Page 78 of Vows of Ruin

Morning creeps in soft and gray. The mansion always sounds different after a mission, quiet but alive, like it’s catching its own breath. Liam’s arm is draped heavy across my waist, Max sprawled half over the blanket, hair curling slightly at the edges. For the first time in weeks, they both look peaceful.

I slide out from between them carefully, bare feet silent against the floorboards. Hugo lifts his head from the corner, tail thumping once before he stretches and pads after me.

“Come on, boy,” I whisper. “Let’s not wake the kings of chaos.”

He follows, nails clicking softly as we head downstairs. The kitchen smells faintly of coffee grounds and gun oil, the scent of home. I grind a new batch, letting the hum of the machine fill the silence. The first cup is mine, black and bitter. I take a sip, grimace, and immediately reach for the sugar.

The morning air outside is crisp, damp with a promise of rain. I sit on the front steps, mug in one hand, Hugo curling up at my feet. The trees surrounding the mansion look to be half-asleep. For once, I let myself be still.

The front door creaks open behind me. Heavy footsteps. Riot’s.

He doesn’t speak at first, just drops beside me with a sigh that sounds like a curse. “Are you ever going to learn to rest?”

“Probably not.” I smirk.

He studies me for a long moment, jaw tight. The calm I fought to hold slips a little. “What happened?”

Riot rubs a hand over his face. “Elias got a ping on the encrypted net, Sebastian’s ghost code. He used it to broadcast a new drop point.”

“That’s impossible. We locked those channels months ago.”

“Yeah. And somehow he’s still in them.”

My stomach knots. “What’s the message?”

Riot pulls a folded printout from his pocket and hands it over. The paper’s smudged, still warm from the printer. In the center, between strings of corrupted data, five words cut through clean and clear:

The vows were never yours.

I stare at the words until they blur. The coffee goes cold in my hand.

“Elias traced the signal,” Riot says quietly. “It originated from inside Northwyck. Less than ten miles from here.”

The world tilts, just a little. Hugo, sensing the shift in mood, growls low in his throat.

“He’s not reaching out,” I say, more to myself than to Riot. “He’s circling.”

Riot nods. “And he wants us to know it.”

The words burn even after I stop reading them. The vows were never yours. I fold the paper once, twice, before looking back at Riot. My fingers don’t shake, but the rest of me wants to.

“Keep it quiet for now,” I say. “Until we know what it means.”

Riot studies me, trying to read something on my face. He won’t find it. I’m too tired to show it. “Wrenley—”

“I’ll wake them. Get Elias to lock the mansion and the club down.”

He nods once. The door closes behind me with a dull thud that echoes down the hall. The air inside is heavy, the way it always gets before bad news. Hugo stays close at my heel, low growl still humming in his chest as I climb the stairs.

Liam and Max are still where I left them, tangled in sheets and morning light. The kind of sight that should’ve felt safe. It doesn’t anymore. I stand at the edge of the bed, watching them breathe. It’s a dangerous thing, loving people who don’t get to keep peace.

“Little warrior?” Liam’s voice is rough from sleep. He blinks up at me, eyes narrowing the moment he sees my expression. “What happened?”

“Riot and Elias caught something on the net.” My voice is steady, but only because it has to be. “Sebastian’s back in the system.”

Max sits up instantly, rubbing a hand over his face. “How bad?”

“He sent a message.” I pause. “He said… the vows were never ours.”