Prologue #2
As the hours count down toward my sleepover with Reign—and the inevitable reunion with the guys for the first time since being with Rowen—a nervous flutter stirs in my stomach.
It’s not fear, exactly. Just... anticipation laced with uncertainty.
They’ve all kept their distance, sending sweet brief texts here and there, never prying or hinting at what happened.
Either Rowen’s kept it to himself, or they’re giving me space.
Honestly, knowing them, it could be both.
Rowen and I agreed we’d see each other this weekend, technically through my overnight with his sister.
And while I know Reign’s been supportive—hell, she practically shoved us all together—there’s still something nerve-wracking about walking into her room lit up like a damn firecracker, practically humming with leftover energy from the way Rowen made me feel.
Part of me wishes the giddiness would ease up before I arrive, just long enough to keep her from zeroing in on me with one look and calling it out.
Not that I want to hide it from her. I just don’t know how to explain that kind of closeness.
.. that kind of intimacy... to someone who’s grown up beside us, watching all our tangled friendships unfold.
Still, I shake it off and pack my overnight bag like it’s any other weekend, like nothing’s changed—even though everything has.
When I get to the house, it’s the cook who answers the door, not one of the guys. The flicker of disappointment that tugs at me is ridiculous, but I feel it anyway. I mask it with a polite smile, say thank you, and head inside.
This weekend is about Reign. About us. We’ve both needed time—just the two of us—and I’m determined to show up fully, no matter what emotions are still clinging to my skin like Rowen’s touch.
I reach Reign’s room just as dinner is being set up, the scent of something warm and savory hitting me like a hug I didn’t know I needed. My stomach growls right on cue—loud, proud, and without an ounce of shame. If food had a love language, this would be mine.
From inside, Reign’s voice cuts through the air, full of amusement. “Get your ass in here, Berk. I’d recognize that walk anywhere.”
I laugh under my breath and step inside, the weight on my shoulders easing the second I lay eyes on her.
She’s sprawled cross-legged on her bed, already dishing out food like she’s been starving.
The sight of her, the normalcy of it, the comfort—we could be fourteen again, hiding from the world and eating carbs in her room like it’s a sacred ritual.
And just like that, I know I made the right call coming here.
Even with my emotions still tangled and buzzing under my skin, being here with Reign feels like catching my breath after holding it too long. She’s not just my best friend—she’s the anchor that steadies me when everything else feels like it’s spinning out of control.
Of course, none of that means I’ll be able to keep anything from her. Especially not the truth stamped all over my face—the way my cheeks flush when she looks at me too long, the dazed grin I’m probably still wearing from Rowen.
Yeah... she’s definitely about to unravel every last secret I’ve tried—and failed—to keep hidden.
“Berkley!” Reign hollers, snapping me out of my daze. “I’ve missed you! Come eat before I devour your portion too.”
Giggling, I let her enthusiasm pull me in like a tide. “We saw each other yesterday.”
She narrows her eyes with a knowing smirk, practically radiating big-sister energy. “Yeah, but you’ve been ghosting me for the guys.”
I open my mouth to defend myself, but she lifts a hand sharply, cutting me off. “Don’t even start. That dreamy, love-struck expression plastered all over your face? It perfectly matches the one Rowen had when he came home. I’m assuming things are moving along nicely.”
Heat rushes across my cheeks, and I bite my lip as I nod at the question she doesn’t say out loud. “Yeah. This week has been incredible. They’ve treated me like I’m royalty.”
Her features soften, shifting into something warm and supportive. “And Rowen?” she asks, gentle and knowing without pushing.
I swallow, my voice quiet but steady. “Rowen and I… things went further than just talking last night.”
“Holy. Freaking. Shit. YES!” Reign explodes off the bed, practically catapulting herself at me. She wraps me in a hug that lifts my feet off the floor. “You finally did it! Goodbye, V-card! Don’t mess this up—we are officially one giant step closer to being real sisters.”
Her laughter is loud and chaotic, echoing through the room, and I can’t help laughing with her.
I grin, catching my breath. “When are you planning to lose yours? You said you were thinking about it with Dylan.”
The words are barely out of my mouth before her expression shifts. Just like that, the air changes. Her smile falters, eyes going distant—haunted.
My stomach drops. “Reign?” I step closer, voice softer. “What’s wrong?”
The question pulls her back like a rubber band snapping tight.
Just a second ago, she seemed a million miles away.
Her smile returns, but it doesn’t reach her eyes—like something inside her is still off-kilter.
“Actually... that’s something we have in common.
I lost mine a few weeks ago. I was just trying to find the right time to tell you. ”
Her eyes dart away as she says it, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her hoodie. I know that look. It’s the one she wears when she’s saying one thing and feeling another.
Still, I don’t push. Not tonight.
Instead, we shift gears like we always do. Dinner turns into snacking on the floor, gossiping about school, and laughing over the latest ridiculous TikTok dance. The choreography is way harder than it looks, and we keep bumping into each other and laughing until our stomachs hurt.
Whatever shadows were creeping behind her eyes fade into the background.
“Time out. I need another drink,” I laugh, breathless and flopping onto the edge of Reign’s bed.
I grab a water bottle from the nightstand, but the lid refuses to budge.
“Why is this so hard?” Giggling again, the sound bubbles out with little reason.
“Help, I can’t open this. I’m too weak.” I hand it over to Reign like it weighs a hundred pounds.
She takes it but pauses, staring at me, then the bottle. Her eyes widen dramatically as if she’s just putting a puzzle together. “Okay, wait—where are the guys? I thought they’d be here by now.”
I glance at the clock, squinting to bring the blurry numbers into focus. “Rowen said they’d be here before dinner,” I murmur, my voice softer than I expect. My bottom lip juts out in an involuntary pout. I hate how much I miss them right now.
A lazy, knowing smile creeps across Reign’s face. “You are so gone for them, it’s actually disgusting.”
I should laugh, but I don’t get the chance. Her expression suddenly sobers as she shakes her head, blinking hard like she’s trying to clear a fog. “Berk,” she says more urgently, her voice sharper now. “Listen to me.”
When I look at her, her face zooms in, then out again—like I’m looking through a camera that won’t focus. “Whoa,” I whisper, blinking heavily, but it only makes it worse. There’s a weight settling over my shoulders, pressing down through my chest.
Something’s off.
Very off.
“Listen to me!” Reign slaps me—hard, enough to jolt me, but I don’t feel the sting. The sudden movement snaps my blurry vision into something resembling focus.
“Shit’s about to go down,” she hisses, her voice trembling even as her eyes blaze. The words make no sense, but the panic in her expression cuts through the haze in my mind. My limbs feel heavy, like they’re sinking in wet cement, but the fear in her eye’s spikes adrenaline sharp through the fog.
Tears spill freely down her cheeks. “They’ve come for me a few times now.
.. and it always starts with drugs.” Her voice breaks on the last word, her whole body shaking as she grabs my face, forcing me to look at her.
“They promised that if I stayed silent—if I didn’t fight back—they’d leave you alone.
They promised, Berk!” She whirls, glaring at every shadow in the room as if someone might step out of it.
Her breathing turns ragged. “But they lied. I should’ve known they would. ”
A knock slams against the door.
It echoes—booms—through the room like a cannon blast.
For a fleeting second, my heart leaps, thinking it’s the guys. Relief surges up my chest—until I see Reign’s face.
The color drains from her face. Her whole body stiffens. Pure horror twists her features.
“Reign?” My voice is barely a whisper, the words like cotton on my tongue, thick and slow. “What’s going on? Who is that?”
But deep down... a sickening image is already clawing its way to the surface.
That first attempt to speak comes out as a broken sob before she clears her throat, voice shaking. “My dad... some of his work friends... Uncle Bryce... they’ve been hurting me for a while.”
“Reign... are you saying what I think you’re saying?” My voice cracks, sharp and panicked, another spike of adrenaline slicing through the haze clouding my mind. Her words replay like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.
She’s dropped to her knees, rocking slightly, whispering “no” again and again like a prayer that’s going unanswered.
“We need to get out of here. We have to tell someone—I’ll call my dad or the guys.”
Another knock pounds against the door—harder this time, less patient. I lunge for my phone, fingers fumbling, heart pounding, every second screaming that we’re running out of time.
“Come on. Come on,” I chant under my breath, fighting to steady my trembling hands as I fumble with the phone. My fingers feel like rubber—useless, numb, barely responding as I tap the screen. Ronan’s last message is still open—a kissy meme that now feels like it’s from another lifetime.
I try to type HELP, but my fingers betray me, hitting random letters instead.