?Chapter 654:


    Its matted fur was thin and disheveled, revealing sharp ribs beneath, and its dull eyes brimmed with pain and helplessness. It whimpered softly, a sound so fragile it could shatter.


    An ache bloomed in my chest, as though an invisible hand had clenched tightly around my heart.


    Why was there a wolf cub here?


    I crouched down carefully and gently scooped the frail creature into my arms. “Where are you hurt?” I murmured.


    The cub stilled, sensing my concern. Its whimpers softened as it looked up at me withrge, watery eyes—two luminous gems clouded by suffering. It hesitated, and then pressed its tongue to my cheek in a gentle, desperate lick, as if pleading forfort.


    My heart ached. I held it closer. “Where’s your mother?”


    It didn’t answer, only whimpered again, its small body trembling against mine.


    I opened my mouth to say more, but suddenly, the space around me fractured. Like a mirror struck by a hammer, the void shattered into sharp, brilliant shards, each one vanishing in a burst of blinding light.


    The shock forced my eyes open, and I blinked into the darkness of my bedroom.


    For a moment, disoriented from the dream, Iy there trying to steady my breathing. Then, a hand brushed gently across my forehead.


    “Ah!” I gasped, jerking away instinctively, only to see Dominic’s face looming in the dim light.


    Seeing him reminded me of what the sex ves had said that morning, and my heart twisted with anger and betrayal. My expression turned cold. “What do you want?”


    Dominic frowned. “Why are you avoiding me? I heard you were caught in the rain. I came to check if you were sick.”


    Your next story starts here g?lnσν???s?c?m


    “I’m fine,” I said, turning away. The chill in my voice could have frozen fire. “You don’t need to bother.”


    His jaw tightened, his long fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. For a moment, his eyes softened, but a storm still brewed within them. “Are you upset about what happenedst night?”


    My heart clenched, but I kept my face neutral. “I’m just a sex ve. Why would I be upset? You’re free to sleep with whoever you want.”


    Dominic’s eyes shed with urgency, his words tumbling out. “Last night was an ident!”


    The weight of those words hit me like a blow.


    An ident? So it was true. He had slept with them.


    Whatever fragile hope I’d clung to extinguished, snuffed out like a candle in the wind. All that remained was the suffocating darkness.


    Dominic must have seen the devastation in my expression, because he hurried to exin in a low, tense voice. “After dinner, something happened. I cked out. When I woke up, a woman was in my bed—I don’t even know how she got there.”


    I stared at him, disbelief rising like bile.


    I burst into harsh, bitterughter. “You expect me to believe that? Someone drugged you—in the pce? What a convenient excuse.”


    Makenna’s POV:


    “Makenna, listen to me…”


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