Alright... let’s make this fun for all of us. 😌

Here’s how I’m rewarding you, my special readers, and the ink to my pen.

1. Hit a top ranking for a week straight → mass release of 3 Chapters.

2. Send a super gift → mass release of 5 Chapters.

Now for the real mischief, these are the rewards. Also, this is where the real chaos lies.

1. Top interactive reader in a week → gets a shoutout

2. One-time super gift → gets a Chapter dedicated to you.

3. Repeated super gifts → you start getting little spoilers + future hints.

4. Highest Golden Ticket sender of the month (20–30 range) → you get a permanent role in the book

Yes, an actual role. 😅🥹 Immortality secured.

Let’s build this story together 🤍

.......

Music Recommendation: What a time by Julia Michaels and Nails Horan.

........

Adele sniffed.

The memory shattered like glass in her head, they were fragments still clinging to her chest, cutting deep as she dragged herself back into the present.

Her breathing was wrong, too fast, too shallow and too loud.

Her fingers curled against her palm as if she could grab onto something but there was nothing. There was just the echo of his voice, his touch, and his careful hands.

Her chest heaved. Then suddenly, she stood.

The room tilted for a second, but she didn’t stop. She didn’t even think. Thinking would ruin it. Thinking would remind her of what she already knew.

She moved. She wore her shoes first, then dropped a light garment over her shoulders, covering her upper body.

Then her hand reached for the nearest candle stand.

Adele inhaled deeply. Then exhaled slowly, forcing her heartbeat into something manageable.

Her face shifted. She was certain for the first time ever. Her feet moved before doubt could catch up.

She kept moving the lines she thought she’d never cross.

The corridors were quiet when she stepped out. Her guards stood by with maids walking all around.

Her grip tightened slightly around the candle stand as her body moved with purpose, even if her mind hadn’t fully caught up yet.

She didn’t question why she was going to him. She didn’t question what she expected to find. She just walked, refusing to back down.

When she finally got to Torak’s wing, the guards weren’t there.

Her feet stopped right in front of his door, and for a moment, everything went still. Her heartbeat, her breath, and her thoughts all went still.

Then, her lips curled up into a beautiful certain smile.

She knocked once. Then, she didn’t wait as her hand pushed the door open and she walked in.

When she walked in, the sight before her shocked her, and it was enough to destroy her world, but her world didn’t shatter immediately.

Her world slowed. Her body refused to understand what her eyes were seeing.

Torak.

Torak was on the bed with three women around him. They were all naked. All three women had their hands around his body, as he kissed one on the chest, and trailed the kiss downwards in a sitting position.

Adele let out a soft sound that didn’t belong in her chest but somehow found their way there anyway.

Her vision blurred, and her fingers loosened. The candle stand slipped, and hit the floor with a loud thud.

Everything stopped at once.

Torak’s head snapped up. The women froze, but continued again when they saw Adele before them. They barely acknowledged her.

Torak’s eyes met hers.

He blinked, unsure if she was real.

"Adele—"

Her heart skipped three times when he called her name. Then, her heart shattered all over again, breaking without restraint.

Her heart broke quietly.

Torak moved immediately. "Stop." He ordered.

The word was sharp, cutting through the room as he pushed the women away from him without hesitation.

They scattered quickly, confused, and annoyed, but they obeyed.

He grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist as he got off the bed in one swift movement.

"Adele, wait—"

However, she was already turning, and already moving towards the door. Then, she was gone.

The corridor felt colder when she stepped out of his room. Adele walked fast as she tried hard to stand. Her vision blurred more at the edges.

Behind her, footsteps followed behind her, desperate. "Adele!" Torak called.

He caught up to her before she reached the turn. His hand wrapped around her wrist, firm and desperate.

She stopped slowly, then turned.

Her face was calm when she turned. Too calm that it hit him harder than anything else. Adele forcefully swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Adele..." His voice dropped, careful so no one would hear. He would never risk her image. "I—"

"I don’t remember asking you to speak." Her voice cut through his, flat and cold. She sounded as detached as she could.

Torak paused. His whole body paused, because that wasn’t what he had expected. That wasn’t her.

She tilted her head slightly, studying him like he was distant, and something irrelevant.

"What are you apologizing for?" she parted her lips, and the question landed softly but slid through him like a blade.

Torak exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. "This isn’t—"

"Necessary?" she finished for him. Her lips curved slightly, into a detached smile. "I agree."

Adele pulled her wrist from his grip, effortlessly.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, her tune more detached.

Torak frowned. "What?"

"Aire." Her tone didn’t change. "What did you find?"

He stared at her for a second longer than he should have. He was trying to read her, and trying to understand where she had gone.

She wasn’t here, not really.

"Nothing," he said finally. The word came out quieter than he had expected.

She nodded. "Then speak faster next time." Her eyes flicked past him, and back toward his room.

The door still stood open, and the shadows inside still moved. They were still waiting.

"You don’t want those women waiting."

Torak scoffed. But there was no humor in it. If anything, mild pain was attached to his scoff.

He ran a hand through his hair again, shaking his head slowly like he was trying to clear his head from things that wouldn’t leave.

"Damn you, Adele." His voice cracked slightly. He looked at her, holding back a lot as his lips and chin trembled.

"Damn you." He repeated, softer this time. "Damn you."

He turned away from her, and walked away fast. Staying any longer would do something irreversible. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He slammed the door hard behind him.

Adele flinched at the sound. The sound echoed through the corridor, and through her chest.

She didn’t stay.

Her body shifted mid-step. Her bones cracked, and her skin stretched as black fur burst through her pale skin as her wolf took over in a violent, desperate escape.

She ran as fast as her leg could carry. She ran through corridors, through shadows, and through everything she didn’t want to feel.

She ran at the speed of a lightening, until she got to her room. She slipped inside just before shifting back.

Her body collapsed into itself as she returned to human form. The transition was rough, ungraceful, and painful.

The door slammed behind her.

Adele stood there, now barefoot, and barely breathing. Then, her hands moved, slowly and instinctively wrapping around her stomach.

Her back hit the door, and she slid down slowly until she was on the floor.

Her fingers curled tighter against herself. Her forehead dropped forward, and her breath shook.

What she felt for him was never small. It was never casual, and never something she could control. Yet, he wasn’t her mate.

He couldn’t be her mate.

Of course, he couldn’t. This makes sense.

"Why did I think I was different?" she asked herself. "I would never be anyone’s first choice."

She let out a broken, quiet sound and finally, her tears fell. And this time, she didn’t stop them.