SEBASTIAN’S POV
Rain lashed the windshield, the wipers battling a deluge as I gripped the steering wheel, my Mustang roaring through Novella’s darkened streets. Isabella sat beside me, her seatbelt snug, her breathing soft, her presence a quiet storm in my chest. Maximus prowled, his growls low, my senses intoxicated by her scent—jasmine and rain, mixed with the faint tang of her fear. I stole glances, my eyes tracing her bruised lip, her red hair damp against her cheek, her vulnerability a knife in my gut.
Her story by the lake—her parents’ cruelty, her brothers’ lies, the basement she called a room—burned in my mind, fueling a rage I barely contained. I wanted to find them, rip them apart, make them pay for every tear she’d shed. But why? Why did I care this much? My mission was the M
