LOGINZara's POVI pushed open the door to Kora’s room with more force than necessary, the wood creaking loudly in the quiet hallway. My head still throbbed from where she had hit me the night before, a constant, dull reminder of how close I had come to dying. But I couldn’t sit in that bed any longer, waiting for answers that wouldn’t come. I needed to know what Kora was up to. Anything — a note, a letter, a scrap of clothing with a scent — that would tell me exactly what she was planning. Who that man on the beach had been. And most importantly, who the Shadow Wolf was. That secret was the key to saving Ike, and I wasn’t going to let Kora keep it from me.The room was eerily neat, the bed made with military precision, the air still carrying a faint trace of her perfume, something sweet and cloying that turned my stomach. I moved quickly, my coat swirling around my legs as I searched the drawers, the nightstand, even under the mattress. My hands trembled slightly, not from fear but from th
Kali's POVI woke up with a banging headache that felt like someone was hammering nails directly into my skull. The pain was so intense that a low growl escaped my throat before I could stop it. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, trying desperately to get my vision to refocus as blinding lights flooded my eyes, making everything spin in nauseating circles. My head throbbed with every heartbeat, a relentless rhythm that made it hard to think straight. Where was I? What had happened? The last thing I remembered was leaving Zara’s room, the weight of her disappointment still heavy on my chest, and then… nothing. Just darkness.Slowly, the whistling in my ears, that high pitched, disorienting ring, began to fade. Voices started filtering in, at first muffled and distorted, but gradually becoming clearer. Two voices. One was unmistakably Kora’s, sharp and venomous. The other was a man’s, deep and rough, like gravel under boots.I didn’t dare move. My body felt heavy, my limbs weak, but I for
Zara's POVI growled in annoyance, the sound rumbling low in my throat, only to immediately wince as a sharp, vicious thud slammed through my skull. The pain radiated from the spot where Kora had hit me, pulsing like a living heartbeat that refused to be ignored. I pressed my fingers against my temple, breathing through the wave of dizziness that followed. That treacherous bitch. She had dragged me into the water like I was nothing, left me to drown, and now I was paying for it with every movement."Fucking Kora," I cursed under my breath, the words venomous and raw. Once all this was over, I will make sure she pays dearly for this.But I couldn’t waste time wallowing. I decided right then that I didn’t even need Kali’s help to leave this room. I wasn’t a prisoner here. I was Zara — the woman who had survived Ike leaving me, who had built a bakery from nothing, who had almost bound herself to a liar like Isaac. If anyone tried to stop me from walking out of here, I would put them in
**Kali's POV**I woke up that morning to the gentle tweeting of birds outside my window and the soft, golden light filtering through the curtains. For a brief, peaceful moment, everything felt almost normal. I smiled to myself, stretching lazily beneath the warm blankets, my body still humming with the memories of the past few nights. Emmett hadn’t come to bed last night, something about the chaos with Zara, but every other night he had been here, he had shown me pleasures I hadn’t even known existed. I closed my eyes briefly, letting one particularly vivid memory wash over me. His hands on my skin, rough yet careful. The way his mouth had traced paths that left me trembling and gasping. The deep, commanding way he had taken control, making me feel wanted, desired, and safe all at once. My skin tingled deliciously just thinking about it, heat pooling low in my belly. I pressed my thighs together, savoring the sensation for a few more seconds before reality crept back in.I hadn’t wan
**Zara's POV**Isaac’s words hit like a slap. “How hypocritical of you, Zara, don’t you think?”The breakfast tray trembled in his hands, the single flower in the vase looking ridiculous now — a cheap prop in the middle of this nightmare. I was still holding Ike, his body heavy against mine after the pain had wracked through him. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. The room felt too small, the air thick with rage and betrayal.I gently eased Ike back, but he didn’t let go of my hand. His grip was iron.I lifted my chin and looked Isaac dead in the eye. “I broke things off with you last night,” I said, my voice shaking at first but growing stronger with every word. “In the woods. I saw you, Isaac. I saw everything. You and Ben. The way you kissed him like you’d been starving for it. The way you told me I could keep fucking Ike on the side as long as I went through with the mating so you could get your precious company. You were using me this whole time. I was never you
Zara's POVI opened my eyes slowly, the soft morning light filtering through the heavy curtains of the guest room. My body felt like it had been pulled apart and stitched back together with rough thread — every breath ached, and my head throbbed with a dull, persistent pain. But the first thing I noticed wasn’t the discomfort. It was him.Ike was slumped in the armchair beside my bed, his upper body leaning forward so that his head rested on the edge of the mattress near my hand. His face was turned toward me, brows furrowed even in sleep, dark circles carved deep beneath his eyes. His breathing was shallow, uneven. My heart squeezed painfully inside my chest, a sharp, bittersweet ache that stole the air from my lungs.When I had been sinking beneath those dark, freezing waves last night, certain that death had finally claimed me, the only thought that had replayed in my head like a broken prayer was that I was never going to see Ike again. Not his crooked smile, not the intensity in
Kali’s POV My heart hadn’t stopped pounding since Zara left my room. Every thump echoed in my ears like a war drum, each beat a reminder that I was living on borrowed time. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the faint shimmer of light bleeding in through the curtains, my hands trembling in m
Zara's POV The late afternoon sun bathed the training grounds in soft golden lights as I stepped onto the field, balancing a small box of cupcakes in my hands. The scent of sugar and vanilla drifted up, mingling with the earthy smell of dust and sweat from the sparring soldiers. My eyes swept t
Emmett's POV "Fucking hell!" I raked my fingers through my hair. "I know," Ike said. "They will be here by noon." The moment Ike had walked through the door saying he wanted to see me, I knew immediately it was news that I wouldn't like to hear. I was right. "I had tried to postpone it
Kali's POV If this was a trap, I most definitely wasn't going to fall for it. Zara reached out and took both my hands in hers. "I know Ike can be a bully. And he told me everything, so there is absolutely no need to pretend to be aloof. But if that is how you want to play it, it's completely fine







