Ella:
I was halfway through brushing my tangled hair out when my phone buzzed against the counter. I wasn’t expecting anything—maybe a meme from Kenzie or a club update—but the moment I saw his name, everything in me flipped.
Raiden.
The text preview was simple, and yet it sank teeth straight into my stomach:
Raiden: You ever disappear like that again, I’ll come find you.
And next time… I won’t let you run.
Just so we’re clear.
My breath caught. The hairbrush stilled in my hand. My body went hot, all over. Not embarrassed-hot. Not nervous-hot.
Possessed. Branded. Owned.
Even reading it in silence, I heard his voice. Low, smooth, dangerous. That voice didn’t flirt—it warned. It promised.
I sat on the edge of my bed in my oversized hoodie and stared down at the message. My heart be
