Luna POVOut of the corner of my eye, I see Lilly smirking, clearly enjoying the show. “She’s tougher than I thought,” she muses, but her tone is laced with mockery. “Is she?” Dante’s eyes gleam with challenge. “We’ll see how long that lasts.” His words hang in the air as the wand is pressed against me again, harder this time, the vibrations more intense. My hips move involuntarily, chasing the sensation, but before I can even get close, he pulls it away once more. A sob escapes me—pure, raw frustration—and my body collapses in on itself. “Please,” I whisper, hating how weak I sound, but the need is too overwhelming to resist any longer. Dante tilts his head, feigning curiosity. “What was that?” My pride holds on by a thread, but my body is too far gone. “Please…” I repeat, my voice breaking. “I’ll do anything.” He grips my head pulling it back as he steps in front of me, his eyes locking onto mine. “Anything?” I nod, barely able to meet his gaze. “Yes.” A slow, wicked smile s
Dante POV I step back from her, taking a moment to just look at her body, utterly spent and exhausted. There’s a raw beauty to it, a reminder of how much she trusts me, how much she lets me push her to the edge. My chest tightens with a mix of possessiveness and something else—something deeper that I’m still trying to figure out. But this... this moment is everything. I adjust my clothes, my eyes never leaving her. She’s still trembling slightly, her body worn out from everything I’ve just done to her. There’s pride swelling in my chest—she’s mine, every part of her, and no one else will ever get to see her like this again. Stepping in front of her, I release the cuffs on her ankles, letting her legs fall free before I lift her into my arms. Her legs instinctively wrap around my waist, her head resting against my shoulder, her breath still coming in shaky gasps. I press a kiss to her lips, slow and deliberate. She gives me a small, exhausted smile, and it takes everything in me no
Dante POVCallum sighs, leaning back as if he’s been holding onto this for too long. “There’s nothing to talk about, really. Me and Sasha went out a while back, she invited me. She came back here, we slept together, and the next day when I tried to talk about it, she laughed it off like it was nothing. She acted like it didn’t even happen.” It hits me then—why would Sasha act so distant after sleeping with him? It doesn’t add up. “Anyway,” Callum continues, “I waited for her to change her mind, but she never did. She was stuck in her decision. So, I moved on. Me and Lilly have always been close, you know that. But it was never anything more. Then, one night... it just happened between us. I thought about telling Sasha, but she was still on her whole ‘nothing happened, we don’t need to talk’ bullshit. Then she comes here, sees Lilly answer the door, and loses her mind. Slapped her right across the face.” My eyes narrow as I lean forward. “You didn’t fucking tell me that,” I say, mor
Dante POV“You’re right,” Callum says after a long moment. “I’ll talk to her. I’ll figure it out. But Dante...” He meets my gaze, his eyes serious. “You need to sort out this shit with Sasha too. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her. And we can’t afford to be distracted right now.” I nod, knowing he’s right but not sure how to tackle it. “I’ll deal with it. One way or another.” Callum stands, giving me a firm nod before heading for the door. “We’ll figure this out, Dante. But right now, we’ve got work to do.” We leave and head downstairs, my focus shifting to finding someone who can replace Sasha. Wait. “Callum!” I shout, and he stops, turning to face me. “Offer Lilly Sasha’s job. I’m not sure if she’ll agree or be comfortable, but I need to fill it. See if she’d be willing to be the women’s voice.” He nods but the tension doesn’t leave his face. “Even I know she won’t, Dante. She’s not the type to confront shit. Honestly, I’d suggest offering it to Luna. I’ll ask Lilly, but i
Dante POVI turn to him. “There’s a reason Sasha’s going after Lilly like this. Think about it. We can stop her from coming here, but out there? I can’t control that. Why is she acting so crazy toward Lilly and not Luna?” It feels personal. Too personal. And it doesn’t add up. Sasha’s behavior is far from the norm. She’s always been tough, always held her own, but this…this is different. Targeted. Deliberate. Callum shakes his head, frustration clear in his voice. “I don’t know, Dante. I wish I fucking did, but I don’t. You know everything I know. Nothing I said was a lie. Sasha didn’t care until Lilly was involved.” That’s what keeps bugging me. Why is Lilly the trigger? “Let’s get upstairs and make sure everyone knows she’s not allowed back in. Make sure she doesn’t come near here again.” I push through the door, and Callum follows. My mind churns, piecing things together. But every conclusion feels incomplete, like there’s a piece missing from the puzzle. Lilly is quiet, kind—t
Luna POVI wake up feeling the warmth of Dante beside me, a smile tugging at my lips. I reach out to touch him but freeze when I notice someone else. Lilly is curled up on the other side of the bed, her face bruised and battered. I gently poke her in the side, watching as her eyes flutter open, and she sits up, rubbing her eyes with a soft laugh.“Nope, not Dante,” she teases, shrugging as if waking up with a black eye, busted lip, and cut above her eyebrow is no big deal. “Callum told me to come sleep here.”I stare at her face, guilt twisting in my gut. “I’m so sorry, Lilly. No one was supposed to get hurt.” My voice barely comes out as a whisper.Lilly waves it off, her casual shrug almost unsettling. “First of all, don’t apologize, Luna. This wasn’t on you. It was on Sasha. There were safer ways she could’ve distracted Rich. Second,” she gives a faint smile, “not all of this is from that fight.”“What do you mean? When did this happen?” I can’t even recall seeing her like this las
Luna POVShe’s quiet for a while, absorbing my words. Then she sits up, pulling her knees to her chest. “I’ll talk to Callum. I’ll...think about changing my job. Maybe dancing more wouldn’t be so bad.” She gives a small smile, the resolve building in her expression. “That’s a start,” I say, smiling back. “And as for confrontation, we can work on that. Baby steps, right?” Lilly nods, a little more sure of herself now. “Yeah. Baby steps.” I can see the shift in her, the way she’s starting to consider things differently. Lilly’s quiet strength has always been there, but it’s been buried under fear and self-doubt. Maybe now she’ll start to see that strength for herself. “Taunting Dante, telling him to do his worst? That’s my version of confrontation,” I say with a smile. “Refusing to beg—that counts too.” She rolls her eyes, her expression shifting. “But that’s different, you know? I can do it when we’re fucking or when I want him to fuck me, but other issues? Nope. I haven’t even re
Luna POVI can’t help but jump up, rushing over to scoop up Little Bear from Callum’s arms. I plop back onto the bed, cuddling the puppy. “Erm… I’m going to walk back out and come in again. Let’s try that welcome one more time,” Dante grumbles, walking out, which makes me burst into laughter. He walks back in, and I shoot him a confused look just to mess with him. “Unbelievable. The damn puppy gets a better welcome than I do,” he mutters, and everyone laughs. I move quickly, planting a kiss on his lips. “I was joking,” I say with a grin. “No, you weren’t. You ran for the puppy, not me,” he grumbles. “I’ve seen you more recently than the puppy,” I tease, and he can’t help but nod, giving in. “Okay, we need to talk,” Dante says, taking a seat beside Callum, who’s settled down as well. I glance between them nervously. “Whatever I did, I was drunk,” I joke, raising my hands in mock defense. Lilly, catching on, joins in, laughing. “Yeah, same. I was drunk too.” “Relax, you’re not i
Jace POVI already know what comes next. The aftermath. What Dale’s dad did to her. But I don’t push. Not yet.Instead, I kneel in front of her, my voice steady. “Keep going, Firefly. Tell me the rest.”Serena’s whole body tenses like a coil wound too tight, her breathing shallow and uneven. Her fingers dig into her arms, nails pressing hard enough that I think she might break the skin.“I don’t—” she starts, but her voice cracks, and she swallows hard before trying again. “I don’t know how long it lasted. Time didn’t feel real anymore.”I stay quiet, my fists clenched at my sides as I watch her struggle to force the words out.“He didn’t stop,” she whispers. “Not after Paul. Not after I was shaking so bad I couldn’t hold the gun anymore. He just kept talking to me like I was some kind of fucking pet. Telling me I did good. That I was a good girl for listening. That he’d make it all feel better.”Her shoulders shake, and I want to stop this. I want to tell her she doesn’t have to say
Jace POVWhen we get back to the clubs, I take her straight upstairs. That’s when the problem starts. I can already see it in the way she sits down, shifting restlessly, like the energy under her skin won’t settle.“Firefly, I need to work,” I explain, watching her closely.“That’s fine. I can wait for you.”I wish it were that easy. “I need to lock you back in the room.”Her head snaps up, eyes narrowing. “Are you fucking joking, Jace?”“I’m serious. You’re fine now, but that doesn’t mean in ten minutes you will be. So you either go in the room, and I lock you in where you’re safe, or you stay with me all night.”Her arms cross, her glare is sharp and challenging. “You can’t fucking force me.”She believes that? I move before she has the chance to fight back, grabbing her, lifting her as she screams and kicks. Carrying her into the room, I shove her onto the bed and move quickly, slamming the door shut and locking it before she can get back up.“Jace, please.” She pounds on the door,
Serena POVBecause this… this moment, the weight of it, the regret sinking into my bones, it’s what he was trying to avoid.I grip his shirt tightly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry.”He exhales slowly, his arms tightening around me like he’s afraid I’ll slip away. “Don’t be. I made my choice, and I don’t regret being with you.”But I regret the way it happened, I don’t say it out loud, but I know he can feel it.We stay like that for a while, wrapped up in each other, the hum of passing cars and the distant rustling of trees filling the silence between us. I don’t want to pull away, but the weight of everything I’ve just realized presses on my chest, suffocating me.I shift slightly, and he feels it, how tense I’ve become. His hand moves to my chin, tilting my face up so I have no choice but to look at him. His gaze searches mine, and I know he sees it, the guilt eating away at me.“Serena,” he says firmly, his fingers brushing my cheek, “I meant what I said. I don’t regr
Serena POVThe cold morning air bites against my skin, but I don’t care. Wrapped around Jace’s back, my arms locked tight around his waist, the world finally feels still. The roar of the bike beneath us drowns out everything, my thoughts, my doubts, the itch under my skin that hasn’t left since the withdrawals started. It’s just us, speeding through empty roads, the wind cutting through my hair, the vibration of the engine grounding me in a way nothing else has.I don’t know how long we ride. It could be minutes or hours. Time feels different out here, away from locked doors and heavy expectations. But eventually, Jace slows the bike, pulling off the road near a clearing that overlooks the water. I don’t ask where we are, I don’t need to. It’s quiet, open, and it’s enough.Jace cuts the engine, but I don’t move. My arms stay wrapped around him, my face pressed into his back, breathing him in, soaking in the moment. He shifts slightly, tilting his head toward me.“You getting off, or a
Jace POVAs the waves of pleasure slowly subside, our bodies remain tangled, our breaths uneven, heavy with the remnants of what we just shared. My fingers trace over her cheek, brushing damp strands of hair from her face, and I shift just enough to look at her. Her lips are parted, her pupils still blown wide, the aftershocks making her shudder beneath me.“How was that?” My voice is quiet, teasing, but laced with something deeper, something I’m not ready to acknowledge.A lazy, satisfied smile spreads across her lips as she blinks up at me, still lost in the haze. “Everything I wanted…” Her voice is soft, drowsy, and she buries her face against my chest, sighing in contentment.I exhale slowly, reaching up to unhook the restraints, my hands careful as I rub gentle circles over her wrists where the cuffs have left faint marks. She doesn’t move much, her body spent, boneless, completely relaxed against me.
Jace POVHer hands remain bound behind her, wrists secured in the soft leather restraints as my fingers continue their slow, deliberate exploration of her skin. Every inch of her is hypersensitive, every touch making her shudder beneath me. My lips follow the path my hands create, dragging heat in their wake as I kiss my way down her body, my tongue teasing the delicate curve of her hip. I have no concrete plan, only the intention of pushing her deeper into subspace, giving her mind the escape it craves.I bite down on the soft flesh of her inner thigh, and she gasps, her hips jerking instinctively toward me. The sound is addictive, a quiet plea wrapped in pleasure. Reaching behind her, I unfasten the restraints only to secure them above her head, forcing her arms up and keeping her open for me. Her breath is uneven, her body trembling with anticipation, and when my mouth moves lower, when my tongue strokes over her, she lets out a strangled moan that
Serena POVI hit the bag over and over, each impact sending a shockwave through my body. My breaths come in ragged gasps. I don’t even know what I’m angry at anymore, Dale, his father, Jace, myself. It all blends together in one endless scream inside my head.“Fuck you,” I hiss under my breath, but I don’t even know who I’m saying it to.Jace watches me, silent. He doesn’t try to stop me. He doesn’t try to tell me to slow down. He just lets me burn it off.When my arms shake and my legs feel weak, I finally stop. My breath is ragged, sweat clinging to my skin, and I brace myself against the bag, pressing my forehead to the cool surface.Jace steps closer, his voice quieter now. “Feel better?”I don’t answer right away. My body still feels like it’s running on high voltage, but the energy is different now. The desperation, the unbearable itch, it’s dulled.&l
Serena POVThe bedroom walls feel like they’re closing in on me, suffocating, even when Jace is there. He’s been letting me out, but only when he’s around, like he doesn’t trust me. Maybe he’s right not to. I don’t even trust myself right now.My skin crawls, my body restless, my thoughts moving too fast for me to catch. One second, I feel like I need to run, to escape, to do something—anything—but then it shifts, and I crash, exhaustion pressing me down like a weight.I hate this. I hate feeling like I’m not in control. It's been a week, I thought by now I would be fine, but I'm not.I pace back and forth across the room, my hands shaking as I rake them through my hair. Jace is sitting in the chair near the door, watching me with that same patient expression he’s had since all of this started. Like he’s waiting for me to snap.“Stop looking at me like that,&rd
Jace POVI head down the hall, my heartbeat picking up the closer I get to the room she’s in. When I push open the door, she’s still on the bed, legs crossed, fingers tugging at a loose thread on the blanket.She looks up, her expression unreadable. “Hey,” she murmurs.Stepping inside, I shut the door behind me. “You good?”She shrugs, glancing away. “I guess.”I walk closer, dropping into the chair beside the bed. “You ate?”She nods. “Rich made sure of it.”Of course, he did.Silence stretches between us, thick and weighted, until she finally speaks again. “Why are you here, Jace?”I meet her gaze, holding it steady. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”Standing, I watch her curl into herself, arms wrapped tight around her legs like she’s trying to disappear. She looks so damn small like this, so fucking frag