71. THE SWEET BROTHER

~ NYRAMy heart skipped as I looked into his beautiful ocean blue eyes.He was so gentle. So quiet.Seeing such pain embedded in his eyes broke a piece of my heart.The way his beautiful eyes searched my face, I felt butterflies stir inside of me. My stomach flipped as his eyes started a fire deep within me—despite the situation.Then I realized this was the first time we were this close to each other after that damned party. This was the first time he was holding me after Sylver unfairly forbade him to. I could clearly see the sadness in his eyes, the silent longing he had to suppress just because of Sylver.My heart tightened as my emotions swelled inside of me. Rylan was going through so much pain and trouble... And his only crime was the fact that he loved me...My emotions burned strong, fueling the flames of desires already kindling inside of me. And before I could stop myself, I made the first move. I kissed him.Rylan slipped his hand to the small of my back, kissing me ba

Last Updated : 2025-09-05

72. THE HIDDEN PAIN

~ CASSIANOnce in my room, I was on the verge of taking off my shirt when it suddenly occurred to me that neither Nyra nor Rylan had anything to eat.The whole day had been so eventful that they all missed dinner. In fact, practically everyone in the house skipped dinner after we found out what happened to Rylan.And knowing Rylan, he would die first before he complained about the worms in his stomach to Nyra.Nyra on the other hand, would probably feel too self-conscious to excuse herself for food."Those kids," I sighed, fixing back my shirt. The duty fell on me to get them food.I then went back out of my room and headed down to the kitchen.As I got there, the sweet smell of freshly made chicken soup tickled my nostrils, pushing back my thoughts until a smile sat on my face.—Food was indeed the key to happiness. A filled stomach was a fulfilled life."Your highness..." The maids giggled the moment they saw me approach.My eyes moved to them and my smile stretched into a smirk as

Last Updated : 2025-09-05

73. THE TABLE TENSION

~ NYRAThe rays of the sun gently pulled me awake. I stirred on the bed, my eyes opening to meet Rylan smiling at me."Good morning," he whispered, and I felt a jolt of energy travel into my heart.Like an infection, I mirrored his smile too. "Morning... How are you?"His eyes twinkled as he slowly pulled himself out of bed. Then he flashed me that warm smile again. "I think I can survive for a few more years."I laughed at his cuteness and moved to help him. "Alright, immortal man, let's get you to the shower."But as I reached for his arm, he gently grabbed my hand and led it to his lips. He placed gentle kisses over it and smiled even brighter."I can manage a shower. And you need to get ready for breakfast too," he muttered. "The last thing we need is for father to get pissed off over our absence or lateness.""But I can help you and then still prepare myself for—"His warm lips covered my hand again, the heat shooting sweet pleasure down my stomach, forcing me to stop speaking."

Last Updated : 2025-09-06

74. BURNING TEARS

~ NYRAMy body instantly froze as Ried's words echoed thunderously in my head.My senses felt jumbled and I suddenly believed I had once again imagined what didn’t happen.But his next words threw me into shock as it occurred to me that I wasn’t imagining anything at all..."So, having said that, I am going to leave the rest of the decision for you to make," he beamed like he was sharing the best news in the world.It was really happening... I whispered as I felt my lungs begin to vibrate in their place."Father, what other decision can we possibly make when it’s looking like you have done most of the job yourself?" Cassian hissed, and I could see the shock that also reflected in his eyes.But Ried's smile only brightened as he clapped his hands. "Yes, you may say that. But the decision to either share her or keep her for only one of you solely rests on you to decide!"At his response, the tension in the room thickened further. I could feel the weight pressing down against my lungs, f

Last Updated : 2025-09-06

75. MUST PROTECT HER

~ RYLANMy thoughts became chaotic once again. I could not believe what my father had just said.I had always thought that after Nyra showed up in our lives—my life—that everything would finally make sense.I thought I would be happy and no one could take that away from me.Even if Sylver prevented me from being close to her, I always found a way to get her to myself.And just when I was finally forging that bond between us, fueling it till the flame of our bond burned stronger than ever, my father destroyed it all with a tractor.A tractor that he formed with his words. His cruel decision that left my heart destroyed.How could he do that?A part of me pricked to protest even further. I wanted to scream and yell at him at the top of my lungs. But how?How could I tell my father that the marriage he was proposing with such excitement would never work?None of us could ever go through with it. Not me, not Cassian, and not even Sylver.And this was because we already had a mate. We had

Last Updated : 2025-09-08

76. THE SWITCH

~ CASSIANI had no idea what Sylver was up to. He looked calm. Too calm.Yet we all knew nothing that spelt calm could be associated with him.From the way Nyra shook in my arms, I could tell he did something. He was up to something—and whatever it was, I didn’t like it.The whole situation was not helping. Especially not the fact that our father had placed this burden of an order over us.What was worse; he had to put it at a time like this. A time when Sylver’s condition was flickering... when Sylver’s state only got more suspicious.The way he stared back at me as I took Nyra from his arms was dark. It wasn’t his dark side completely, but I could feel the unsettling aura as it wrapped around us like a plague.And somehow, I had to deal with everything. All at once."You know," Sylver growled, a low disturbing sound as he moved his finger between Rylan and I— "she doesn’t belong to just you two."Nyra stiffened in my arms and I felt it too. But I just stayed quiet and watched him."