I paced back and forth in the forest, behind the house, my phone clutched tightly in my hand. The silence of the house felt suffocating after Neel and Harry had left. I needed to talk to someone—someone outside this tangled web of confusion I’d woven around myself. My mind kept spiraling back to Caspian, then to Lucas, and to all the moments that had left me reeling over the past few days.I scrolled through my contacts, hesitating before tapping on Camila’s name. She was the only person I could truly open up to, the only one who would understand and give me some reality check. She might not have a satisfactory solution, but I was sure she would listen without judging me.My heart raced as the phone rang.“Hey, stranger!” Camila’s cheerful voice filled my ears, offering a moment of relief. “I’ve been wondering when you’d call. What’s up?”“You could have called me, too,” I tried to gather my thoughts. Dumping all my problems on her the second she picked up the phone would’ve been a b
I stood in the driveway, my mind racing with the conversation I had with Camila and Phineas. I glanced up at Lucas’ balcony again, seeing his familiar silhouette disappear behind the glass door. My heartbeat quickened at the thought of what could happen if I let myself follow the heat I felt whenever he was near. I took a deep breath. ‘You’re allowed to explore. You’re not in a relationship with anyone. They’re not really your brothers,’ I reminded myself. Meanwhile, my pulse was racing like I was about to run a marathon. Steeling myself, I went inside the house and walked through the hallways. It was still very quiet inside, so I checked in the Kitchen for Dev and took the stairs two at a time when I didn't find him there. As I neared the second floor, my heart was pounding in my chest. Within a minute, I reached Lucas' bedroom and, without hesitation, knocked on the door. The excitement underneath it all kept me going. The door to his room was slightly ajar, and I could hea
As I straddled Lucas, a surge of adrenaline rushed through me. The power I felt in that moment was exhilarating like I had finally broken free from the invisible shackles that had been holding me back. I’d always been cautious, always second-guessing myself. But not anymore.“Are you sure about this?” Lucas questioned, not trying to free his hand or move. He lay there beneath me, his dark green eyes wide, reflecting a mix of surprise and amusement. His usual confidence seemed to falter, and for once, I had the upper hand.“I’m serious, Lucas,” I said, leaning closer, my hands resting on his chest, feeling his heartbeat quicken beneath my palms. “No games, no pretence. I want to be in control this time.”His lips curved into a slow, mischievous smile. “Well, this is definitely a side of you I haven’t seen before.”I raised an eyebrow. “You and me both, but this is what I want from you.”He chuckled, his hand sliding up to grip my waist. “So, what now, Katherine? Are you going to act
The late afternoon sun filtered through the balcony, casting a golden glow across Lucas's bedroom. My body was still flushed from the heat of the moment, lying next to him, our breaths evening out in unison. For a brief moment, there was nothing but the sound of our breathing, and I let myself sink into the strange comfort of his presence. But the weight of reality was creeping back in, like a cold draft sneaking under the door. Lucas turned to me, his hand brushing lightly against my arm. “You’re quiet.” I forced a small smile. “Just... thinking about some stuff.” He chuckled, propping himself up on his elbow. “Thinking about what, exactly? Your dominance was pretty sexy.” His teasing tone made me smile for real this time, but beneath the surface, I felt something gnawing at me. It was easier to say I was exploring, but the guilt that followed couldn’t be ignored because I was still hiding everything from them. The web I was weaving was getting messier by the day, and I didn’
Three days passed. Three long days of me trying to keep my distance from both Dev and Caspian. With Dev, it was easy enough—he had been distant, his coldness mirroring my own need to step back. We exchanged only polite nods, barely speaking beyond the necessities. The tension between us felt like a wall neither of us was ready to break through. Caspian, on the other hand, wasn’t the type to be ignored. Every day, he’d tried to talk to me, finding reasons to strike up conversations, randomly, but I always managed to slip away. A quick excuse, a task that urgently needed attention, or sometimes just walking away before he had a chance to say anything more. It worked—sort of. But I could feel his growing frustration with each passing day. He wanted me to directly answer him, and I had no direct answer for him. It didn’t help that the rest of the house had noticed. Neel had asked about Dev the day before, his eyes concerned as he tried to nudge me into talking. I had skillfully ch
I walked through the entrance of the college building, the hum of students and distant chatter filling the air. The cool air-conditioned atmosphere was a sharp contrast to the warmth of the sun outside, and I instantly felt a bit more awake. My sneakers squeaked against the smooth floor as I made my way through the spacious hallways, grateful for the map they mailed along with the syllabus. Without it, I’d probably end up wandering aimlessly through this labyrinth. The buildings were big and the campus bigger. I couldn't believe Derek's family founded such an institute. Heading up to the second floor for my first class, Biology I, I couldn’t help the knot of nerves in my stomach. New faces, new subjects—it was all so overwhelming. When I finally found my classroom, I paused, taking a deep breath to calm myself. ‘It’s just the first day. You’ve got this.’ I told myself before pushing open the door. I was greeted by an almost-empty room. Only one person sat towards the front,
Neel dropped me off near the entrance of the park on his motorcycle.“Leo isn't around. Should I wait?” he questioned as I handed him the helmet.“No, I'm fine. You don't have to wait. You can go,” I said, noticing his hesitation. He still looked unsure, so I added, “I'll be fine, Neel. I'm not a child.”“Alright, alright.” He nodded his head and started the engine, his motorcycle rumbling as he pulled away.I watched him go and sighed in relief, pulling out my phone and dialing Leo’s number.“Hey, beautiful,” Leo replied, his voice bright and cheerful.“Hey, I'm at the entrance of the park. Where are you?” I looked inside the park, thinking he would be there.“You're looking the wrong way. I’m at the café across the street,” Leo answered, amusement in his tone. “I’m waving at you from the window.”I looked up and spotted him through the café’s window, grinning and waving energetically. Putting the phone back in my pocket, I crossed the road, careful to avoid the late afternoon traffi
As we sprinted through the streets, the world around us blurred into a series of fading storefronts, the colors of signs and windows mixing into a strange, disjointed mosaic. My heart pounded in my chest, not just from the running but from the adrenaline still buzzing through me. Leo’s hand was clasped tightly in mine as we dodged around pedestrians, the sound of his quickened breaths matching mine. My mind was racing, replaying every moment of that confrontation with his bullies. Though, I wasn't afraid of what might happen to me but more worried about Leo and what he must be going through everyday. They were in his high school, so it wasn't a reach to think they must be bullying him everyday, about his clothes and makeup. The park finally came into view, its rusted iron entrance like a safe haven in the chaos. Without slowing down, we dashed through, the gravel crunching beneath our feet as we veered past the lake, the water shimmering in the setting sun. The thin woods on the
I didn’t want to talk about the Salvatore family with Cami. It was too depressing to have that conversation with her. I didn't want to talk to her about Alaric, or about my mother, not about Derek lying in the hospital while his sons tried to salvage the mess he unknowingly helped create.For once, I just wanted to talk about myself.And—more specifically—I wanted to talk about Caspian.“So, let me get this straight.” Cami’s voice was clear through the speaker, cutting through the quiet of my dimly lit bedroom. “You like Caspian?”I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and burying my face in my pillow for a second before lifting it again. “God, don’t say it like that. I didn't mean it like that. I meant there are things that have happened, and he has done things that made me feel weird.”“Like what? The true feeling you've been hiding for months?” She let out a breathless laugh. “Kat, this is huge. You’ve been dodging relationships for years, and now you’re telling me you have actual fee
Alaric knew something.That much was clear the moment he stepped into the dining room, his presence wrapped around the air like a noose, slowly tightening around all of us. His sharp, assessing gaze skimmed over the table, taking in our frozen postures and the lingering tension that none of us could shake off.Then, as if he hadn’t just walked into a room full of people on the brink of plotting his downfall, he smiled. A slow, knowing, chilling smile appeared to scare us. “Why does it look like someone just died?” he mused, his voice was light and easy, but there was something underneath it—something taunting, something dangerous.Nobody answered.I could feel the tension radiating from Caspian beside me, the way Lucas’s fingers tightened around his fork, and the barely restrained scoff from Dev.Alaric didn’t seem to mind the silence. He strolled forward with unhurried confidence, like a predator stepping into a den of prey. Pulling out the chair next to Leo, he sat down, completely
Dinner had never been that quiet. Not in the Salvatore house. The long dining table was filled with plates of steaming food—pasta, grilled chicken, and fresh bread—but no one seemed interested in eating. They were thinking about something, and while their hands moved mechanically I knew they wanted to know what was the important thing Caspian wanted to talk about. He told them that he had something important he wanted to share with them after the dinner. And I guess he shouldn't have shared that much information with the others before because the others were still thinking about it, trying to figure out what it might be. Ian already had a small idea, yet he could feel the tension in the room. As a result, he was very uncomfortable. I could see it in his eyes. The room was dimly lit, with the chandelier above us casting soft, golden light over the strained faces. Unlike other days, even Leo didn't fuss about the food or ask for dessert with the meal. And that's when I realise
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dried and felt like sandpaper when I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat. I wasn’t sure about my own emotions, about what to feel—relief, panic, guilt? Maybe all of them at once, or maybe none. Mom had looked at me when I was coming downstairs to help Dev with the dinner, her expression was unreadable. Yet, I knew what was going on inside her head. She must have been afraid of what kind of person wouldn't be in this situation. I asked her what happened or if she needed help with something, and she simply said, “I don’t care what happens to me. As long as you’re safe, I'm willing to do anything in the world. You might not trust me right now, but believe me, my words are true. And I'm going to show it tomorrow.” I hadn’t known how to respond when she was being that open with her thoughts. I should have said something, anything, but I didn't. I couldn't find the right words to say, and thinking about it now, I guess it wouldn't have ma
“So, when are we going to tell the other about what is going on in the family?” I asked the two brothers who still looked conflicted. “If mom confesses tomorrow, their life will be in danger too. If Alaric finds out, he will take it out on whoever he finds.” Caspian and Lucas shared a secret look but told us nothing about it. I was sitting at the kitchen island, my fingers were wrapped around the cool ceramic of my untouched water glass. While, my mind was elsewhere—spinning, twisting, trying to make sense of everything we were about to do. But worse were the fears associated with our every move. That was the reason I wasn't speaking much because I was afraid my fears and what-ifs would slip out mistakenly in normal conversations. And I knew it would only damper their mood, so I heard them instead and tried to be positive about our little mission. “She's right. At this point I think we need to tell the others,” Dev said, stirring a simmering pot of pasta sauce. “This morning t
The room was much quieter after my mom had left. It had been more than an hour since she was gone. Yet, the heavy air of her decision lingered in the room that surrounded us, entering my brain through my nostrils. I couldn't stop thinking about it because it felt like an invisible force that had a huge surprise for everyone in the house. I still wasn’t sure if I believed her—if I could afford to believe her. I didn't know where I stood with her; sometimes, I had been acting like the best daughter in the world, while other times I felt as if she was my biggest enemy. I couldn't figure out how to act around her. Even though she had agreed to confess and that was ‘something not to look over’ according to Caspian, I couldn't bring myself to trust her completely. I knew I could have trusted her more when she told Derek the truth, but I couldn't help but think it was one of her other elaborate plans. “A woman can get anything if she wants it enough... anything.” Her words from years
“My brothers are crazy,” Caspian followed after when my eyes found his. “They have done some of the wildest things on the planet, and don't even let me start with Leo. He's the definition of cringe and intrusive thoughts.” “Yeah, that I know,” I agreed with him about Leo, because he had done some of the wildest things. However, after Ian disappeared on his birthday, Leo got a little serious about the things around him. “There's a lot more.” The way he said that made me think about what he meant by it. There was an undertone of some sort that I couldn't place, but it wasn't anything positive. The way he said that, it felt darker and chilling. “Well, I'd love to know more about you brothers than,” I said, hoping he would get the hint and will talk about himself then. ‘What are you trying to do?’ My brain questioned and I stopped myself from continuing, realizing that I was flirting with him. “You got time,” he said taking a seat on my bed and looked at the famed picture of me with
The air outside was cold and comforting, just walking outside through the entrance made me feel much at loose than I had been the whole day. A soft breeze carried the faint scent of the forest that surrounded the Salvatores’ estate, and moisture that brought me relief. The sky was covered with dark clouds and looked like it was going to rain soon. I was almost waiting for the rain, hoping to see the forest come to live. I was walking beside Caspian. I could feel the tension from the meeting still sitting heavily on Caspian's shoulders. Lucas was following closely behind us, his brows were still furrowed in deep thought, while Dev walked a few steps in front of us with Matthew. As we reached the driveway, Matthew paused. His shiny black Mercedes was waiting for him, the driver was inside. Matthew turned to face us, his demeanour was as calm and professional as ever. He had the same aura around him that at the beginning, I saw around Caspian. “I’ll wait for your call,” he said, his
Caspian’s office had turned into the Salvatore family's war room over the past few weeks. It was a room that once felt intimidating—lined with tall bookshelves, mahogany furniture, dark leather chairs, and the history it contained of me and Caspian. Now, it was a place where heavy discussions were taking place, to reach decisions that could alter the family’s fate. I was sitting in the corner of the room, feeling like an intruder in their world of business and law. Yet, as I watched Lucas and Caspian argue over the papers spread across the desk, I realized I wasn’t exactly an outsider anymore. I was part of the mess, whether I liked it or not.Matthew, the Salvatores’ lawyer, sat across from me. He was calm and collected despite the storm brewing in the room, trying to hear both sides. His neatly pressed suit and calm demeanour gave him an air of professionalism that felt out of place amidst the storm of words. Dev was pacing near the window, his hands were shoved deep into his po