جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 90

HORACE Before I could stop myself, before I could even think about the consequences, I snapped. I lunged forward and pinned Valentina brutally against the side of the car. My wolf was screaming for blood, and I was barely holding back from ripping her throat out right here. My grip around her neck was so tight it was almost crushing her. She instantly went pale, her hands flying up to claw desperately at my wrists, begging me to let her go. "How could you!" I barked in pure, raw fury, the sound echoing over the roar of the burning penthouse. My fingers dug deeper into her soft skin, and I watched with cold eyes as she gasped for air under my hands. "What are you... talking about? You're hurting me," she managed to choke out, her voice hoarse, trembling, and full of terror. I kept her pinned flat against the metal, using my body weight to trap her as I fumbled in my pocket for my phone. I shoved the glowing screen right in front of her face, forcing her to look at the horror. "Ho

VALENTINA ~~Eight months ago~~The memory hit me so fast it physically knocked the breath out of my lungs. The hotel room faded away, and suddenly I was pulled backward into the past, right into that exact night.I hadn’t been out in the streets. I hadn’t been anywhere near Horace's penthouse, and I definitely hadn’t been moving a dead body. I had been sitting flat on the floor in my own apartment, doing the most boring thing on planet earth.Folding laundry.I remembered it so clearly because I had been completely annoyed. My old dryer wasn't working properly, and half of my shirts and socks still felt damp and heavy. I was sitting cross-legged on the rug, completely surrounded by a pile of towels, just trying to get through the chore when the sharp ring of my phone cut through the quiet.I picked it up, and Harold's name lit up the glowing screen, a huge smile broke out across my face. Back then, before all the lies, before the cheating, and before the nightmare, hearing from him s

VALENTINA"I was so scared," Harold's voice had trembled against my neck all those months ago, his body shaking."So was I," I whispered back, my heart aching for him."I'm sorry, Val. I'm so sorry."I had hugged him even tighter, burying my face in his chest. "You don't have to apologize. You're safe now. That's all that matters."Then, he had pulled away just enough to look at me, staring right into my eyes. "Forget tonight, Val," he said, his expression becoming completely serious, almost cold.I frowned, the happiness of saving him dipping into confusion. "What?""Forget everything," he demanded, his grip tightening on my arms. "I might be forever traumatized by what happened here tonight, so promise me. Never talk about it again. To anyone."I hesitated, looking at his bruised face, wanting nothing more than to erase his pain. So, I slowly nodded. "Okay. I promise."He exhaled a long, heavy breath, looking deeply relieved, and then he leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I love you

HORACEThe sound of skates carving across the ice echoed through the arena like gunshots. Practice had started two hours ago and should have ended thirty minutes ago, but nobody dared to mention it. I stood at center ice, my stick clenched so tightly my gloves creaked, watching the team run the same drill for the hundredth time. Sweat soaked their jerseys, and their legs were shaking, but it still wasn't good enough."Again," I barked.The puck dropped, but the timing was off. My whistle shrieked through the arena. "Again". When a defenseman missed his coverage by half a second, I launched my stick against the boards. The crack echoed like a bone breaking. I wasn't looking for answers, I was looking for perfection, the same perfection Valentina used to demand when she analyzed our games.My chest tightened. I shoved the thought of her away. Not now. Not when everything reminded me of her."Again," I ordered.This time, nobody moved. Carter, a big defenseman, stepped forward. "No," h

VALENTINAThe hotel room went completely silent, except for the sound of my heavy breathing. I was totally furious, practically shaking from head to toe with an explosive mix of adrenaline and hatred. I stared at the dark phone screen, then at the blank wall, then at the phone again. For one crazy second, I thought about smashing the device into pieces. But no. I wouldn't spend another second of my energy on him. Because Zuria might call. Or text. Or send something that could actually help me fix this mess. So instead of smashing the device, I grabbed a heavy pillow from the bed and hurled it as hard as I could across the room. It bounced pathetically off the wall and flopped onto the carpet. I felt even angrier after that, my hands shaking with useless adrenaline.A sudden knock sounded at the door, breaking the tense silence, and Marco stepped into the room. He was carrying a tray loaded with food. Again. I let out a loud, frustrated groan. “Please leave, Marco.”“I can't,” he sa