LOGINFifteen hours.
Fifteen long, painful hours had passed since Doris and Blade disappeared, and every second felt heavier than the last.The unknown caller had gone silent, leaving us with nothing but a dead-end trail. We had scoured every lead, but Lucious remained a ghost, and the origin of that mysterious number was buried under layers of untraceable digital encryption.The tracking teams returned one after another with no results.The unknown number hadn’t sent another messag~ Jason ~“What are you talking about, sweetheart?” Mom said.She immediately stood up from her seat at the head of the table and walked over to where Kiara was kneeling on the floor. Mom reached down, gently took Kiara by the arms, and lifted her up. She used her thumbs to tenderly wipe away the tears from Kiara's cheeks.“Sweetheart, to us, you are not a traitor’s child,” Mom said gently, her voice overflowing with warmth. “You are Jason’s girlfriend, Jasmine’s best friend, and from this day forward, a part of this family. So please… never call yourself that awful name again, okay?”She pulled Kiara into a tight, loving embrace.For a moment, Kiara simply stood there, too overwhelmed to move.Then her trembling body relaxed against Mom’s shoulder, and she clung to her as fresh tears slipped quietly down her cheeks.She nodded softly, finally letting out a shaky breath she felt she had been holding for years.“The only way you could ever make up for your father’s sins,” Dad said gent
~ Kiara ~A dull ache throbbed behind my forehead as I slowly opened my eyes.For a few seconds, I simply stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me, trying to remember how I had gotten there.Where am I? This wasn’t my room.The walls were painted a soft cream color, and I was tucked beneath a thick, warm blanket.Panic began to creep into my chest.The last thing I remembered was leaving the bar with Jasmine…Before I could sit up, something heavy suddenly landed across my waist. Someone’s leg.I gasped and turned my head. Jasmine was sprawled out beside me, her hair a wild, messy nest across the pillows.Jasmine’s room, I realized. Then, like a crashing wave, the terrifying memories of last night came rushing back into my mind. “Oh, Moon Goddess!” I gasped, bolting upright in bed.My sudden movement startled Jasmine.She jerked awake, blinked at me in confusion, then let out a sleepy yawn as she stretched her arms above her head.“Well… good morning to you too,” she mumbled, her vo
“We cannot allow Roman’s child into our family,” Dad said at last, his Alpha voice leaving no room for argument.A sharp pain ripped through my chest, stealing the air from my lungs.It felt as though my entire world had just collapsed.“But, Dad, how can you judge Kiara for something her parents did?” I shouted, my voice cracking as tears filled my eyes.“She hasn’t done anything wrong!”I took a shaky step forward, unable to hold back my emotions any longer.“Her only crime was being born into that family, and that isn’t her fault!” I yelled. “She never chose her parents. She never chose their past. So why does she have to keep paying for their mistakes?”Mom stepped forward, her eyes filled with sadness as she looked at me.“Jason,” she said, her voice gentle as if she were trying to calm me down, “you’re still young.”She paused before continuing.“You’ll find someone else. The Mating Ceremony is only a few days away. Perhaps that’s where you’ll find your true mate… the one the Mo
~ Jason ~“Jason, you need to come over here immediately!”Marcus’s voice exploded through the phone speaker.I straightened slightly, a bad feeling settling in my stomach.“What happened?” I asked, my voice turning serious. “Tell me.”“Jasmine and I followed Kiara after she was thrown away from her house,” Marcus said quickly, his voice tight with worry. “Right now, both of them are inside a local bar and they’re drunk.”I shot up from my seat so fast my chair scraped violently across the floor and fell backward.“What do you mean you let that happen?” I snapped. “Send me the location. Now. I’m on my way.”I ended the call without waiting for a reply.For hours, I had been trying to reach Kiara. Her phone was off. No calls. No messages.Guilt hit me like a punch to the chest.I should have gone after her. I should have stopped avoiding her at school.Instead, I left her alone when she needed me the most.I’m so sorry, Kiara, I thought miserably. Please… don’t hate me.There was no ti
I walked down the dark sidewalk with no idea where I was going.The box behind me bumped and rattled over the cracked pavement. My mind was completely blank.I didn’t know where to go and I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.I felt so alone.Slowly, I looked up at the night sky. The moon shone brightly above me.I closed my eyes and whispered a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess, placing my future in her hands.Only she knew what was waiting for me now.Suddenly, a strange sound made my ears twitch. It sounded like footsteps on the gravel behind me. My heart skipped a beat. I stopped walking and quickly turned around, scanning the dark street.Nothing. The sidewalk was empty and not a single person was there.I let out a shaky breath and forced myself to keep walking.Maybe I’m just imagining things. I whispered, trying to calm myself.I forced my feet to keep moving, but the uneasy feeling refused to go away. It felt as though someone was watching me. Like a pair of cold eyes w
“Uncle Felix… it’s okay,” I said.I walked over to him and gently took his hand.“You’ve taken care of me for ten years. You gave me a home when I had nowhere else to go. You loved me like your own for so long.”A tear rolled down my cheek.“So if that love has to end here…” My voice broke. “I understand.”I forced a small, heartbreaking smile.“I’ll leave.”“Kiara, what are you talking about?” Uncle Felix asked, his voice trembling. “You have nowhere else to go. This is your home. You’re not leaving.”“No, Uncle,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I can’t be the reason your marriage and your family fall apart.”I swallowed the lump in my throat.“Do you remember when you wanted to enroll me in school for the first time? Aunt Sonia and Kendra made such a fuss because I was going to use your name.”A sad smile crossed my face.“So you gave me your father’s name instead. That’s how I became Kiara Brandon.”I looked down, tears slipping onto the floor.“You’ve already done more for me than
The moment we reached the car park, Jasmine yanked her wrist out of my grip, her face twisted with anger.Without another word, we got into the car.“You don’t have the right to tell me what to do!” she snapped, crossing her arms and staring out the passenger window. “I’m an adult, for crying out l
The ceremony hadn’t even begun yet, and my body already felt like it had been dragged through dust.“Doris, hurry up with ironing my dress!”Veronica’s sharp, impatient voice echoed through the house.It hadn’t even been five minutes since she’d dumped the dress on my hands, yet she’d
CHAPTER 2I ran without knowing where I was going. I only knew I couldn’t stay there anymore, and leaving was the only thing in my head.And guess what?Nobody called after me.Nobody came running.Instead, they laughed.They fucking laughed at me.It would’ve been bet
~ Doris ~Today is the mating ritual, I was still cleaning the room of my twin stepsisters, Vanessa and Veronica, as always. My knees hurt from kneeling on the floor.I scrubbed at a stain on Vanessa’s floor until my fingers burned, but it didn’t come off. I scrubbed harder.They turned eighteen







