“This stops now,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m sick of the two of you talking about me and Adrian like we’re pawns in some power play. If you have something to say, Caspian, you can say it to me directly. Not through my brother. I have a mind of my own and trust me when I say I c
Valerie:My son's laughter echoed through the hotel's courtyard as he kicked the ball back and forth with the babysitter. His carefree joy was a sharp contrast to the storm that was boiling inside of me. I stood near the edge of the patio. My arms were crossed over my chest as I stared at him, watch
“And what does ‘handling it’ look like to you?” he asked, his tone laced with frustration. “Running? Fighting? You think you can outmaneuver Caspian on your own? Because you can’t, Valerie. He’s not going to back down. And he is stronger than you are. He always has been. He has tactics that you are
Caspian:The warm glow gave the dining area a serene atmosphere over the bustling hotel.I entered the room, my steps calm as my gaze scanned the table. It did not take me long to find him, Adrian, who was sitting with Elias near the window.For a moment I found myself staring at him. He was laughin
Adrian nodded, returning his attention to his pancakes. I glanced at Elias, who gave me a pointed look but didn’t say anything. I knew that this was not something that he wanted me to keep pressing on. He wanted me to finish whatever conversation that I came to have and leave, but I was not planning
Elias:I found myself staring into space as the morning sunlight poured through the hotel’s grand windows. It illuminated the lounge of the golden warmth, one that should have been soothing, but all it did was highlight the way that I carried.Today not only went against everything that I wanted, bu
I looked away, my jaw tightening. “I’m trying to protect her. Protect them.”Mom sighed, leaning forward slightly. “Elias, I know you mean well. I know you love your sister. But sometimes, love isn’t about protection. Sometimes, it’s about making hard choices. Choices that hurt.”I frowned, her word
Valerie:The room was quiet, the kind of stillness that felt suffocating rather than peace. This was something that I would have normally admired. I would have normally loved my piece, but right now I just found myself feeling like I was completely alone, feeling like I was in complete conflict.Adr
Valerie:The sunlight slipped past the sheer curtains, golden and gentle, warming my cheek before I even opened my eyes. I felt the weight of the sheets tangled around my legs, the delicious soreness in my limbs, and the steady warmth radiating from the body beside mine.Caspian.I didn’t need to lo
The kiss deepened. Her mouth parted, and I took it, claiming her like I’d never stopped wanting to. My hand slipped into her hair, and she moaned against me, arching into my touch.“Valerie…” I breathed, my lips brushing hers.Her eyes met mine, dark with heat. “Don’t ask.”I hesitated.“Are you sur
Caspian:The living room was quiet except for Adrian’s excited voice as he recounted a story about something he had seen near the garden, something about a glowing butterfly, and how he thought it might be magical.How much I wanted to explain to him that he was the one who was magical, that the but
Valerie:I told myself I wouldn’t break.I told myself I’d hold it together, for Adrian, for the pack, for everyone who still believed in me.I told myself that I needed to stand strong, that I should not afford allowing myself to fall.But it was getting harder.With each passing moment, I found it
Caspian:I didn’t know what hurt more.Watching the way Valerie walked out of my office without a word, or knowing that I was the one who let it get that far. That I had allowed her to stand in that room and be blindsided by the truth I already knew.Hey, truth that I knew that she did not want to a
“No,” Caspian said, calm but firm. “Ryan came to us. We called him in when we realized your brother had dismissed him along with the rest of your father’s men. The ones who were loyal. The ones who could have stopped this. The ones that could have told you the truth behind everything that was going
Valerie:I didn’t know what I expected when I stepped into Caspian’s office, but it wasn’t him.I wasn't even sure why he had called me to his office, but I did not expect him to be calling me to see the one person that I knew just disappeared when my father died.My feet froze just past the thresho
Ryan:I hadn’t stepped foot in this estate in years. And after her father had died, I did not believe that I would ever see her again. That I would ever see anyone of power again. Not since the tides of power shifted in ways none of us expected. Not since everything seemed to choose at differen
“No,” I agreed. “It’s intentional. Whatever it is that they have in mind, it is intentional.”I crossed the room and poured myself a glass of whiskey, letting the burn cut through the tension in my chest. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like playing a game I couldn’t see all the pieces of.And I hated