ALAN WOODS ~Some night ago....‘‘For how long do you plan to turn me down, huh?’’ Maddison whined, stifling a scoff. “I'm never giving in to your request to start with.’’ I scowled, hoping she saw the grudging truth behind my statement through my expression.I once asked her for a drink, but she'd bluntly declined my invite and even walked me out of her bedroom that night. What makes her think I couldn't do the same?“Of course you are.’’ She shushed. “If you have nothing more important to say, you should take your leave now.’’ I stood, heading to the door to lead her out, when she stopped me. “Why are you ignoring me now? I thought we were a team?’’ Her sexy eyes regarded mine in a crazily seductive squint. I forced my gaze up to meet the door, my fists clenched hard to stop every sick thought that tried to force its way into my head. “Not anymore.’’ I made to proceed, but she stopped me again. “Just a bottle. I promise never to ask you out again.’’ It must have been just me
GIA O'LEARY The door burst open so hard I almost fell off the bed. Maddison stormed inside, her face dark and angry. She didn’t even stop to breathe before shouting at me.“Where is it?” she snapped, her eyes sharp like knives. “The herb! Tell me you didn’t lose it, Gia. Tell me you’re not that stupid!”I expected this from her, but I don’t know why my chest hurt from the way her words hit me. I opened my mouth, trying to speak, but nothing came out. My throat felt dry. I wanted to explain. I wanted to tell her I had hidden the herb safely, I was careful, I really was, but I couldn’t even open my lips. “Don’t waste time lying!” she snapped at me again. “You know what you’ve done. Do you think Levi will save you this time around?”I shook my head, tears starting to sting the back of my eyes. “I didn’t lose it. I swear I didn’t…” My voice came out weak and shaky.Redrine stepped forward with a bowed head. “Maybe it’s just misplaced, Lady Maddison. Let us look for it. Maybe….” “Shut
LEVI EDELMAN“You should punish her, Levi! She was careless! How could she let this happen?”Alan’s voice was the first thing that pulled me out of my thoughts. His words came sharp, full of fire, louder than I cared to hear.I sat still, my hands resting on my lap, my eyes fixed on nothing in particular. My chest felt tight, but anger wasn’t what filled it. I let his words sink in, but not toward Gia; my concern resides on the person who could’ve tampered with the herbs. Alan was pacing the room, shaking his head, cursing under his breath. I knew Alan well enough; once he got started, it was hard to get him to stop. But still, I can’t just sit while he lashes out at Gia. “Calm down, Alan,” I muttered. He turned to look at me, his face twisted with disbelief, like I’d just said the dumbest thing in the world.“Calm down?” he repeated. “Levi, the herbs are missing. That herb is the only thing we had left. The only thing that could slow the sickness. And you want me to calm down?”
MADDISON SNOWThe moment the words left Levi’s mouth, I felt my whole chest tighten.I stood frozen, as his voice echoed in my head. I had thought for sure….no, I had expected that he would turn all of his anger on Gia. That was the plan. I had made sure of it. I wanted her to feel small, helpless, and humiliated in front of him. I wanted to see her break.But instead… he turned it all on me.The sharpness in his voice cut deeper than any knife. I wasn’t used to seeing Levi like this with me.“You should judge this matter properly,” I told him. “The maids… they are just innocent. Gia caused everything.” I forced my voice to stay steady, though the tightness in my throat made it hard for me to speak.I could feel my heart beating wildly against my chest as I said the words.I tried to sound calm, tried to sound like I was only speaking for their sake. I wanted to sound reasonable. I wanted to sound kind. I wanted to sound innocent. But Levi wasn’t buying it. His face remained cold, sha
ALAN WOODSI wasn’t surprised when the question finally left Maddison’s lips.I had seen it building in her eyes even before she said a word. She tried to sound calm, like it was just another passing thought, but I knew her too well. I could hear the small crack in her voice, the hesitation, the way her fingers fidgeted against the side of her clothes.“If you care about Levi,” she’d said, pausing like the words tasted bitter in her mouth, “then why did you agree to steal his herbs in the first place?”I leaned my shoulder against the wall, studying her. The room had gone quiet, so quiet I could hear the clock ticking above her head. I waited for a while before answering, watching how her eyes shifted, waiting for an answer. “You don’t have to worry about that,” I said finally, my voice low and smooth. “I know Keegan can handle it. He always finds a way.”Maddison didn’t look fully convinced, but I didn’t give her more to hold onto. I pushed myself off the wall, letting out a slow si
GIA O'LEARYI paced back and forth in my room, my steps soft but restless against the cold floor. My thoughts were tangled, refusing to settle, no matter how many deep breaths I tried to take. The more I thought about it, the worse it felt.The way Alan had shut me down earlier… the sharpness in his voice, the coldness in his eyes. It tells me everything I need to know.I tried to sit on the edge of the bed, but the moment I did, my legs bounced with the need to move again. My mind wouldn’t quiet down.This is my fault.I buried my face in my hands. I should’ve kept
LEVI EDELMAN I don’t know how long I sat in the room. The walls felt like they were closing in on me, pressing against my chest, making it hard to breathe. My mind had gone too quiet, too heavy, like even my own thoughts had given up on me.I stared at nothing but feeling everything.At some point, I pushed myself up and left the room. I didn’t know where I was going. I just needed to breathe, or maybe I just needed to move, to remind myself I still could.I’d been trying not to think too much about Alan. Trying not to focus on how he always found a way to push Maddison away whenever I tried to lash out at her.I couldn’t understand it. Alan never did anything without a reason, but this time, I couldn’t figure him out.The thought stayed in my head, even as I turned the corner, heading for the door. But before I could step outside, I slowed down when I heard Keegan’s voice.I frowned, wondering what he was doing here and why he hadn’t told me.I took a step forward, and then I saw Gi
LEVI EDELMAN. The magazine in my hand had been stuck on the same page for what felt like hours. My eyes scanned the words, but nothing stayed long enough to make sense. Every line blurred together, every picture looked the same.And it’s because my mind wasn’t on the pages. It was on Gia. I leaned back against the chair, letting the magazine fall loosely onto my lap.I didn’t know why it kept replaying in my head, the way tears fall from her eyes without so much effort amazes me. And now, thinking about it, I didn’t even understand why it made me laugh.I let out a low, dry chuckle, shaking my head at myself.I rubbed a hand over my face, pressing the heel of my palm into my eyes until the sting faded.A soft knock tapped against the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.“Sir,” a voice called, I know it’s a maid so I didn’t bother to reply. “Dinner’s ready.”I didn’t answer right away. My hand dropped from my face, falling back onto the magazine, still open to the same page I had
LEVI EDELMANThe moment I saw her step outside, my breath stalled for a second.Gia walked down the steps with her chin held high, dressed so simple yet so beautiful it almost felt like the world slowed around her. The soft breeze caught strands of her hair, brushing them gently against her cheek, and for a second, I forgot about everything.All I could think about was how I’d let my temper get the best of me last night.I hadn’t meant to leave her room like that. I only wanted her to understand, but the more I tried to explain, the more it felt like I was losing her. I knew she didn’t trust Alan, and maybe I was a fool for believing she could see him the way I did.&n
GIA O’LEARYI stared at him for a moment, waiting for the joke to land. But it didn’t.When he told me he wanted Alan to be Alpha, I had laughed, not because I found it funny, but because I couldn’t believe it. The words sounded so strange coming out of his mouth, like they belonged in someone else’s world, not his.But Levi didn’t even crack a smile. His face stayed the same, calm, distant, and sure.That was when the laughter died in my throat.“You’re serious?” I asked, my voice low, searching for even the smallest hint that he was teasing.
LEVI EDELMAN I watched her face closely, the way her brows pulled together, the way her fingers twisted the loose thread of her sleeve like her thoughts were stuck in knots she couldn’t untangle.She had asked me if I thought the maid was the one behind it. If I believed the herbs had really been found just like that, without some deeper plan hiding underneath it all.I leaned back a little, stretching my legs out with a deep sigh. “It’s not the maid,” I said simply. “She was set up.”Gia’s head lifted slowly, her eyes finding mine. I could see the question in her face even before she opened her mouth.“If the maid was really the one who stole the herbs, like I have said,” I went on, “she wouldn’t have meddled with them. She would’ve left them alone and waited for someone else to find them naturally.”Her lips parted, but no words came right away. She was quiet for a while, almost like she was replaying everything in her head, fitting the pieces together, trying to make sense of it
GIA O’LEARYI couldn’t sit still.I paced back and forth across the room like a caged animal, my mind spinning faster with each step. No matter how many times I tried to make sense of it, I couldn’t. My thoughts kept chasing each other in circles.Mia found the herbs. That should’ve been good news. It should’ve been a relief. But all it did was make my stomach twist tighter. If she could find them, did that mean she wasn’t the one who took them in the first place? Or was she smart enough to return them without raising suspicion? Maybe that was her plan all along. Maybe showing them now was just her way of clearing her name.The more I thought about it, the more lost I felt. None of it added up.My chest ached from the weight of it all. Someone had to be lying. Someone had to have tampered with those herbs, which means the person’s main intention is either to tamper with Levi’s heart or trying to lay Levi’s suspicion on me. I stopped pacing for a second, standing in the middle of the
MADDISON SNOWThe moment I heard Mia’s voice say those words, my whole body jumped. My heart skipped so hard I thought it would burst through my chest.She found the herbs? How?I stood up without thinking, the chair screeching behind me, my legs moving on their own. My mind was racing too fast, trying to catch up with the shock. I clearly remembered what Alan told me before. He said the herbs were properly kept, hidden, and safe. No one should’ve found them. No one.But here we were, Mia testifying she had come across the herbs while cleaning.I turned my head slowly toward Alan, search
LEVI EDELMANI knew Alan was watching out for me. His eyes kept moving between me and Gia, but I didn’t care. Whether he was worried or not wasn’t my concern. The only thing I cared about was the way Gia sat beside me, looking like her mind wasn’t even here.Ever since we sat down for dinner, I’d noticed the way her hands kept shaking. It wasn’t much at first, just small, soft movements but the longer it went on, the more it started to bother me. I hated it. I hated the way she looked right now.I watched her pick up her fork, her fingers barely steady enough to hold it. She didn’t even lift the food to her mouth. She just stared at the plate, like she was too lost in her own thoughts to even remember where she was
GIA O'LEARY I stood there, frozen. My mind couldn’t understand what I just heard.For a moment, I couldn’t even speak. My lips parted, but no words came out. I looked at Levi, hoping maybe I had heard wrong. But his face was serious.“Is that… is that even possible?” My voice sounded small, almost like it wasn’t mine.Levi’s hand reached for mine, warm and steady. His thumb brushed lightly over my skin as he gave me a small shake of his head.“Yes, so don’t worry yourself about it,” he said. His voice was calm, but I could feel the tension under it.My stomach tightened. I lowered my eyes, feeling the guilt that had been sitting heavy on me from the start. I had caused too much trouble, more than I ever meant to. I didn’t even know how to fix it, or how things had gotten this messy. It felt like every time I tried to breathe, the weight on my chest only got heavier.“I’m sorry, Levi,” I whispered. My throat tightened as I spoke. “I really am. I didn’t want to cause any of this.”His
LEVI EDELMAN. The magazine in my hand had been stuck on the same page for what felt like hours. My eyes scanned the words, but nothing stayed long enough to make sense. Every line blurred together, every picture looked the same.And it’s because my mind wasn’t on the pages. It was on Gia. I leaned back against the chair, letting the magazine fall loosely onto my lap.I didn’t know why it kept replaying in my head, the way tears fall from her eyes without so much effort amazes me. And now, thinking about it, I didn’t even understand why it made me laugh.I let out a low, dry chuckle, shaking my head at myself.I rubbed a hand over my face, pressing the heel of my palm into my eyes until the sting faded.A soft knock tapped against the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.“Sir,” a voice called, I know it’s a maid so I didn’t bother to reply. “Dinner’s ready.”I didn’t answer right away. My hand dropped from my face, falling back onto the magazine, still open to the same page I had
LEVI EDELMAN I don’t know how long I sat in the room. The walls felt like they were closing in on me, pressing against my chest, making it hard to breathe. My mind had gone too quiet, too heavy, like even my own thoughts had given up on me.I stared at nothing but feeling everything.At some point, I pushed myself up and left the room. I didn’t know where I was going. I just needed to breathe, or maybe I just needed to move, to remind myself I still could.I’d been trying not to think too much about Alan. Trying not to focus on how he always found a way to push Maddison away whenever I tried to lash out at her.I couldn’t understand it. Alan never did anything without a reason, but this time, I couldn’t figure him out.The thought stayed in my head, even as I turned the corner, heading for the door. But before I could step outside, I slowed down when I heard Keegan’s voice.I frowned, wondering what he was doing here and why he hadn’t told me.I took a step forward, and then I saw Gi