Carena:As I watched everyone leave, I returned to my room and sat on the bed. I didn't want to dive into work right away. What if someone came back?My heart was racing, and my palms were sweating profusely. I was anxious about the possibility of getting caught. What if there were cameras in the basement?So much was swirling in my mind, but I didn't want to second-guess my decision."I don’t know if I’ll get another chance," I told Arena, who was as worried as I was. But knowing her strength, she was trying to reassure me that she could handle any trouble."I’ll be there with you," she repeated for the fifth time."Do you think Sawyer will attack us if he finds us in the basement?" A sigh of fear escaped my lips. I was a bit scared of him harming me, but more so of him despising me."Remember, we want justice and the truth to come to light," she reminded me. She was right.Besides, I had been talking about being in love with him despite everything. But I couldn't imagine how the vic
Carena:My vision was blurred, but I managed to see a few more videos of the same nature. Sawyer, wielding an axe, and those poor people begging for his mercy. I didn't even know when I had started sobbing. The man I had seen as my hero was a villain to so many pack members. Why? Why did he do that?These are his people. Why would he hurt his own people like that? Nothing made sense anymore.“Carena!” Arena screamed inside me once she found me lost in thoughts and mourning over those who had died by the hands of my mate.“It’s not the right time to be so lost,” she urged me to regain my composure.I shook myself awake and quickly started transferring the videos to my phone. Then I reached for the diaries and noticed a list of people marked with an "X." It was a list of all pack members, with the crossed-out names being either missing or already found dead.“This is the victim list,” I began reading, and so far, every name on the list belonged to individuals who were considered the bad
Carena:I walked out of the bathroom with a forced smile and saw Sawyer standing by the window, looking outside. He was carefully removing his wristwatch while examining the view ahead.“I didn’t know you were coming home for the night,” I said with a smile, masking my fear about why he might have returned. Could he have seen in his hidden cameras that I was in his private place?He turned to me with a blank stare, causing my heartbeat to quicken. He then walked closer and stood directly in front of me.At this point, I half-expected him to strangle me. He removed his wristwatch and began rolling up his sleeves.My smile wavered, but I forced myself to appear calm. After rolling up his sleeves, he raised his hand, and I flinched, feeling his palm against my cheek.“I was missing you,” he said softly, his hand gently caressing my cheek.“I won’t ask why you didn’t join the rest for the carnival. They can be quite messy, I know. So, I figured I should come home and be with you,” he cont
Carena: “You have a fever. You should rest,” Sawyer said as he checked my temperature with a thermometer and then sighed.I knew his family had returned, and he was supposed to head out for work. But due to my panic and illness, he was running late. I wasn’t sure if he had even planned to leave. He had asked Janine to prepare soup for me and had stayed by my side the entire morning.“But I’m feeling much better. I’ll just lie down and go to sleep. You should finish your work so you can come back early,” I said. I didn’t want to give the impression that I wanted him gone immediately, so I made it clear that if he left early, he would return early.“I’m not leaving you in this condition, Carena,” he said grumpily.“Sawyer, I’ll be fine. I’ll be asleep anyway. I want you here when I wake up,” I pouted, but it was difficult to deceive him. He usually followed through with his plans.“Who said I wouldn’t be here when you wake up? I’ll stay beside you all day,” his insistence worried me.I
Carena:“Why do you look so weak?” he noticed as I sat down with him. Maybe it was from the stress I had been put under.I needed to take a deep breath first, so he offered me water, which I quickly accepted. He didn’t break eye contact and continued to stare at my face.“What I found out about Sawyer had left me sleepless and without any hunger,” I uttered while rubbing my hand on my face. My eyes would quickly scan the surroundings to make sure nobody was listening to our conversation.Everyone seemed like Sawyer's spy. I have never been so afraid of someone before like I was of someone who claims to love me so dearly.“I investigated the basement,” I said softly, watching his eyebrows furrow. He seemed intrigued, but I was more focused on his clenched fists. I could tell he was hoping I’d have good news about his mother.But I didn’t have any positive news to share. And I bet he got it too.“And?” he asked, gulping, clearly not wanting to know but needing to hear it.“He is the ser
Carena:“Carena! I’m asking you something,” he insisted again, and this time I had to give him some answers or he wouldn’t stop questioning me.“It’s umm--” Before I could finish, my gaze landed on two people sitting in the other corner of the café. It was an unusual pairing, something I hadn’t expected. I couldn’t understand why they would be together.“What is it?” he asked, following my gaze and turning to look at the pair.“That’s Yamin,” I whispered, watching her speak to the man with a pout on her lips. She looked weaker than the last time I’d seen her, with bags under her eyes and her body language radiating misery.“And isn’t that Sawyer’s younger brother, Ronan?” Theo asked. I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away from the two.“But why is he with Yamin?” I wondered aloud. It didn’t make sense. They weren’t supposed to be seen together.“What’s going on?” Theo must have noticed how intently I was observing their interaction. Ronan kept leaning over the table to hold her hand wh
Carena:"I thought we were supposed to meet at the sheriff's department," I asked Theodore as he drove me back to the mansion, taking a more secluded road for privacy."Did you forget we're not supposed to be seen together?" he reminded me. I nodded and slapped my forehead."It's been a lot for me lately," I admitted. Everything felt strange, and my health had been off too. I felt like throwing up all the time and constantly felt lightheaded. I couldn't keep the food down as well. I would run to throw up after every meal."You were supposed to tell me something earlier," he pressed, and this time, I was determined to answer in a way that wouldn't make him lose his composure. I knew if I told him I had seen a video, he would insist on watching it, and once he did, he would never find peace."He has a diary with everyone's name in it--from those who are dead to his future victims," I mumbled, noticing his knuckles turning white. I was hesitant to show him the diary for now."And did you
Carena:“I don't know why, but it made me raise an eyebrow at your mate,” she sighed dramatically and then added, “Anyway, what would you like for dinner?”I understood her unpleasant ways all too well. She was playing a game of nonchalance.I walked up behind Sawyer and cleared my throat, making my presence known.“You came home early,” I smiled, and he slowly turned to me. He didn’t say a word, placing the back of his hand on my forehead, then smiled in satisfaction.“Your fever is gone,” he murmured.“Yeah, I thought staying at home would make me sicker. So I went to meet Yamin, and I found her at a café she frequents,” I replied cleverly, causing Lady Jane to roll her eyes before looking at Sawyer for his reaction.I bet she wanted Sawyer to be the one to ask where I had been all day, but he didn’t.“I’m glad it changed your mood,” he said, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me into a hug. But of course, Lady Jane wouldn’t let it go so easily.“But why were you at Sawyer’s off