father told me to run while Ravenscrest and Kaelen's pack tried to wipe us out. I w

Lord Ravenscrest's POVThe morning sun filters through the tall windows of my study, casting long shadows across the ancient oak desk where I conduct the business of our pack. Power has always been about leverage, about understanding what others need and ensuring they need it from you. Today, I hold the most valuable leverage in the supernatural world.A male omega.I lean back in my leather chair, savoring the weight of this victory. Decades of careful planning, of positioning pieces on the board, and finally the prize has fallen into my hands. Not through force or conquest, but through my own son's ambition. How perfectly ironic.A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. "Enter."Avalon steps inside, his usual confidence replaced by something I've rarely seen in him—uncertainty. Perhaps even regret. How disappointing."Father, I want to see him," he says without preamble."Him?" I raise an eyebrow, though we both know exactly who he means."Jason. I want to see that he's... that h

Ivan's POV"Wait," I say, my voice cutting through the throne room's deadly silence. "Father, no."The king's silver eyes snap to mine, and I can see the dangerous glint that means I'm walking a very thin line. "No?""Don't kill him. Not yet." I step closer to Avalon, who's swaying on his feet, blood pooling beneath him on the stone floor. "This one has something to tell us. Something important."My father's expression doesn't change, but I can feel his displeasure like a physical weight. "You would show mercy to a Ravenscrest wolf? After what they did to your mate?"The words hit like a blow, but I force myself to remain steady. "I would hear what he has to say before we execute him."Avalon looks up at me with those amber eyes, and I see something there that makes my chest tighten—gratitude mixed with desperate hope. He's barely conscious, his wounds worse than I initially realized."Speak," I command, my voice harder than I feel. "Tell us what you know about Jason. Before you bleed