Isla's POV
"I'm not waiting for the next war to decide who owns me. I'll decide for myself."
Kyree didn't hear me because I didn't say it out loud. I whispered it into the dark, my knees pulled against my chest. The camp was still buzzing with voices, men arguing about strategy, and bikes cooling after a long night. None of them seemed to care how I felt. Ava's voice stirred in my chest. "If I stay here, I'll be the spark that burns them all. If I run, maybe I can finally breathe."
"Then stop waiting," she answered sharply. Wolves hunt shadows, not ghosts. Be the ghost.
I clenched my jaw. I knew she was right. Kyree wanted to guard me, Logan wanted to drag me back, Drake wanted to use me and Coby… I didn't even know anymore. Every bond was a chain. Every man was preparing for war.
I couldn't wait for them to decide what to do with me. I had to move first.
Logan's POV
The war room was heavy with silence and maps. Pins marked failed raids and scars on my pride. I paced back and forth, claws itching against my palms. My men didn't meet my eyes.
"They were humiliated," I spat. "Kyree's bikers tore them apart and they came back empty. They couldn't bring her."
My father, Bruno Jasper, sat at the head of the table. His face was cold. "You sent them against a man who doesn't lose. Kyree holds her now, and you underestimate both him and her."
"She's mine," I snarled. My hand slammed down on the table hard enough to rattle the pins. "She crawls back, or I drag her through fire myself."
Bruno leaned forward, his tone low. "Careful, Logan. If you kill her, the Goddess will curse you. She will not forgive you."
I smirked. My wolf Ronan stirred inside me, claws digging at my skin. "Then I'll test the Goddess myself," I said.
Ronan's voice burned in my head. She is ours; bring her back and end all this.
I turned on my captains. "Prepare to march. I don't care if Kyree bleeds or Drake burns. She comes back to me, or nobody walks away."
Fear flickered in their eyes. They knew fighting both Kyree and Drake at once was suicide. I didn't care.
Drake's POV
The Nightshade estate hall stretched long, banners hanging from the stone walls. My envoys sat across from me, restless, while waiting for orders.
"She's worth more than a bounty," I said calmly. "But let them chase the gold. Hunger makes men desperate."
One envoy frowned. "You plan to capture her yourself?"
I set down my glass of wine. "Not just capture. Use her." My voice was steady and cold. "A mate rejected is a weapon sharpened. Logan bound her, then cast her aside. That wound will never heal, and I will be the one holding the blade."
A murmur ran down the table. I lifted my hand, silencing it.
"She is not only leverage," I said. "She is the fault line. Logan will tear himself apart trying to kill her. Kyree will fight to keep her and while they bleed each other dry, we will move in."
I gestured to one of my lieutenants. "Send the spies back into the human city and stir up more scandal. Keep the hockey star burning. If his world collapses, so will hers."
The men bowed and left. I leaned back in my chair. Logan would rage, Kyree would fight, Coby would spiral and I would take everything left behind.
Coby's POV
The press room smelled of sweat, coffee and flashing bulbs. My agent leaned down and whispered in my ear.
"Keep it short and smile. Tell them you're focused on the season. Do not lose it, Winters. Sponsors are watching."
I nodded, jaw tight. I stepped up to the table, mic in front of me and cameras buzzing.
A reporter started: "Coby, are you fit to continue this season after missing practices?" "Yes," I said flatly. "I'm here for my team. That's what matters."
Another shouted, "What about your girlfriend's meltdown last week? She went live, calling you a liar."
I clenched the mic stand but forced my voice steady. "That's personal. I'm here to talk hockey."
Then it happened. A man in the front row lifted a tablet, screen glowing.
A blurry photo filled the display. Isla, caught near the forest, hood pulled up, but unmistakable. My chest locked.
"Coby," the reporter yelled, "is this the mystery woman? Is she the reason your girlfriend's falling apart?" The room exploded. Flashes blinded me as voices overlapped.
"Is she your secret lover?" "Is she hiding with you?" "Did you cheat?"
My hand curled over the table, nails pressing deep. Bryan roared inside me. She's ours. Don't let them say her name. Don't let them drag her through this.
I couldn't breathe. My pulse pounded in my ears. "Coby, answer the question."
The mic cracked as I slammed it into the table. Reporters jumped back. My chair screeched as I shoved away and stormed out, ignoring my agent's curses behind me.
By the time I got home, the headlines were already up. "Winters Explodes at Press Conference." "Photo Leak Confirms Secret Lover?"
My phone buzzed nonstop. One notification made me stop cold. It was her, my girlfriend's live video.
Her voice shook through the speaker. "I stood by him for years. I begged him to let me in and all this time, he had someone else. He humiliated me in front of the world." She wiped her eyes. "He's a coward and I'm done."
The comments were flooding in. Half of them were cheering her, and half of them were tearing me apart. I hurled the phone across the room. The screen shattered against the wall.
At practice the next morning, I couldn't think straight. My skates hit the ice, but everything blurred. My passes went wide. My body felt like it didn't fit right.
Coach blew the whistle. "Winters, focus!" I nodded, but Bryan growled inside, clawing at my chest. You can shift now, tear them apart and protect her.
"No," I muttered under my breath, gripping the stick tighter. Sweat poured down my neck.
The puck slid past me again. I stumbled, claws pushing against my fingertips. For a split second, I felt my eyes flash gold.
Gasps from the bench. Cameras pointing. I forced myself to skate harder, head down, hiding it.
In the locker room after, I sat with my head in my hands. A teammate shoved my shoulder. "What the hell is going on with you, man? You're dragging us down. You think this is just about you?"
I looked up and he froze. My eyes still glowed faintly. My lips peeled back.
"Get out," I snarled. He backed up, pale, then bolted out of the room.
Bryan's voice rumbled: They see what you are. You can't hide it forever. Find her, or I'll do it myself. I punched the locker, metal denting under my fist.
Later, my agent slammed the door to my apartment. "Two weeks, Coby. That's it. Either you clean this up, or you're finished. Sponsors are done; the team is done. You'll lose everything."
I stared at the floor. My hands shook. He shoved a folder onto the counter. "Fix it." Then he left.
Silence pressed in. I bent down and picked up the shattered phone, and there was blood on my knuckles.
"They're leaking her photo now," I muttered. My chest burned, Bryan pacing inside me. "Then I'm done waiting. I'll find her."
Isla's POV
Kyree and Cutter were arguing again. Their voices carried across the camp. I slipped into the shadows near my tent, my bag already packed.
"Your defenses are weak," Cutter growled. "Logan's men will rip through us."
"Then let them try," Kyree snapped. "We bleed before we bow."
I pulled my hood tighter. My hands shook, but I forced them to stay steady.
Ava whispered inside. If we run, we run smart, away from borders, away from cities and away from their wars.
I took only the food I could carry, clothes stuffed into a small pack and the will to keep moving. My chest ached, but my mind was clear.
"If I disappear into a place none of them will expect," I whispered, "maybe I can survive long enough to choose my own fate."
The camp was loud and distracted. It was the only chance I'd get. I slipped past the fire, past the bikes, into the forest. Each step pulled me further from the chains.
My breath shook, but I didn't stop. I told myself, "War is closing in, but Isla vanishes." Logan sharpened his blades, Ronan snarling in his chest and ready to march. Drake sent his hunters to the borders, waiting for the right moment while
Coby drank alone in his dark apartment, phone shattered on the floor, Bryan pounding inside his ribs. Kyree stormed into my tent. His shadow fell heavy, his breath was rough, but the bed was empty and the blanket was cold.
He froze, fists clenched, rage burning in his voice. "Isla!"
But I was gone. Running into unknown territory, no map, no allies and no safety, but only my choice.
"The Goddess chained me to them all," I whispered into the trees, "but I'll break the chains myself."
When Logan with blood, Drake with cunning and Coby with desperation close in, will my escape free me, or only set the trap tighter?