Lahat ng Kabanata ng Bound to the Capo: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

THIRD-PARTY POV Ren realized he needed to plead for his life. "They were not my family," he said, drawing a sneer from Mel, who then scoffed at his words, but Ren went on to explain how he ended up being raised by Milan Sookwah. “I don’t care about what happened,” he continued, his chest constricting at his words. But he could not avenge them if he died, so he had to say whatever he needed to survive. However, he didn't get the desired reaction from Mel. He didn't care about Ren's family's problems and instead walked to the door, opening it and signaling the guards to enter as soon as Ren finished. But Elysia stopped them again. "Wait!" she exclaimed, and the men backed away once more. Mel sighed, somewhere between frustrated and annoyed, and grabbed Elysia's arm, leading her to another room. Ren heard Mel’s voice as the door closed behind them. “What the hell are you doing?” And it went silent after that. He began to writhe in the chair, calling out to Clyde in his mind,

MAKENA Val and I said our final goodbyes to Kian and Ana shortly after ten o'clock. They had been amazing, helping us unpack, and had stayed long after everything was in place. I’d even tested out the kitchen, whipping up something quick but hearty, which we all ate together around the small dining table. Following dinner, we shared two more bottles of wine. Val had stepped away to take a call from a colleague who needed a shift covered, and I was drawn to the balcony by the soft hush of the night outside. Sliding the glass door open, I stepped out into the warm breeze and gripped the railing as I took a deep breath. The city lights blinked softly in the distance, and as Thomlin had promised, I could barely hear the hum of traffic far below. Everything smelled new, fresh paint, wood polish, the faint scent of clean linen, and hints of lavender from somewhere in the building. It truly felt like a fresh start, and Andreas's words echoed in my head: "This is the beginning of go

MAKENA Lifted, I opened my eyes and saw Val grinning down at me, and realized I had dozed off. I was cleaning up after dinner when I suddenly became tired and decided to sit for a moment, during which I believe I fell asleep. It had been a week since Val and I moved into our new apartment, and we had never been happier. Things were still going well at work, and he was on the night shift this week, so I frowned, wondering why he was home. He said they ran out of the parts he needed, so his manager told him they would arrive in the morning and gave him the option of going home for the night, which Val accepted. "Well, I am not complaining. I’m never looking forward to spending the night alone,” I said, to which he leaned in and kissed me. I told him Kian came around after he left, and I had spent the majority of the evening with him. The Adamises came to visit us frequently. Kian practically lived with us; he had more clothes here than at home. Last Sunday, we ate dinner at the

MAKENA “Akira?” My voice broke, a thousand emotions colliding: shock, confusion, and disgust as I remembered our last interaction. But before I could take another step or speak, he tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with cold, cruel intent. “Hello, love." There was mockery in his voice. “Miss me?” Then his gaze moved to Val, and everything changed. Disgust distorted his features, and his lips curled. "Is this it?" he scoffed. “Is this the filth you left me for?” He took a step forward, his shoulders squaring, contempt coursing through him like poison as his eyes gleamed. "A fucking strigoi," he hissed venomously. “A bloodsucking, leeching piece of shit!” Val didn’t move, but his eyes stayed locked on Akira, and it was then that I also registered the shock in Don’s eyes. But I couldn’t dwell on it, feeling Val's icy aura rippling just beneath the surface. Akira kept going. "You chose a disgusting, undead parasite that reeks of rot?" He shifted his gaze away from Val and bac

MAKENA Kian let out a feral growl and lunged at us, his eyes filled with rage, and Leonora screamed, scrambling to her feet in terror. But he never reached us. There was a sharp and fast gust that felt like the room blinked before a whimper broke the silence, followed by a thud that echoed off the walls as Kian's body crashed to the far side of the room, skidding and slamming hard against the wall. He lay there groaning, and my heart slammed into my ribs. Val now stood in front of me, like he’d barely exerted himself, and I hadn’t even seen him move. "Are you all right?" he asked, turning just enough to look back at me, his voice calm but his eyes still glowing with restrained power. Kian growled, slowly pushing himself up, visibly dazed, and I nodded, still staring at him. “Please don’t hurt him, Val. Please,” Leonora said softly, shocking both of us. How did she know his name? “Stop this, Kian. Your father knew who he was… what he was. He knew the truth, but chose to prote