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MORNINGKAI'S POVI woke up at 6 a.m., before my alarm could even think about going off.Light grey morning rays were coming through the blinds, making long shadows in the room.The radiator was making a clicking sound in the corner, but I didn't feel cold. I couldn't. Jax's strong arm was over my waist, holding me down on the bed.It felt really strong and warm—like he had been sleeping there forever. I didn't move. I just lay there, feeling nervous as I listened to him breathe. Jax was deep in sleep, his breath slow and steady against the back of my neck. In the light of morning, he looked like a fallen god—strikingly handsome, his sharp jawline softened by sleep.He looked younger this way. The alpha guard he always wore was gone. I could see the bandages around his ribs and the butterfly strip on his jaw where he had been hurt at the track. My heart pounded in my chest. He had risked everythingfor me last night. I carefully lifted his large, hot arm, moving it an inch at a tim

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CITY HOSPITAL~KAI~He still hadn't moved.I looked at the broken phone on the floor, the call timer still running like a countdown. That voice was still coming from the speaker—calm, relaxed, and really in charge.Jax walked across the kitchen quickly. He bent down, grabbed the phone, and hung up without saying anything. He put it on the counter and looked at me.He didn't ask if I was fine. He didn't have to. He just saw the mess on my face."Get your jacket," he commanded.The drive was just gray streets and quiet.I sat in the passenger seat, holding my bag in my lap and pressing my hands on my thighs. I looked at the city go by, but I didn't really see it.Jax didn't push. He didn't fill the space with useless questions. He just drove with one hand on the wheel, his eyes locked on the road.Halfway there, my hands curled into fists. The guilt felt heavy in my chest."I didn't send the money," I whispered. My voice felt empty, like it was someone else's. "She texted me two days

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THE DRIVE BACK~KAI'S POV~Mr. Williams smiled.It was that same fake smile I'd seen since I was nineteen. It never reached his eyes. It was an act he wore so well he'd forgotten how to be human."Kai." His voice was friendly, but it felt broken off. "It's been a long time."His eyes traveled down my body, then back up. It was a slow, oily look that made my skin crawl. He didn't see me as a person; he saw me as a box to be checked. I felt like I was nineteen again, trapped and small.My heart slammed against my ribs."Yeah," I managed to say. My voice was even, but it took everything I had. "And my day just got worse seeing you."Mr. Williams' smile only widened. He didn't care what I thought. He had decided a long time ago that caring was for the weak.His eyes shifted to Jax.He looked at him for a while, thinking. I could almost see him remembering Jax's face, saving it for later. Then he looked back at me."We should catch up sometime, Kai. Don't be a stranger."He turned and w

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THE THING THAT STAYS~KAI'S POV~The smell of coffee hit me before I even opened my eyes. It was heavy and dark, a clear difference from the chilly morning air in the room.I lay there for a moment. I looked at the ceiling. It was a dull light.The heater was clicking in the corner. My body felt tired and heavy, every muscle still remembering Jax's weight from last night.Then I heard it. Movement in the kitchen.A cabinet door creaked. Someone picked up my cereal box. I heard a bowl clink.I sat up, my skin prickling.Jax was still here.I stood in the doorway and watched him. I didn't say a word. I just stood there, my breath hitching as I took him in. He was wearing the same jeans from yesterday, hung low on his hips, and one of my t-shirts that looked two sizes too small on his muscular frame.The fabric strained across his broad shoulders. His bare feet were planted on the cold tile. He was leaning against the counter, a bowl of cereal in one hand and his phone in the other.

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WHAT THE PAST COSTS~KAI'S POV~The morning after should have felt wrong.It didn't.That was the problem. I stood in my kitchen in yesterday's shirt and bare feet, watching Jax move around my space like he'd owned it for years. He knew exactly which cabinet held the mugs. He knew I took my coffee with too much sugar and almost no milk. The whole domestic ease of it was terrifying. It felt normal. It felt like a future I didn't dare to want.Jax grabbed his keys off the counter in one smooth, alpha move. He turned to me, and that striking mouth curved into a slow, unhurried smirk—the kind that knew exactly how to make my knees go soft."See you later, honey," he rasped. His morning voice was a low vibration that traveled straight to my gut.My jaw tightened. "Don't call me that."Jax leaned his head, his dark eyes tracking the pulse jumping in my neck. He leaned in, his scent—cedar and skin—filling my head until I couldn't think."But you do like it." His voice dropped to a filthy

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THE WAIT~KAI'S POV~The apartment was already spotless.I knew that. I had spent the last two hours scrubbing every surface until my hands ached. But I straightened the throw pillow anyway. I moved the remote two inches to the left, then moved it back. I stood in the middle of the room, my heart beating against my ribs, feeling like the walls were closing in on me.I walked back to the bathroom.The perfume was still sitting on the edge of the sink where I'd left it. I'd stood there for three full minutes earlier, debating whether to spray it or not.In the end, I'd sprayed it three times.I checked my reflection again. I fixed my hair, then gripped the edge of the sink, staring at my own face. I looked like a man who was losing an argument with himself.When did this start? When did Jax Carter become the reason I checked the mirror twice? I didn't have an answer, and I didn't want one.I turned off the light and went to sit on the couch.7:43 PM.Nothing. No message, no call, no

All Chapters of Puck & Ruin: Chapter 21 - Chapter 26

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