جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 160

The air was thick with salt and the faint hum of cicadas as Lucas, Liam, Maya, Lily, Graham, Aiden, Lena, and the ever-watchful bodyguard slipped along the narrow pathway at the side of the beach resort. The main building, with its easy energy and streams of laughter, seemed a world away compared to the silence they were walking into now. Here, the walls were darker, the pathway less maintained, as though deliberately hidden from the eyes of the wealthy guests. Lucas’s steps were silent but purposeful, the Alpha aura he carried making even the shadows feel like they bent out of his way. Still, caution was not just an option—it was their lifeline. Ahead stood the side building. It looked like nothing more than a storage shack, tucked between the service alley and the edge of the beach cliffs. A faded wooden door leaned slightly on its hinges, and light spilled out from a gap near the frame. Through that crack came the faint rumble of voices and the occasional clatter of dishes.

The Crescent rogue claws dug lightly into the soft skin of Lily's neck, sharp enough to break flesh with the slightest twitch. “Stay where you are,” the rogue hissed, his voice low and venomous. “One wrong step, and she bleeds out before your eyes.” Lucas’s entire body trembled. He wanted to lunge, to rip the bastard apart, but the sight of those claws at Lily’s throat rooted him to the spot. Beside him, Liam’s face was carved from stone, though his eyes blazed with a fury that threatened to consume him whole. “Let her go,” Liam demanded, his voice deep and commanding, carrying the weight of an Alpha even though he kept his stance measured. “She’s not your fight.” The rogue chuckled, the sound bitter. “Everything connected to you twins is my fight.” Lucas’s hands clenched into fists. “If it’s us you want, then take us. But release her.” “Do you think I’m stupid?” The rogue sneered, pressing his claws harder into Lily’s neck until a thin line of blood fell against her skin.

The sun had dipped lower over the horizon, splashing the beach in strokes of fiery orange and muted violet. The waves rolled with lazy persistence, as though the ocean itself was indifferent to the storm that was about to break among the seven friends standing in the sand. Their laughter and relief from earlier had thinned into cautious silence as Clara, with her notepad pressed tightly against her chest, approached. Her heels sank awkwardly into the sand, every step stiff, but her chin was lifted high, her reporter’s resolve battling the tremor in her hands. “Lucas,” she called, her voice carrying across the wind, sharp but slightly breathless. “Liam. All of you.” The group stiffened. Lucas’s jaw locked while Liam’s arms folded tightly across his chest. Aiden and Graham exchanged a look, their faces darkening with recognition and distaste. Lily’s stomach twisted. Clara stopped just short of the group, shifting her weight nervously. “Is it true?” she demanded. “Did you actua

The resort’s common lounge opened into a wide expanse of open-air elegance. Glass walls slid apart to reveal the gentle sweep of the beach, where the tide lapped against golden sand in a rhythm almost too calm for the stormy undercurrents of wolf politics unfolding within. Guests lounged across wicker chairs draped in pale cushions, sipping colorful drinks that glittered in the late afternoon light. The scent of grilled seafood and coconut oils clung to the air, mixed with the faint smell of saltwater. The ceiling fans spun lazily, though the sea breeze did most of the work in keeping the space cool. Ethan was already there, sprawled with calculated ease on one of the resort’s cushioned loungers near the bar. His posture screamed confidence, as if he owned the place, his shirt unbuttoned just enough to show off sculpted muscles that caught a few curious glances from passing women. A glass of something dark and expensive sat in his hand, condensation dripping lazily down its

The ocean was an endless, restless drumbeat in the background, waves rolling in and breaking against the stretch of golden sand below the cliffside resort. Lanterns swayed in the salty breeze that cut through the open-air lounge, their glow dim and honey-soft against the descending evening. Guests moved like silhouettes—laughing, flirting, sipping wine as if the world itself was a feast laid out just for them. But Lena felt none of that ease. She remained standing in a corner of the lounge, her stance angled just enough to keep her sightline wide. The taste of her conversation with Ethan still clung bitterly to her tongue, and no amount of wine could wash it away, but she had not problem trying to make it work. She ordered for a drink from the bar and gulped it down once. She also needed to prepare herself for the inevitable conversation she dreaded. She ordered for another and took her time to drink it. She turned her glass slowly in her hand, the red liquid catching the ligh