All Chapters of THE CHOSEN ONE: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

AIYANAMy heart was pounding against my ribs. The distance between us was now almost nonexistent. The cold didn’t matter anymore. The world seemed suspended, as if the forest was holding its breath, waiting for what would come next.“I don’t…”“What? You don’t what?”Icarus took another step toward me. I blinked, and instinctively took a step back.Another step from him. Another retreat from me.There was something in his eyes… something more than desire. It was shadow, wildness. A dark and hungry gleam.“I don’t know.”

AIYANAThey say silence speaks, but there, on that dead road, everything screamed. The sky was a sickly gray, the clouds heavy.I didn’t know what was worse: the putrid stench of the creatures clinging to my skin, or the uneven sound of Max’s breathing beside me. I never thought I’d witness something so wrong with nature. And even less that I’d survive it.The car had turned into scrap after the attack. My legs hurt like they were filled with shards of glass, and every step was a reminder of what we had just faced. Icarus stayed agile, practically carrying Max, who refused to admit the pain, even though an entire side of his body was bleeding. I could see the rapid pulse in his neck  even with the Alpha gene trying to fix everything, he was suffering

AIYANAI just stared at him, my eyes locked on his.And he… didn’t look away.His gaze drifted from my face to my chest, then to my stomach, before stopping at my hips. No words came out. No movement. Nothing. It was like he’d forgotten how his own body worked.“Aiyana…” he whispered, frozen, eyes wide and hands halfway raised as if he didn’t know whether to cover his eyes or apologize. “Shit,” he muttered at last, clearing his throat and spinning around so fast it was like he’d been shocked.That’s when awareness crashed over me like a bucket of ice water.“Icarus!” I stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest and hunching my shoulders. “Don’t you know how to knock?!”“I did knock!” he shot back, still facing away, one hand braced on the doorframe. “And I asked if anyone was in here. The door opened on its own! I swear on everything, Aiyana, I didn’t know you were”“Almost naked?!”My boots were in the corner. My torn pants lay on the floor. My shirt hung from the hook on the door.

AIYANAOur lips met once more.Desire. Anger. Need.I lost myself for a moment. As if the world had vanished and there was only this: him and me.But then reality hit.Hard.I pulled away, shoving at his chest, breathless, my lips still damp from the kiss."This... can’t happen again. You’re with Isabela."He stayed silent for a second, his eyes locked on mine. The desire still burned there, but now there was something else. Something dark. Hurt.He stood, and the change in him was almost physical. Warmth turned to steel. Sweetness to blade."You’re right," he said, voice low and sharp. "You’d better stay away from me.""Fine," I said, starting to walk."Aiyana..." he began, but I didn’t stay to hear the rest.Max’s door closed softly behind me, and I could still feel his lips on mine. The taste. The touch. The weight of that look.I was so lost in thought I didn’t see Icarus.I slammed into him hard and nearly went straight to the floor, if not for his hands gripping my shoulders fir

AIYANAI woke as if I’d been dragged up from the bottom of a frozen lake. My muscles ached, my head throbbed, and my thoughts came in scattered fragments. The first thing I felt was the soft touch of sheets against my skin a fabric that definitely didn’t belong to the cheap hotel room we’d been staying in. That didn’t make sense. I blinked, trying to force my eyes to adjust to the elegant dimness of the room.It was spacious, and the air carried a faint scent of lavender.The walls were covered in white wallpaper with orange blossom designs, the ceiling was high, and the chandelier above the bed looked like it belonged in some noble hall from centuries ago. There were no windows, only a carved wooden door and furniture that looked like it came from another century.I swallowed hard, a shiver crawling up my spine. I got up slowly, trying to ignore the sluggish heaviness in my limbs. I remembered going to the bar with Icarus and Max, talking to the bartender, and then... shadows. A man