Third Person’s POV
Duskgrave Estate.
TEM
D
Finished
When Riley opened her eyes, she felt the disorientation of waking somewhere unfamiliar—until the scent of night–blooming roses and clean linen grounded her. She was in her room. Somehow, during the night, Lucien must have carried her up from the lounge.
A flush crept up her neck.
Ever since arriving at the Stormridge Pack’s stronghold, it felt like all she’d done was burden Lucien. He was an Alpha prince -untouchable, powerful, refined. And she was… a fallen daughter of the Ebonw Pack, stripped of status and shadowed by betrayal.
She wanted to repay him somehow. But what could she offer someone like Lucien Duskgrave?
Riley exhaled slowly. No more debts. Today, she’d do at least one thing for him.
After washing up, she padded down the stairs. Before entering the kitchen, she cracked the vi’s heavy front door open, allowing the fresh morning air to slip inside. If Duke or Caelum Knox arrived, she wouldn’t hear the doorbell–and she refused to miss their arrival again.
The silence of her world was different now. It wasn’t peaceful—it was hollow. Every quiet moment felt like a reminder of what had been taken from her.
So she focused on the only thing she could control: breakfast.
Outside, Carmen stood at the gates of the Duskgrave estate.
She lifted her eyes to the towering marble fa?ade, breath catching in her throat. The estate looked less like a home and more like a fortress carved from moonlight and stone–its columns thick and ancient, its walls etched with sigils of dominance and Stormridge lineage.
White roses sprawled in the front garden, their petals heavy with dew, each one as pristine and sharp–edged as cut ss. The air smelled of wildflowers, old money, and the kind of power only a royal–blooded Alpha couldmand.
Carmen had never felt smaller. But she straightened her spine.
Is Riley really okay in a ce like this<b>? </b>she wondered.
She rang the bell.
Nothing.
Frowning, she hesitated–then pushed. The door creaked open.
She stepped inside.
The estate was silent except for the distant,forting aroma of congee simmering in bone broth. Following the scent, she reached the kitchen threshold and froze.
There she <b>was</b>–Riley.
Standing before the stove, back straight, sleeves rolled up<b>, </b>quietly stirring the pot as steam curled around her like a second
skin.
Riley, Carmen called softly
No response.
Carmen stepped closer, voice rising, “Riley? It’s me–Carmen.”
3:54 PM P P.
Still nothing.
Finished
Riley stirred the congee slowly, lost in rhythm, her entire focus on the small silver pot as though nothing else in the world existed.
Carmen’s heart pounded. Something was wrong.
“RILEY!” she yelled, voice bouncing off the marble walls.
No reaction.
But Carmen didn’t miss it—her wolf felt it. The stillness in Riley was wrong. Her body moved, but her ears… did not.
Her eyes widened. Riley couldn’t hear her.
Back at the infirmary, she’d seemed fine. But now? The truth hit her like a de to the gut–Riley had gone deaf.
Her nails dug into her palms as fury surged through her chest. Maddox. Kael Vale. Theo Hale. Scarlett. The whole cursed Ebonw lineage.
What did they do to her?
Then–Riley turned.
Their eyes met.
Her gaze lit with surprise, then warmth, and her mouth curved into a soft smile. “Carmen? What are you doing here?”
That single moment, that soft voice–Carmen’s fury vanished beneath the wave of relief and affection.
She forced a bright smile. “Missed you. So I came.”
But her gaze never left Riley’s face. She studied every flicker of emotion, every twitch of the jaw, every shadow beneath her
eyes.
Riley’s expression remained gentle <b>as </b>she reached for Carmen’s hand, her touch warm and grounding. “Come sit. The congee’s almost ready.”
She turned to guide her toward the living room, but Carmen held her ground.
<b>“</b>I’ll help in the kitchen.”
Riley chuckled, a sound as soft <b>as </b>falling <b>ash</b>. “The oil and smoke–no need. I’ve got it.”
Carmen hesitated. She wasn’t entirely convinced. Riley had heard her–had responded to her. So had she imagined the earlier silence?
Trying to sound casual, she replied, “I don’t mind.”
Seeing her persistence, Riley nodded and turned back to the pot, continuing to stir gently. “Then you can fry a few eggs.”
Carmen moved to the stove silently, still watching Riley with narrowed eyes.
Something wasn’t right. Her instincts told her the truth still hid beneath that calm expression, and Riley… Riley had always been good at wearing masks.
<b>But </b>if there was one thing Carmen <b>was </b>sure of–it was that no matter what happened next, she would tear through anyone who dared to hurt the girl who once carried her books home in the rain and <b>gave </b>up everything to protect her.
The wolves of Ebonw had buried Riley once. They wouldn’t get a second chance.