The rain tapped relentlessly against the windows, a steady reminder that the world outside wasn’t safe.
Inside, the tension was thicker. Heavy. Suffocating. Every corner of the house seemed to hold a shadow—every creak of the floorboards a threat.
Ariana sat on the edge of the couch, knees pulled to her chest. Her fingers trembled as she traced the edge of her phone, the unknown number messages still glowing in her mind. “You should not have walked away.” “Run while you can.” “Look up.” The words had followed her from the streets to the sanctuary she thought Kael could provide.
But the sanctuary didn’t exist anymore.
Kael paced in the living room, jaw tight, eyes scanning the shadows like a predator waiting to strike. He had been tense since Adrian left—more tense than she’d ever seen
