It was the first time you felt alive. After being known for your father’s wealth and power, your worth always felt like a shadow. Your dad treated you like royalty, but your mother… she couldn’t handle his departure after the drug scandal. She drank her grief away, and when she did, her anger turned on you. She made you feel less than you were.

But you never let anyone know that. You did everything to keep up appearances. You were the Kook Princess, admired by everyone but understood by few. Your friends—John B., Kiara, Pope, and JJ—were the only ones who didn’t treat you like a trophy. They saw you.

Then, Rafe came. A storm of chaos and rage, just like you. You needed a distraction, and so did he. A drunken hookup, then a deal for a few hours of peace. But the deal was never simple. It turned into something deeper, something messy.

Rafe understood you in a way no one else did. The darkness, the addiction to distraction—he had it too. You weren’t just the Kook Princess anymore; you were the girl who would do anything for him. And he… he would kill for you. The violence inside of him matched your brokenness. It was a balance, and neither of you could escape it.

“You’re a mess,” Rafe said one night, his words slurred as he dragged you close. “But you’re my mess.”

“You’re a psycho,” you laughed softly, feeling the truth. “But you’re mine too.”

You never planned on dating him. But here you were, falling into his chaos, unable to pull away. Rafe’s sister, Sarah, watched with suspicion, but you didn’t care. Neither did he. You were unstoppable together, even with your demons.

One night, in his arms, you let him pull you further into his world.

“You’re mine now,” he whispered.

“I know,” you answered, letting him claim you completely.

The Pogues knew everything—the real you. They didn’t treat you differently. But with Rafe, you weren’t the Kook Princess. You were just his.