Nina The room fell silent in the wake of Tyler’s revelation. “You think I should visit your witch?” I asked, a bit taken aback. “Yes,” Tyler said, taking a step forward. “Listen, she’s helped me so much over the past few months. I think she could help you, too.” I paused, glancing at my fath
Finally breaking the silence, Enzo looked at me with a grave expression. “Nina, we should talk about... the other scenario.” I felt a knot form in my stomach. “What other scenario?” I asked, even though I knew the answer perfectly well. He hesitated, clearly choosing his words carefully. “Well,
Nina By the time I awoke the next morning, the sun was already creeping through the curtains and casting golden shafts of light across the room. Yawning, I rolled over to see that Enzo was already awake and walking around the room, packing his things back into his bag. “You’re up early,” I grumb
Nina The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Enzo’s eyes narrowed, fixed intently on the burglar who was tied to the chair. I stood close but not too close, my own wolf tingling with caution inside my head. I felt a strange mix of relief and apprehension that Matt and Luke
Nina The atmosphere in the room was still charged as we all retreated to the office, leaving the captive burglar alone but securely bound. Once the door was securely closed behind us, I felt the knot of apprehension in my stomach ease up ever so slightly. “Okay,” Enzo began, running his hand thr
“I know,” I whispered, comforted but still uneasy. “But what worries me is that if they’re ballsy enough to return despite my father’s forces, they’ve got more tricks up their sleeves than last time.” The room went silent, our thoughts too heavy for words. The weight of the unknown hung in the air
Nina An ultimatum. The word hung heavy in the air between us, like a storm cloud threatening to burst. I felt my eyes widen, my pulse racing. An ultimatum? From Enzo, of all people? “W-Why?” The word slipped out of my mouth before I could even formulate my own thoughts. “Because I need to know
“That’s all the time we have,” he retorted, not meeting my eyes. “I need to know if I have to quit my job.” “But you’re not leaving for months!" I was practically yelling now, my voice steeped in incredulity. “Why do we have to decide this right now?” “Because I need to be prepared to give the h
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied