Third Person’s POV

To Riley, Ronan Duskcliff was like a de suspended at her throat–one wrong move and she’d bleed. Only distance could offer her bany /bsafety from a creature like him.

Ronan stared at her, his dark gaze filled with something unfamiliar–hesitation? Pity? But it vanished almost as soon as it surfaced, reced by his usual cold, ruthless indifference.

“What bare /byou so afraid of?”

He was the noble heir of bthe /bckmaw Pack, the favored Alpha heir. And now he stood torn between two women–his own sister and the girl he’d secretly cared about for three long years.

Riley should have been thest person to act wronged. And yet, there she was, cowering like a wounded pup. The worst part? He still felt something. He still cared.

He hated himself for it.

Especially bwhen /bhis sister–Tessa-was lying unconscious in a hospital bed, her life shattered.

And Riley bwas /bthe one med for it all.

Suddenly Ronan shoved her away, hard.

Caught off guard, Riley stumbled back. Her shoulder mmed into the wall, painncing through her already–injured body like wildfire. If bnot /bfor that wall, she would’ve copsedpletely.

She gritted her teeth against the agony, refusing to bmake /bba /bsound. bBut /bthe strain on her pale face, the sweat soaking her temples, betrayed her suffering

Ronan’s bhand /btwitched.

He almost reached for her.

Almost

But he stopped himself.

What was he doing? Why was he hesitating?

Seeing her in pain bmade /bsomething twist inside his chest, something he couldn’t naine–regret? bGuilt/b? Old affection refusing

to die?

Riley slowly steadied herself. Then, taking a deep bbreath/b, she turned and began to bwalk /baway.

One step. Two stepsb. /bThree

Ronan didn’t move.

Didn’t stop her.

Didn’t call her bback/bb. /b

Each step made her heart race faster, but also lighter. It felt like she was walking away from death’s grip.

But then

Riley Ronan called, his voice low–softer than she’d ever heard it. Like a breeze whispering her name.

She didn’t respond

Not because she was ignoring him–she simply didn’t hear him. After the head injury inflicted by Luna Zara, her hearing had.

+8 Pearls

worsened. Even the one good car failed her at times,

Ronan’s brows furrowed. He raised his voice. “Lucien Duskgrave isn’t someone you can handle. Don’t marry him.”

His bvoice /bwas sharp bnow/b, ringing with urgency.

Lucien–the Alpha heir of Stormridge–was a ruthless tactician, forged in blood and power. No mate of his would be spared the brutal demands of his lineage.

Riley didn’t look back.

She still didn’t hear him.

She just wanted to e escape. To get back to her room to shut the door, to breathe.

Ronan stood there, watching her limp away, each uneven step cutting deeper into his chest. The space between them felt like an uncrossable abyss, but the thought of letting her go. it burned.

He wanted to chase her.

To stop her.

But just as he took a step forward, his phone rang.

He hesitated.

Then fished it out of his pocket.

It was Tessa’s doctor.

He answered immediatelyb, /bvoice tense. “Yes?”

“bAlpha /bDuskcliff, you shoulde quickly. Your sister is showing signs of waking up.”

Joy surged through him like wildfire. He nced toward the direction Riley had goneb, /beyes lingering a second too long. There was still something there–something bthat /bhadn’t died. But it would have to wait.

He turned and ran toward Tessa’s ward, heart hammering in anticipation.

When he burst into the room, he was breathless, eyes searching. “Doctor, bhow /bis she?”

The physician gestured to the monitors. “We’re detecting active brainwaves. And her fingers have twitched multiple times. Your sister is conscious, though unable to respond physically

“She can hear me?” Ronan asked, eyes widening.

“In theory, yes. She’s bin /ba locked–in state–mind bawake/b, body unresponsive.”

Ronan sat by bthe /bbed, grasping her frail hand. “Tessa can you hear me?”

Her eyes fluttered. Her fingers curled bjust /bslightly.

He choked back a sob.

“You’ve finally responded. You bhave /bno idea how long I’ve waited–bhow /bbafraid /bI was I’d lost you forever”

ut then his joy gave way to the storm building beneath it. His gaze darkened. He leaned close to her ear, voice dropping to whisper

PL

“Tell me was it Riley who did this to you!”

Five years ago, he’d already gotten the answer. But a part of him still clung to hope. That it had been an ident. That Riley

But when Tessa’s eyes glistened with fresh tears, thest of his hope died.

“It was her?” he asked again, voice as cold as a winter wind.

Tears streamed bdown /bTessa’s cheeks, silent and steady

She wanted to screamb. /bTo tell him it wasn’t Riley. That it had been someone else.

That it bhad /bbeen Scarlett.

But she couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.

Pearls

Ronan’s jaw clenched. The pain in his chest twisted like a knife. He bhad /bbonce /bseen Riley as brilliant, bkind/b–a girl bwho’d /binade even the darkest ces feel like house,

But bhow /ball he could see was betrayal.

Still, somewhere deep inside himb, /bsomething whispered: No. Not Riley. It was someone else.

But Tessa’s silent crying drowned out that voice.

“I’ll make her pay,” bhe /bvowed through gritted teeth. “bEven /bif she’s already served five years–it’s not enough. Not for thisb. /bI will get justice for you, Tessa”

Even as the words left his lips, his heart broke.

Because part of him still didn’t want to believe it.

And part of him–deep, dangerous, defiant–still belonged to Riley.

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