The laughter faded away and it felt like Yuki’s world shrunk to that cold room.

Yuki curled into a tight ball on the freezing floor, her thin silk robe completely soaked and clinging to her skin like a second layer of ice. The cold bit deep into her bones, turning every breath into a painful effort. It felt like she had been thrown inside a refrigerator. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably while violent shudders ran through her body. Frost had started forming on the damp fabric of her robe and across patches of exposed skin.

She tried to call out for help, her voice cracking in the darkness. "Hello? Anyone?" The words echoed weakly against the walls before dying out. No one answered.

She could not reach anyone through the mind link. Her wolf remained dormant, and she had formed no bonds with anyone in this pack. The isolation pressed down on her heavier than the cold itself. She felt throughly alone

Her teeth knocked softly as she tried to speak again, her voice barely more than a broken exhale. "Help," she whispered, but the word disappeared into the cold air like it had never existed. She tried again, forcing her throat to obey, but all that came out was a rasp that hurt more than it helped.

’ Aevia, ’ she repeated silently in her mind like a desperate prayer. She tried to connect with her sister. The only one she shared a bone with

’ Aevia, please. Please... just feel something.’ But even as she said it, reality was far cruel. Aevia was not here.

It was hopeless. Her sister was not anywhere close to the pack. At this rate, she might actually freeze to death before anyone noticed she was gone. She did not know how long she could hold on. Surely Eloise did not want her dead. This had to be a cruel punishment, nothing more.

********

Elsewhere, far from the main pack house in a luxuriously decorated room filled with soft lighting and silk sheets, Eloise lay curled up on her large bed. She had woken up claiming to feel terribly sick and had immediately called for Kieran and Kaden, saying she was scared her condition might ruin her birthday celebration that evening.

Kieran sat on the edge of the bed, his hand resting gently on her burning forehead. Warm healing energy flowed from his palm into her skin, a gift passed down from his mother’s bloodline. While all three brothers had inherited some ability to heal, Kieran had developed his gift the most. He focused quietly, channeling the power to bring her fever down.

Eloise whimpered softly, clutching Kaden’s hand tightly as she lay there. Her wavy hair spread messily across the pillows and sweat glistened on her pale skin. She looked every bit the fragile beauty, small and delicate in the large bed.

"Will I be able to get better before this evening?" she asked in a hoarse, pitiful voice. Her body trembled slightly under the covers. "I do not want to cancel my birthday."

Kaden squeezed her hand gently. "Do not say that. You will be fine before the party starts. Next time do not fall asleep in the tub." he assured her. Eloise was found asleep in her bath tub

Eloise whimpered again and nodded weakly. Kieran said nothing, continuing to work in silence.

Even as he focused on healing her, Kieran could not shake the uneasy feeling twisting in his gut. Something felt wrong, though he could not place what it was.

"Kieran," Eloise groaned, curling into a tighter ball. Her fragile movements tugged at something in his chest.

He sighed softly. "Do not worry. Your fever will break soon." He pulled his hand back slowly. Eloise lifted her head weakly.

"Thank you," she whispered in a faint voice.

"Is anything wrong?" Kaden asked, noticing the odd tone in her voice.

She shook her head and burrowed deeper into the covers. "I wish Killian was here," she admitted quietly.

The words tightened something in both brothers’ chests. Kieran offered her a small smile. "He will be here for the party. Just try to rest now."

"Please stay with me," she pleaded, her eyes glassy.

Kieran nodded. "Of course." he answered naturally.

He remained seated by the bed while Eloise snuggled closer into Kaden’s arms. Kieran watched over her, waiting for the fever to break completely. He tried to ignore the persistent unease gnawing at him, but it refused to fade.

After some time, Eloise’s breathing grew steady and she finally fell asleep. Kieran could sense her fever starting to ease.

’I want to head back,’ he told Kaden through their mind link, careful not to wake her.

Eloise stirred slightly in her sleep. Kaden met Kieran’s eyes. ’You can also feel it, can you not?’ he asked through the link.

Kieran’s expression shifted. Kaden understood immediately. ’Something is off,’ Kieran replied.

’Do you think something happened to Killian?’ Kaden asked. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Kieran shook his head. ’Killian would have reached out to us. Besides, if anything was wrong in the pack we would have been informed. We are the ones in charge while he is away.’ Kieran explained based on facts

The explanation made sense, yet the feeling lingered. Kaden’s brows furrowed. ’Maybe it is the mate bond. This is her eighteenth birthday. Even if the spring festival has not arrived yet, we should already be feeling parts of it.’

Kieran considered that. It made sense. Perhaps his unease came from Eloise being sick.

’Maybe I should head back home just to be sure,’ he replied.

’Eloise would be upset if she wakes up and does not see you,’ Kaden argued. ’What if her fever spikes again?’

Kieran sighed in resignation. ’Nothing is wrong. It is just a bad hunch.’ Kaden added but the feeling remained.

His gaze returned to Eloise’s peaceful face. He could never have imagined that his strange unease had anything to do with a blonde girl locked away in a cold, dark room where frost continued to form on her skin.

*******

Back in the cold room, Yuki’s breathing had grown slower. Each inhale felt heavier than the last, as though the air itself was becoming reluctant to enter her lungs.

Her body trembled violently now, the cold and exhaustion was bone deep. Her eyelids kept dropping even when she forced them open again.

"I am not... dying here," she whispered weakly, though the words lacked conviction..Her head lowered against her knees, and for a moment, everything blurred. The cold was no longer sharp. It was becoming distant slowly like she was fading.

Somewhere far away, she thought she heard voices. Or maybe she imagined them. It was hard to tell anymore.

Her lips parted again, barely forming a sound.

"Someone..." Then her strength slipped further, and the word never finished.

A voice called in her mind. ’ Yuki. ’ but she was too weak to answer. Her eyes closed and she collapsed on the ice floors.

***********

*****Book promotion, you can skip ******

Warning: Dark Erotic Romance

He falls first. He falls harder. And somewhere between love and obsession, he forgets the difference.

******

I never imagined my holiday would end with me bent over a kitchen counter while the last man I should ever want touched me like a sin, hidden in the dark as my best friend searched the house for me.

"You can still run, princess," Vaughn whispered against my skin, his voice low enough to ruin good decisions.

Heat crawled through me. I should have pushed him away. Instead, I tilted my chin up. "Fuck me if you dare, Vaughn."

His jaw tightened. Something dangerous flickered in his eyes. "You really don’t know when to stop," he growled.

And maybe that was the problem.

Neither did he.

*******

If a red flag were a person it would be Vaughn Draven, dangerous and charming. He is the kind of man who has everything, fame, fortune and looks. The kind of man who not only gets women on that knee but is every man’s insecurity

Vaughn could get any woman he wanted without batting an eye except for the girl who stood like an eyesore. Annika Reed, his best friend’s baby sister. The sheltered princess of the Reed family. The one girl who gags at his presence.

He hates her and can’t stand her. He knows his best friend will chop his head off if he ever thinks of her.

But why does every time she glares at him and curses his name all he can think of is how that same mouth can wrap around his cock. The more she shows her disdain the more he wants to break her and make her scream. Not in agony but pleasure, raw pleasure she can’t handle.

Annika hates him and his entitled personality. He was the one guy she would rather be a nun than stare at him for more than a second but things flip when a mistake leads to a kiss she can’t forget.

She hates him and reminds herself every second but the way his gaze burns on her like a conquest he must win makes her weak to the knees and aching. Aching for something she shouldn’t want because once the line is crossed there is no going back.

Vaughn hates her as much as he wants her.