Novel-novel oleh Gracie.E

LilaShe never thought her story would be the kind of thing people whispered about in the cafeteria or edited into TikToks, but somehow, it was. It had been messy, dramatic, and exhausting, but it had also shown her what mattered most. What mattered wasn’t the rumors or the chaos—it was the people she’d chosen to stand with when everything settled. And with Jason at her side, she felt ready for whatever storm, whatever laughter, whatever whispers came next.JasonFor once in his life, he stopped waiting. He stopped circling. He stopped hesitating. And it paid off. Dating Lila didn’t magically erase his flaws or fix every part of who he was. He was still stubborn, still sometimes too proud, still a little too protective. But with her, he had balance. He had someone who challenged him, teased him, softened him. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t feel like he was fighting alone. With Lila, he finally felt like he was home.EthanHe never did apologize the traditional way. There

Lila’s POVThe following weekend, we all ended up at the little café off campus — the one with the mismatched chairs, fairy lights strung across the ceiling, and playlists that never seemed to make sense.It wasn’t planned. Ethan had texted Ava about getting coffee. Ava had dragged me along. Jason showed up because, well, Jason always showed up now. And Alex… well, Alex came because he didn’t want things to feel unfinished.Somehow, it felt right.We claimed the biggest table in the corner. Ethan immediately ordered enough snacks to feed a small army, sliding Ava’s favorite across to her with an exaggerated flourish.“See?” he grinned. “Brother of the year.”Ava rolled her eyes, but the way she bit into the cookie without hesitation made me smile. Their bond was stronger now. Messy, complicated, but stronger.Jason slid into the seat beside me, his hand finding mine under the table like it was the most natural thing in the world. My chest warmed.And then, of course, Alex sat across f

Jason’s POVIf someone had told me a month ago that I’d be here — sitting under the old oak tree with Lila’s head resting on my shoulder, our hands tangled together — I wouldn’t have believed them.Not because I didn’t want it, but because it felt impossible.Too much stood between us: Ethan’s chaos, Alex’s quiet longing, Ava’s silence, the shadows of the past. I thought all of it would swallow us whole before we ever had the chance.But here she was. Here we were. And for the first time, I wasn’t afraid to hold on.The campus around us buzzed with its usual energy: students passing, voices carrying, laughter echoing in the distance. But in our little corner, it was quiet. Like the world had finally stopped spinning just for us.I glanced down at her. She wasn’t looking at me. She was staring up at the leaves above, eyes thoughtful, mouth curved in a soft smile.“What?” I asked.She tilted her head, studying me for a moment before answering. “Just thinking.”“About?”“Everything,” she

The news spread faster than wildfire.I wasn’t even trying to eavesdrop—okay, maybe I was a little—but by the time I hit the quad that afternoon, I’d already overheard at least three versions of the story.Jason had asked.Lila had said yes.And just like that, the chaos I’d been spinning for weeks finally found its conclusion.I should’ve been jealous. Once upon a time, maybe I would’ve been. But instead? I just felt… happy.Happy for her. Happy for him.And maybe, selfishly, happy for myself, because it meant I could stop pretending.When I spotted her later that day, walking with Ava, her smile gave her away before Ava even nudged her with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.“Well, well, well,” I called out, sauntering toward them with my trademark grin. “If it isn’t the campus’s newest power couple. Oh wait—half of them, anyway.”Lila groaned instantly. “Don’t start.”“Start? I haven’t even begun.” I clasped a hand to my chest dramatically. “My sweet little Lila, all grown up and say

I didn’t sleep much last night. Not because I was upset, but because my heart wouldn’t stop racing. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Jason’s face again—hesitant, hopeful, raw in a way I’d never seen before. And then my own voice, steady, surprising even me: Yes. The word kept echoing in my head like it had a life of its own. Yes. For once, it wasn’t about what Ethan was scheming, or what Alex might be hiding, or even the shadows Ava carried in her eyes. It was just about me. Me and Jason. And the way something so terrifying could also feel so right. By morning, I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore. I had to tell someone. So I found Ava and a couple of the girls I trusted in the dorm lounge. Ava was curled up on the couch with her coffee, her hair still damp from a shower, while the others scrolled their phones. I hesitated at the doorway, nerves buzzing in my stomach, then blurted, “Okay, don’t freak out, but—I’m dating Jason.” Every head snapped up. Ava nearly spil

I’d told myself I wasn’t going to ask again.I’d told myself she deserved space, that pushing would only drive her further away. And for a while, I believed it. For a while, I thought maybe silence would speak louder than another confession.But silence was killing me.Every time I saw Lila smile at someone else, every time I caught her glancing at me like she wanted to say something but couldn’t, the words clawed up my throat again. Say it. Say it before it’s too late.So I did.And when she stood there in front of me, her voice soft but steady, and whispered that she liked me too—I swear the ground shifted under my feet.The first thing I felt was disbelief.She’d rejected me before. Or maybe not rejected—just left me hanging in that endless limbo of not yet, maybe later, I don’t know. And I’d convinced myself that was the same as a no.So hearing her say yes? Hearing her admit she’d been holding it in all this time?It was like trying to breathe after holding your head underwater t

The Ironfang fortress had never felt so restless. Whispers clung to its stone halls like smoke—every passing soldier, every hushed servant’s voice spoke of the same thing. Darius. The forgotten son, the shadowed brother, the one who should have been nothing but now commanded attention he had not asked for.Kieran was the loudest whisper.Darius heard it in the sly remarks that slid beneath his brother’s honeyed tongue. Heard it in the questions disguised as concern, in the laughter that came too easily when soldiers jested about shadows raising armies. Kieran had always been skilled at this game—bleeding poison without staining his own hands.And now, Garron’s name threaded through the smoke as well, spoken with sharp unease. The lord had dared feed the court’s suspicions, daring to throw Darius’s name into the fire. Darius made a mental note: Garron would need to be dealt with, but not yet.Timing was everything.The council laughed at the rumors. His father scoffed. But Kieran was n

The Ironfang stronghold was never silent. Black banners fluttered above the walls, and the clang of steel echoed in the courtyards where warriors drilled from dawn until dusk. Yet beneath the order of routine, unease rippled like an undercurrent. Servants whispered in corners, messengers carried sealed letters at odd hours, and conversations broke off the moment Darius stepped into view.Rumors had reached home.Whispers of a secret army. Whispers of thousands sworn to Darius, hidden beyond the eyes of the court. Whispers that the Alpha’s elder son was no longer merely the shadowed brother, but a force in his own right.Darius felt the weight of every look cast his way. Some were wary. Some, hopeful. All were dangerous.He kept his expression unreadable as he strode into the grand hall where his father’s council gathered. Alpha Garrison sat at the head of the table, broad-shouldered and imposing, his sharp eyes burning beneath heavy brows. Kieran stood near him, resplendent in polishe

The air in the council chamber was thick with the scent of ink, wax, and sharpened quills. Scrolls littered the long oak table, while nobles and advisors crowded the benches, their voices rising in muted conversation. For weeks, Elara had slipped quietly into these sessions, watching, listening, learning. Now, she sat straighter than ever, her blue dress modest yet commanding, her braid pulled tight. The parchment before her bore the neat lines of her own notes—an invisible armor she had forged for herself in the silence of her chambers.When her father entered, the chatter dulled at once. Alpha Thorne strode to the head of the table, his silver-streaked hair gleaming under the lantern light, his expression set in stone. Elara’s mother followed at a measured pace, her calm presence softening the edges of the room.The meeting began with routine reports—harvest tallies, trade disputes, patrol records. Elara’s quill scratched in quiet rhythm as she noted the patterns, the gaps in the re

The morning sunlight spilled into the library, slanting through high-arched windows to cast golden stripes across shelves stacked with scrolls and tomes. Elara sat hunched over a heavy volume bound in cracked leather, her fingers smudged faintly with ink. The book was older than her grandparents, its script neat but brittle, recounting centuries of treaties and betrayals.Her head throbbed with the effort of absorbing it all, yet she pressed on. If she was to sit in council beside her father, if she was to one day bear influence in Mooncrest’s fate, she needed more than instinct — she needed knowledge sharpened into a weapon.“Three councils fell in fifty years,” she murmured under her breath, tracing a finger along the faded ink. “Each toppled by overreach, each failing to keep balance between the clans…”Her quill scratched notes on the parchment beside her. Words like alliances, taxes, land disputes, succession rights filled the page. Boring, some would call it. But Elara felt a st

The sun had only just risen when the courier returned to Mooncrest. His boots were caked with dust from the long journey, his face weary, but Elara’s eyes locked on the sealed parchment in his hand. Dark wax pressed with a crest she had come to recognize too well — the Ironfang sigil.Her pulse quickened. She dismissed the servant who delivered it, bolting the chamber door behind her before sinking onto the edge of her bed. For a moment, she only stared at it, her fingers hovering just above the seal.It could be nothing. It could be everything.Her hands shook as she finally broke the wax. The parchment unfolded with a faint crackle, Darius’s strong, spare handwriting slashing across the page.Elara,I received your words. Kael’s growth honors your family — do not let him falter. As for you, keep walking boldly in those council halls. You belong there more than any of them know.I cannot say more. Not yet. But remember this — you are not forgotten.—DariusThe words were brief, calcu

The halls of Mooncrest were hushed that evening, filled with the faint hum of crickets and the distant roll of waves against the cliffs. Elara sat at her desk, a single candle flickering beside her, its wax dripping slowly down the iron holder. The room smelled faintly of ink and parchment, a familiar comfort from her childhood days of copying texts under her mother’s guidance.But this was no ordinary letter.Her hand trembled slightly as she dipped the quill, the words pressing inside her chest, demanding release.Darius, she wrote, her strokes elegant but quick, as though even the parchment might betray her secret.It feels strange, writing to you instead of hearing your voice, but the silence here makes me miss you more. The feast ended, and the castle feels empty without the Ironfang clan. Kael trains every day—he has grown so much since you last stood beside him. Your guidance changed him. He moves with strength now, with confidence. I think you would be proud.She paused, press