ELLA.

I tossed my phone to the side, letting it land somewhere on the bed as I finally allowed my body to relax.

For the first time that night, a faint sense of calm settled over me. The tension in my shoulders eased slightly as I lay back, staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take over and pull me away from everything that had been happening.

Slowly... my eyes began to close and just as sleep started to claim me...It came.

I saw myself.

Struggling.

Everything felt too real, too vivid, like I wasn’t dreaming at all but reliving something that had already happened. My body twisted against an unseen force as someone stood behind me, their grip tight, unyielding.

A cloth pressed over my nose.

The scent sharp, suffocating and toxic.

I fought against it, my hands flailing desperately as panic surged through me. My vision blurred, my strength fading faster than I could comprehend.

No...I couldn’t give in.

With the last bit of strength I had left, I threw something forward— it was a small object, and it slipped from my hand and flew into the distance.

A crest moon pin.

After that, darkness seemed to have swallowed me while as the scent consumed me completely.

My eyes snapped open.

I gasped sharply, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I sat up, my entire body trembling. Everything felt too real, too detailed to be just a dream.

Panic gripped me instantly.

Without thinking, I threw the covers aside and rushed out of the room. I didn’t even know where I was going, my feet moved on their own, driven by a strange urgency I couldn’t explain.

My heart pounded loudly in my ears as I moved through the quiet hallway.

A faint light caught my attention.

I stopped briefly before instinct took over, and I followed it. Step by step, I moved closer until I found myself standing in front of a study.

I hesitated—maybe I should turn back but before I could, something pulled me. It was not physically but it felt like it, but it was more like an unseen force guiding me forward.

And before I knew it, I was inside. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

I froze.

Piercing grey eyes met mine instantly.

Leonard.

He stood there, calm, composed, dressed in a simple black polo and grey joggers. Yet somehow, even in that simplicity, he looked... breathtaking.

My gaze lingered longer than it should have, drifting unintentionally to his Adam’s apple before I quickly caught myself.

"Why were you sneaking around, Theresa?" he asked.

His voice snapped me back to reality.

"I wasn’t," I replied quickly, averting my gaze as my heart continued to race. "I had a nightmare."

The change in him was immediate.

The coldness in his expression melted away as he stepped closer, his hand finding my waist before pulling me gently toward him.

Before I could react...My head rested against his chest.

"Was it that scary?" he asked softly. Then after a brief pause, "Do you want me to stay with you?"

The moment stilled.

And somehow, It felt too familiar yet, I didn’t understand it.

My heart beat faster than it should, my thoughts tangled between what I should*

do and what I strangely wanted.

Logically, I knew I should pull away. Yes, create a distance and tell him there was no need but another part of me...didn’t want to move at all, as It felt safe and comforting, more like I had been there before.

Like I had missed it.

What exactly is wrong with me?

The question echoed in my mind as I finally forced myself to move, pulling away from him gently as logic took over once again.

But the instant I looked back at him, his expression changed.

The softness that had been there moments ago vanished completely, replaced by something darker, something intense that made my breath catch in my throat.

"Theresa, why did you pull away?" he asked, his voice lower now, edged with something I couldn’t quite place as he took a step closer.

"You have always wanted to be in my arms."

My heart skipped.

I swallowed hard, instinctively taking a small step back, trying to steady myself under the weight of his gaze.

"Leonard, I really do not understand what you are talking about," I said, my voice quieter than I intended. "But I’m so sorry I disturbed you... I will be heading to my room now."

I didn’t wait for a response.

I turned quickly, hoping to leave before things escalated further, before whatever was building in the air could pull me back in again.

But I didn’t make it far.

His hand came around my waist in an instant, pulling me back against him with a force that stole the breath from my lungs. Before I could react, he turned me around and pushed me backward until my back met the desk.

My heart pounded wildly.

"Leonard—"

I didn’t get to finish.

His lips crashed onto mine, cutting me off completely.

The kiss was sudden, forceful, leaving no room for hesitation. My hands pressed against his chest instinctively as I tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.

Instead, he bit down lightly on my lower lip.

A sharp, unfamiliar sensation shot through me, making my breath hitch as something strange stirred within me, something I couldn’t control or understand.

"You have always wanted this, Theresa," he said as he pulled back slightly, his eyes locked onto mine. "Now I’m giving it to you... and you want to resist?"

What...?

My thoughts spun, confusion and disbelief clashing within me.

What exactly was wrong with these three brothers?

It was almost as if they had planned this, like I was something to be passed between them, something they could claim whenever they wanted.

"I—"

Again, I didn’t get to finish.

He captured my lips once more, deeper this time, more consuming, as though he was determined to leave no space for resistance. My body tensed under his hold, my thoughts scattering as everything became overwhelming.

And then, his hand moved, lifting my thigh slightly, pulling me closer.

A soft, involuntary gasp escaped me, my fingers gripping onto him as a strange, unfamiliar sensation coursed through me. It was too much, too sudden, too intense...even my wolf stirred, restless, pressing forward as if begging to take control.

No...I couldn’t let that happen.

But before anything could go further...

The door burst open as the sound echoed sharply through the room.

Both of us froze.

A familiar figure stood at the entrance.

And instantly, the color drained from my face.