Josie
I placed a sleepy Thorne on the bed and tucked the blanket around him. His soft breaths evened out almost imdiately, but mine didn’t. My head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache that made every thought heavier than it should have been. I pressed my fingers against my temple and exhaled shakily.
What was I going to do with him?
One mont, Thorne was warm, protective, almost tender. The next, he was cold and distant, like I was nothing but a burden he regretted carrying. His hot and cold tendencies were driving insane. I didn’t know if I could keep living with this uncertainty much longer, this constant whiplash of emotions that left drained to the bone.
I slipped quietly out of the room, needing air, needing space—sothing that wasn’t suffocating . But when I reached the landing at the stairs, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
Liam was leaning casually against the railing, grinning at like he had been waiting all along.
"Holy—" I gasped, clutching my chest. "What are you doing here? You almost gave a heart attack!"
His grin widened, infuriatingly calm. "Looking for you."
I blinked at him, still trying to get my pulse under control. "Looking for ? Why?"
"Well," he said, pushing off the railing, "I figured instead of making you search everywhere, I’d make it easy and just show up."
My brows furrowed. "And how did you even know I’d be looking for you?"
He shrugged, his tone maddeningly light. "Because I’m your teacher. And, in case you’ve forgotten, I’m also part of the goddess community. We tend to know things."
I narrowed my eyes at him, but my exhaustion drowned out any sharp reply I might’ve had. "I... I just need to take a walk," I muttered, brushing past him.
"Then I’ll join you."
I opened my mouth to refuse, but his expression softened—not mocking, not smug—just steady. Sohow, that was harder to resist than his usual arrogance. I sighed, giving in.
The night air was cooler than I expected. My nerves frayed as we walked in silence at first, the sound of our footsteps on the gravel path the only thing between us. Anxiety coiled in my stomach until it finally spilled over.
"It’s Michelle," I blurted. "I want her gone. I don’t care how—I just want her far away from my family. By any ans necessary."
Liam stopped walking, his easy grin replaced by sothing serious. "Josie... calm down."
"Calm down?" My voice shook with frustration. "She’s back! She’s back and she’s already circling, like so vulture waiting to tear everything apart again. What do you expect to do, Liam? Just let her? She’ll destroy everything I’ve worked for, everything I love!"
He studied carefully, his gaze steady and unflinching. "If you hurt her—if you actually take that path—you’ll be no different from her."
I froze, my nails digging into my palms. "Then what am I supposed to do?" My voice cracked. "She’s pregnant, Liam. She’s carrying a child and already claiming it belongs to Kiel. How do I fight that? Tell !"
"By letting her create her own downfall," Liam said firmly. "You don’t need to dirty your hands. People like her—people who thrive on chaos—they dig their own graves. Let her build the trap. But you..." His voice softened. "You need evidence. Evidence that proves Kiel isn’t the father of that child."
His words lingered in my head long after our walk ended.
The next morning, I stepped outside with Kiel, hoping to distract myself in the garden. The air slled of damp earth and flowers, but my peace shattered the mont I saw Varen already there.
My stomach dropped.
"Let’s go sowhere else," I whispered quickly to Kiel, tugging at his arm.
But Varen had already heard . He turned, his expression unreadable as he started toward us.
I frowned, my body stiff. The sheer audacity of him unsettled —the way these brothers seed to think they could do anything, say anything, and I’d just accept it after everything they had done to .
"Josie," Varen said as he reached us. "Can I have a bit of your ti?"
I crossed my arms tightly. "No. I’d rather spend my ti with Kiel. We were just leaving."
Varen’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t back away. "I know you love Kiel. But I’m also your mate."
The words made my blood boil. I bit back the sharp retort rising in my throat, forcing myself to breathe. "You’re not my mate. Not anymore. I don’t want you, Varen."
But before I could walk away, Kiel touched my arm.
"Josie," he said gently, "maybe you should talk to him. I have work to do in the office anyway."
I turned to him in disbelief. "Kiel, no. You don’t have to—"
"Please," he cut off, his eyes steady but kind. "Just... promise you’ll listen to him. With an open heart."
An open heart.
How could he ask that when mine was still scarred, still bleeding from everything Varen had done? And yet, the maturity in Kiel’s voice startled . He wasn’t the boy who used to lash out recklessly. He had grown. He had changed.
Varen, however... Varen was still the sa storm I didn’t want to be swept into.
When Kiel left, I turned on my heel to go, but Varen moved in front of , blocking my path.
"Move," I snapped.
"No."
We circled each other, my attempts to get away t with his relentless persistence. Minutes dragged on, a silent ga of cat and mouse neither of us was willing to lose.
And then, when my frustration hit its peak, he grabbed .
His arms pulled flush against him, his hold firm, almost desperate.
I froze.
Heat surged through , flooding my veins, pooling low in my body until I hated myself for the way I reacted. My breath ca out in short, uneven pants as fire burned through my skin, betraying .
"Josie," Varen whispered, his voice rough, raw. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being such a jerk. I was jealous—so jealous—watching Kiel move forward with you while I was stuck... stuck in the sa place."
I clenched my fists against his chest, torn between shoving him away and clinging to him. "You said our marriage would be a mistake. You made feel like I was selfish for even wanting more."
His eyes darkened with regret. "I only said that because I was insecure. Because I was terrified of losing you before I even had you. I wanted you, Josie. I still want you. As much as I want to breathe."
My chest tightened painfully, my heart warring with my mind.
He lowered his head, his breath ghosting against my ear. "I want you beneath , Josie. I want to make you mine. Not out of pride. Not out of anger. But because I can’t live with this emptiness anymore."
My resolve trembled, my body betraying with every rapid heartbeat. I hated him for it, hated myself more for responding.
And yet, the truth was undeniable.
Varen wanted .
And in that mont, I couldn’t decide if I hated him for admitting it—or hated myself for the way my body ached to believe him.
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