Chapter 208 The Perfect Host Midas walked away from the public execution grounds, his legs heavy as if each step was weighed down by the ashes of what had just transpired. The early morning sun had risen fully, casting long shadows across the plaza, but it offered no warmth to
Chapter 207 My Love Althea could not believe she had slept so long, and no one had even bothered to wake her. Sunlight was already seeping through the window, so she tried to move, only for Gavriel’s arms to tighten around her. He was hugging her from behind, their bodies
Chapter 206 Justice Is Done The public execution grounds had not been used in years. At dawn, the vast stone plaza of the capital city was already filled with people. Nobles stood beside commoners. Warriors in full armor lined the perimeter, their grim expressions. Whispers spread through the crowd like
Chapter 278 Chapter 278 FAYE Training days used to feel different. They used to burn. 425 Pards Not just the muscles–everything else, too. Anger, fear, the constant need to prove that I belonged in a world that was always testing how much pain I could take before I broke. I
Chapter 277 ALEXANDER I stepped into the office just as Cole was ending a call. The door closed softly behind me, but he still sensed my presence immediately–he always did. He sat at the small conference table near the window, his shoulders slightly hunched, his tablet balanced in one hand
Chapter 276 Chapter 276 ALEXANDER *25 Floints. Faye’s answer hit me like a slow, steady weight. Yes. Just a single word–simple, unadorned–but the meaning behind it was anything but simple. I stood there for a moment, still holding her hand, trying to process what she had just admitted. My mind
Chapter 275 Chapter 275 ALEXANDER +25 Points I was checking my wristwatch every passing minute, wondering if I had made the right decision not to go after her. Then I felt her presence. Not the sharp spike of panic I’d been bracing myself for all afternoon. Not the hollow drop
Chapter 274 Chapter 274 FAYE The door to the kitchen creaked open just as my hand closed around the doorknob. +25 Points Patrick’s mother stepped back into the living room with a tray, her movements careful. A glass sat at the center–dark liquid that looked like wine stirred in it.
Chapter 273 Chapter 273 ALEXANDER Irene found me in the corridor just as the last of the tension began to settle. “Alex,” she said, frowning slightly. “Where’s Faye?” I stopped. +25 Points The question caught me off guard because, in my mind, Irene should have been the last person to
Chapter 272 Chapter 272 ALEXANDER I didn’t need to step outside to know what was happening. +25 Points The moment Irene’s voice rose–in that quiet way of hers–I was already on my feet, moving toward the window. I stopped just short of it, my hand braced against the glass as
Chapter 271 Chapter 271 +25 Points After Helen stepped out, the door closing softly behind her, Irene turned back to Alexander. “Alexander.” He didn’t look up. “What.” She hesitated, then said gently, “She’s still our mother. And that was her grandchild too. She’s mourning in her own way. She doesn’t
Chapter 270 Chapter 270 ALEXANDER +25 Points The pack house was quiet this morning in a way that felt unnatural, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. I sat in the office with my chair turned toward the window, my back to the desk, staring out at nothing in
Chapter 269 Chapter 269 FAYE +25 Points The drive home was quiet in a way that felt deliberate, like the silence had weight and intention. I stared out the window, watching familiar streets blur past, feeling disconnected from all of it. Alexander didn’t push. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t
Chapter 268 Chapter 268 FAYE I was standing by the window when the night finally swallowed the last trace of dusk. $25 Points: The glass was cold beneath my fingertips, grounding in a way nothing else had been since everything fell apart. Outside, the trees swayed softly, shadows folding into
Chapter 267 Chapter 267 ALEXANDER I arrived at the house just as darkness was swallowing the streets. Every instinct in me was on high alert. The faint pull of her energy hadn’t changed–it was still there, tugging at me in a way that was almost too sharp to ignore. But
Chapter 266 Chapter 266 ALEXANDER It was already late in the evening. +25 Points I stood outside the pack house with my hands shoved deep into my pockets, staring into nothing in particular. The lights inside were on, voices drifting faintly through the walls, life continuing as if the world
Chapter 265 Chapter 265 FAYE I don’t know how long I cried. Time didn’t move the way it should have. It stretched and folded in on itself, minutes dissolving into something shapeless and dull. At some point, my throat burned, and my chest ached from the force of it. I
Chapter 264 Chapter 264 FAYE I woke to the unfamiliar weight of stillness. Not the peaceful kind–the kind that pressed against my chest and made me aware, all at once, that I was not where I was supposed to be. The air smelled wrong… not home. Something herbal, earthy, faintly
Chapter 263 Chapter 40 “AM I REALLY a control freak?” I asked Macey as we watched the rest of the group dancing on the floor a few feet in front of She turned away from the dance floor and focused on me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Chapter 262 Chapter 263 ALEXANDER We parked well before the scene. Cham The road ahead was closed off. Officers moved with purpose, voices low, methodical. Too calm for what my chest felt like it was doing. The moment I stepped out of the car, my body reacted. Blood. I could