Romans de Cherish

Nicole’s POVThe office was silent, broken by the sound of my racing heart. Silence. That was the first thing that hit me after Mason said those words. Not relief, not gratitude, just a heavy, suffocating silence sitting in my chest. I should feel relief, excitement, anything. But I didn’t. I stared at him because I didn’t know what else to do. My brain refused to catch up. My wolf shifted anxiously under my skin, pushing forward like it wanted to get closer to him—stupid, reckless thing.Mason stood there, with an expression I couldn’t read but his eyes—they burned with fierce determination and something else, something I didn’t want to name.“I meant what I said,” he added quietly, like the room wasn’t already spinning for me. “I’m not giving you up. Not to Serena. Not to anyone.”My jaw tightened. “You’re insane.”His brow arched slightly. “Possibly.”“You’re talking about provoking Serena,” I snapped. “You’re talking about war. Blood. Wolves dying. Packs burning. And you’re sa

Nicole's POV I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to be safe, warm, breathing without fear while my pack was in shambles, my best friend was gone, and Talia crumbled under a weight she never deserved. The room Mason had assigned me was too quiet, too peaceful. It made the guilt louder. I sat by the window, elbows on my knees, staring at a world that kept moving as if mine hadn't shattered. Wolves trained in the courtyard below. Warriors sparred, laughed, and lived. Laughed. Lived. Meanwhile, I couldn't even investigate properly. Couldn't save Cassian. Couldn't ease Talia's pain. Useless. My chest tightened again—the same ache that had started since everything fell apart. I heard rapidly approaching footsteps, and the door burst open before I could move. "Mason wants you," a warrior panted. "Now. It's... Alpha Serena." My blood ran cold. Of course, it was. The moment I finally stood, the air already felt heavier. Like war had arrived wearing heels and a crown.

Talia's POV I was both intrigued and disinterested. "Huh," I muttered, pretending to go back to my book. What book was this again? "You felt it earlier, didn't you?" She asked. Her tone wasn't casual anymore. I glanced up slowly. "Felt what?" "That ripple," she said, her voice dropping lower... like she was saying something forbidden. "Like magic." My grip tightened around the book. The air shifted between us—heavy again, but this time it was deliberate. Like she'd intentionally entered forbidden territory just to get a reaction. Now thinking about it, her aura was off… almost incomplete. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lied. Her red eyes held mine—unblinking, unimpressed. A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "You're terrible at lying." I stiffened. She leaned back in her chair with an air of lazy royalty, crossing her legs and resting her chin on the back of her knuckles as she studied me—like a puzzle she fully intended to solve. "Magic leaves fingerprints," s

Talia's POVNicole grabbed me before I could do anything stupid.Mason didn't even flinch—just slammed the door shut like I wasn't a second away from tearing him apart. My fists curled so tight my knuckles ached. I forced myself to breathe, slow and controlled, even though everything inside me screamed to attack."Let go," I exhaled when I finally trusted myself enough to speak.Nicole hesitated, then released me."You need to control yourself," he warned, studying me like I was something dangerous. Maybe I was. "What were you going to do to him?"I didn't answer.Because I didn't know.What had I been about to do?‘Kill him,’ my wolf snarled darkly.A shiver crawled down my spine."Your powers... they're stronger," Nicole continued quietly. "And harder to control."I sank onto the edge of the bed, exhaustion weighing on me. "My emotions are everywhere," I muttered. "Whatever this power is, it feeds on them. Responds to them. And it drains my energy every single time."Nicole frowned,

Talia’s POV It’s been three days since I ran from my pack. Three days since the council erased me like I never existed. I stare at my reflection in the mirror, waiting to see… something. A crack, a change, proof that I’m different now. But I look the same—just tired. Bone-deep tired. The kind of tired that sleep doesn’t heal. ‘I miss my mate,’ my wolf whispered, her voice raw and small. My chest tightened. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. If I think about him too long, I’ll break again—and I don’t have time to fall apart anymore. Three days. That’s all I gave myself to rest, to breathe, to grieve the life that was stolen from me, to grieve the man that was stolen from me. Now, it’s time to move. If I’m going to take back my place as Luna—my place beside him—then I need to understand what’s inside me. My power. The thing the council fears. I’ve watched it, I’ve felt it. It always demands something from me. Last time, I’d completely lost consciousness. It drains my energy. And now

Nicole’s POV I watched the sun rise slowly over the horizon, watched the darkness fade away, watched the first speck of snow drift down and melt into nothing. Through it all, only one thought remained on my mind. Cassian was gone. Her voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to her. She was sitting upright, hair still matted, clothes still worn, eyes puffy and hollow. She didn’t get any sleep. She’d spent majority of the night tossing restlessly and mumbling her mate’s name. “You look…” I hesitated, because no word fit. “…awake, at least.” She cracked a smile—or tried to. And failed. “Did you get any sleep?” she asked quietly. “Ready to talk about it?” I countered, because the questions stacking in my chest were too heavy to ignore. Her shoulders sagged. That tiny movement hurt more than anything she could have said. And she told me everything. Cassian forgetting her. Being locked away. The trial. The council’s manipulation. Mrs. Alanna. Alpha Black. Her mother

The forest had swallowed us whole.For three days, Amaya and I had moved through the trees like shadows, bruised and starving, every step a battle against the ache in our bones. The fire that had gutted the hall was long behind us, but the scent of smoke still clung to my hair, my skin, my memories. I could feel it every time I closed my eyes.We hadn't stopped long enough to rest properly. Sleep came in fits, stolen in hollows and shallow caves, broken by the crack of branches or the distant cry of wolves. Hunger gnawed at us, but worse than that was the silence, Ciro's silence. That empty place where my bond had once burned was a wound that no amount of running could heal.By the third day, my legs moved on will alone. My body screamed to give up, but Amaya was relentless. She pulled me forward with the same iron grip she'd had that night, refusing to let me collapse into the dirt."Jas," she whispered as we trudged along a narrow path littered with pine needles. Her voice was hoars

The night smelled of smoke and blood.My lungs burned with every breath as Amaya and I stumbled through the trees, the glow of fire behind us staining the sky red. The hall was gone, swallowed by the destruction I'd unleashed, but I could still hear the chaos, the howls, the screams, the furious cries of those who'd survived.And they would come for us.Branches whipped against my face as I ran, but my legs were heavy, my body barely holding itself together. Amaya was beside me, her arm looped under mine, dragging more than guiding. She was bruised, battered, bleeding from her temple, but her grip was iron."Don't stop," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Not yet. Keep moving."I wanted to tell her I couldn't. That my ribs felt like they'd been shattered, that my heart was ripping itself apart with every beat. But I couldn't form the words. My mouth was dry, my throat raw, my chest tight.And worse, my mark was gone.I reached for it again, like I had a hundred times since Duncan sho

They didn't even bother to speak to me when they came. Just a group of maids, their eyes hollow, their grips iron. They stripped me out of the rags I'd been left in and shoved me into a gown, long, white, mocking purity. My body screamed with every tug of fabric against my bruises, but I bit down on the pain and stayed silent.The dress wasn't for me, work for me. It was for him.When they were done, they wrenched my arms behind my back, rope biting into my wrists. Two of them dragged me through the corridors. The air reeked of smoke and sweat, of fear, and something darker that made my skin crawl.They threw open the doors to a vast hall. The hall was brightly lit with a huge chandelier. The room was filled with wolves, rogues, council defectors, faces twisted with eagerness to watch. And at the centre, on a dais like a king, sat Duncan.He smiled when he saw me.The crowd quieted as I was shoved forward, stumbling until I dropped to my knees before him. My wrists burned against the

The door opened, and I didn't even have the strength to turn. My body ached, my ribs screamed with every breath, and my mind was still unraveling from Duncan's poisonous words.Then I heard a laugh, sharp and cold. It twisted my insides. Tilda.She strolled inside as though she owned the place, her heels clicking against the floor in a deliberate rhythm. She took her time, circling me like a predator toying with prey."Look at you," she sneered. "The great Luna curled up like a beaten dog. I almost pity you." She crouched, her face inches from mine, her eyes gleaming with cruel delight. "Almost."I finally raised my head, slowly, intentionally. My face was swollen, my lips split from biting back the tears, but I forced the corners of my mouth into the faintest smile. "Is this what you do to feel important? Kick around the broken?"Her smirk faltered, just for a second.I leaned into it. "Duncan keeps you around because you're useful, not because you matter. You're a tool, Tilda. Not

"Ciro?" My voice was barely a whisper, my throat closing around the name. He didn't stir.Isabella shook him harder, her hands trembling. "Wake up! Damn it, Ciro, wake up!" Her sobs cracked through the air, raw and jagged, the sound of someone breaking. Tears streaked her cheeks as she pressed her forehead to his chest, her cries echoing down the hall.I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. My body felt like stone, rooted to the floor, staring at the sight that shouldn't—couldn't—be real. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it would split open."What... what happened?" I whispered, but no one heard me. Or maybe no one cared to answer."Jasmine!"Amaya's voice cut through the haze, sharp and urgent. Suddenly she was there, grabbing my arm, yanking me back from the nightmare. "We have to go—now!"I stumbled after her, numb, my feet barely keeping up as she dragged me through the corridors. The walls blurred, Isabella's cries still ringing in my ears, carved into my bones."No

The room suddenly became stiff, small, almost closing in on me. Time slowed down drastically and my breathing became heavier.I felt it, being yanked out of my body suddenly and thrown towards the door. I shut my eyes, expecting to collide with the door but instead, I heard... sobs?My eyes flew open automatically, a sudden breeze hitting me. I wasn't in my room anymore.I was outside, where I had left them.Ciro was there, collapsed on the ground, his body limp, his face pale. My chest caved at the sight, the air torn from my lungs. Isabella was beside him, cradling his head, her sobs cutting through the silence like jagged glass.What?"No” The word ripped out of me, raw and desperate. I lurched forward, every instinct screaming to reach him, to touch him, to stop this, whatever it was. But my feet wouldn't move fast enough, like the air had thickened into water, dragging me back.The grass beneath me blurred, Isabella's sobs echoing, repeating, as if the world itself had narrowed t