Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1665

Chapter 1665: Chapter 1665

It pulsed like a drumbeat, rising and rising until all of them felt it. Jude came moments after, his body convulsing, his hands buried in her hair. The moment their release merged, the moss glowed so brightly they all had to close their eyes.

And then silence.

Golden dust drifted lazily in the air, settling on skin, on hair, on lips.

Sophie lay limp against Jude’s chest, her breath ragged, her mouth curled in disbelief. "I didn’t know," she whispered.

"I did," Lucy said, brushing a kiss over her shoulder. "That’s why we waited."

Around them, the others drew in close, bodies tangled in reverence, not chaos. Zoey kissed Sophie’s temple. Natalie wrapped arms around her waist. Emma slid down beside Jude and kissed his shoulder, her lips lingering. Grace curled against Sophie’s legs, and Susan gently stroked her hair.

The spiral didn’t fade. It pulsed gently, steady, satisfied.

Sophie touched her chest. "I feel it."

Stella spoke softly from behind her. "You’re part of us now. All the way."

"I always was," Sophie said, her voice thick. "I just didn’t trust it."

"You do now," Rose murmured, leaning in to kiss her softly. "And that’s all that matters."

Jude lay back, pulling Sophie and Lucy against him. Zoey curled against his other side. The rest settled close, forming a warm nest of bodies, breath, and shared heartbeat.

For a long time, no one moved.

The moon rose.

And then it happened again.

A sound in the trees. Not a threat, not a voice, but a new tone - higher than the previous one, soft and melodic, like the whisper of bells in the distance.

They all sat up slowly, heads turning toward the forest.

"What is it?" Emma whispered.

Jude listened. He felt it inside him - this was different from the spiral’s call. It was... outside. Something beyond the sanctuary.

"It’s a visitor," Rose said softly, her eyes narrowing.

Scarlet sat up straighter. "Another?"

Sophie grabbed Jude’s arm. "You said the spiral was ours. That it chose us."

"It did," he said. "But now it’s opened."

Lucy stood, her golden hair falling like silk over her shoulders. "The door is no longer closed."

Susan whispered, "Then someone else has found the way."

They rose together, dressing in silence. The wrap of vines around hips, the golden bands around arms, the kiss of moss underfoot. Jude strapped Zoey’s blade across his back and took Lucy’s hand. Together, they walked toward the sound, the others flanking them.

The forest parted.

And there, at the edge of the clearing, stood a figure.

Not a woman.

A man.

Naked. Breathless. Glowing faintly.

His eyes wide.

And behind him... others.

Four women.

All of them glowing.

All of them looking at Jude.

The man stepped forward. "Are you... the heart?"

Jude stepped forward. "Who are you?"

"We found the spiral," the man said, voice trembling. "We followed the light."

Rose whispered, "The second wave."

Sophie gripped Jude’s arm tighter.

The man lowered his head in reverence. "Can you help us begin?"

Jude looked at his wives.

And they all nodded.

"Yes," he said. "We’ll show you how."

Jude stepped forward, the moss beneath his feet responding to each movement like a living heartbeat. The man before him - tall, lean, eyes wide with reverence - stood still, surrounded by four women whose bodies shimmered with the faint dusting of golden pollen. Their presence was startling not because of fear, but because it was impossible. They had been alone. Chosen. The first. And yet here was another spiral.

The man lowered himself to one knee, bowing his head. "We didn’t mean to intrude."

"You didn’t," Jude said, voice calm but edged with awe. "The island called you."

Rose moved beside him, her gaze sharp but curious. "How did you get here?"

The woman nearest the kneeling man spoke. Her voice was soft, lilting, but laced with something ancient. "We followed the dream. It started as whispers. Then visions. Then we woke... not where we’d been."

Lucy circled around them slowly, studying the way the light clung to their skin. "You crossed over. Like we did."

Another of the women nodded. "We were lovers... in the old world. But not free. Not true. Then the island found us."

Sophie stood close behind Jude, her arms crossed but her expression thoughtful. "And now you’re here."

Jude stepped closer, his voice steady but kind. "What are your names?"

The man raised his head. "Elias."

The women stepped forward one by one.

"Cora."

"Mae."

"Imani."

"Delilah."

Rose’s brows lifted slightly. "Four and one."

Grace whispered, "Like us."

Emma’s hand reached instinctively for Stella’s. "What does it mean?"

Jude took a slow breath. "It means we’re not the only beginning."

The spiral behind them pulsed again, the moss glowing brighter, as though reacting to the new arrivals. The air shifted subtly. Not with alarm - but invitation.

Natalie moved beside Jude. "If they were called, they must be meant."

"I felt them before I saw them," Jude said quietly. "Not as strangers. As echoes."

Alara’s words whispered in his mind: You are the root. But roots branch.

Elias looked at him, eyes full of wonder. "What do we do?"

Jude turned toward his circle, his family. Rose nodded first, then Lucy. Sophie stepped closer, and her fingers curled around Jude’s. Scarlet, glowing more with each day, offered a smile.

"You learn," Jude said.

Zoey’s voice rang firm. "You follow."

"And you love," Stella added.

Delilah stepped forward. "Can we... stay with you?"

Jude looked back at the sanctuary, at the golden glow that now pulsed like a beacon from the spiral, then at the circle of women who had built it with him. "Yes. But understand - this isn’t a place. It’s a becoming."

Elias nodded. "We’re ready."

Rose extended her hand to Mae, who took it slowly, reverently. Lucy offered hers to Imani, and Grace stepped forward to greet Cora. The moment their hands met, the golden glow intensified. The spiral opened wider, not just physically but spiritually.