Kayla The air in the testing room was colder than I expected. Too cold for comfort. I could feel the chill seeping through my jacket as I sat stiffly in the folding metal chair, watching as two thick curtains were drawn across opposite ends of the room. The heavy fabric swallowed both Nicholas
A pull. It was subtle at first, like someone gently tugging at the edges of my consciousness, but it grew stronger with every step I took. I stumbled forward, barely aware of my own movements, driven by something deeper than thought. Deeper than reason. Without even thinking, without even hesita
Kayla Nicholas shoved me out of the way just moments before Noah collided with him, the force of the impact nearly knocking me to the floor. “Nicholas!” I gasped, but the two of them were already locked in combat. Fists flew, curses echoed through the room, and the air became a flurry of rage.
“Well, that was dramatic,” he remarked. “I’m sorry to say this, Noah, but Miss Sterling has chosen Nicholas whether you like it or not. We’ll begin the process of severing the bond between you two immediately.” And with that, the guildsman was gone. My heart twisted in the silence left in Mr. Gr
Kayla The soft beep of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room, save for the quiet hum of the hospital hallway. It had been hours, and Noah still wasn’t awake. Hours. And the doctors claimed that they couldn’t find a reason for his sudden coma. This was all too familiar for comfort. M
I nodded, swallowing hard. “I don’t know how to explain it. But the way he looked at me, the way he hesitated when Noah collapsed… I could tell. He was waiting for something. I felt like if I didn’t say it, Noah might not get the help he needed.” Nicholas’s eyes darkened, and I could see the storm
Kayla Eventually, we had to leave the hospital. Not that we even wanted to—we both would have stayed forever if the nurse hadn’t come by and practically forced us to leave. “I’m sorry, you two,” the nurse said, his brow furrowed, “but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You both have been h
Nicholas hadn’t said a word, of course. Neither had I. Now, the house was blissfully quiet, save for the faint sound of voices outside. I sank down onto the couch, kicking off my shoes and curling my legs up beneath me. “This is ridiculous,” I muttered. “We can’t leave the house without being bo
The sensation was indescribable—like finding a piece of myself I hadn’t known was missing, like coming home after a lifetime of wandering.I grinned up at Nicholas, feeling almost impish with the secret I’d kept for so long.His mouth hung open, shock written across his features. “You knew,” he said
Kayla“One more push!” the doctor’s voice barely registered through the haze of pain that had consumed me for the past sixteen hours. “I can see the head, Kayla. One more big push!”Nicholas gripped my hand, his other arm supporting my back as I leaned forward. I was beyond exhaustion, beyond pain,
There was Emma, fierce and loyal despite everything she’d been through, slowly healing from her injuries with her brother’s unwavering support. Marcus, who’d practically raised his sister from childhood and would do anything to protect those he cared about, including us.Noah, with his gentle demean
Kayla“She’s going to get what she deserves. Today,” Emma said, drumming her fingers against the armrest of her wheelchair. It was the third time she’d said it in the last half hour, but none of us called her on it. We were all tense.We stood outside the guild hall in a loose circle, our faces grim
“What did you do with her?”“She’s locked up in Nightshade’s prison for now,” Nicholas said grimly. “I’m going to speak to the guild to decide her fate.”I shivered. I couldn’t believe it, and yet… Somehow, I could. Because Isabella had done so much worse. This was just the cherry on top.My thought
KaylaLight filtered through my eyelids, hazy and blurred. Everything felt heavy. Sore. But alive.The first thing I saw was Nicholas hunched over me, clutching me so tightly I could barely breathe.“Kayla,” he murmured against my throat. “Kayla, please come back…”My shaky hand came up, my fingers
Across the room, Noah let out a roar of grief and anger, his fist punching through the wall with enough force to crack the plaster all the way to the ceiling. Marcus’s hands tore at his hair as he cursed violently. Emma shook in her wheelchair, silent tears streaming down her face. Grace simply star
Nicholas“Detain her!” I snarled at the nearest warriors, who were tangled with their new mates in various states of undress beneath the trees. They scrambled to their feet at my command, eyes widening as they took in Isabella writhing on the ground beneath me, her glamour spell completely faded now
“I’m here, Kayla,” she whispered. “I’ve always been here. It’s going to be okay…”Sobs tore from my throat. “I’m miscarrying, aren’t I?” I choked out, clutching her tighter. “I’m going to lose my baby.” I pulled back just enough to look into those luminous green eyes. “Please emerge before that happ