Novels by Goodness Steve Emanah

Thorne“We’re all playing roles anyway.” that line hits like a curse wrapped in charm. Classic Tristan, one second he’s grinning like an idiot.Serena laughs too quickly. I feel it in my chest. She’s still watching him and I know that look. I’ve worn it myself.The fire crackles. No one says anything for a beat too long. Sylvaine picks at her nails. Kaelion throws a stick into the fire and watches it burn like it wronged him. Tristan leans back on his elbows, eyes half-lidded, like none of this is serious. Serena’s still pretending nothing happened. She has gotten really good at pretending.“I’m heading in,” I say, standing. No one argues.Serena glances up at me, eyes searching, but I don’t give her anything. I walk into the cabin and shut the door behind me.I sit on the bottom bunk and stare at the floor.There’s a lump in my throat I can’t swallow. Not because I’m angry, but because I finally let myself want this. I want her, even though I know it'll not end well especially for

Serena.The moon is too bright. It hangs low like it knows what I am, what we all are, and it’s daring us to pretend we’re normal.It has been weeks since we've moved and if I'm being honest, we've been good at pretending. Waking up with alarms instead of instincts. Drinking coffee. Saying “thank you” and “have a nice day” like our teeth weren’t made for tearing.But tonight, everything itches. My bones feel like they’re expanding, like my body remembers what it’s like to shift. My throat’s dry. I hear every sound, the moth’s wings against the window, the twitch of Kaelion’s tail, the creak of Sylvaine stretching upstairs.Thorne is already outside, shirtless again. He claims it’s to “absorb moonlight.” I think he just likes showing off his back muscles.“I hate full moons,” Sylvaine mutters, walking past me with a bowl of popcorn. “You all get twitchy and philosophical.”I don’t respond. My ears are tuned to the forest and it feels like it’s whispering something.By morning, we're al

Serena.The new house creaks like it’s breathing with us. The walls hold a stillness that doesn’t echo with ancient grudges or old battles. It smells like pine and dust. Kaelion swears he saw a rabbit this morning and declared it a good omen. Sylvaine rolled her eyes and said it was a sign they needed to vacuum.We’ve been here five days. That’s five days without a knock on the door in the middle of the night. Five days without cryptic messages or claw marks on the windows. Five days of waking up in my own room, choosing what I want to wear, not what I'm obligated to wear. It feels good to not be a slave, almost feels like peace. Almost. I still feel on edge from time to time.Elle and Vaelen still check in every morning like clockwork. It’s sweet, and also suffocating. Elle brings food like we’re still starving werewolves, new to the taste of human food. Vaelen won’t stop bringing “useful things”, a flashlight, a toolbox, a secondhand waffle maker. I don’t know how to tell him we n

Serena.The morning after Maw’s warning, the air in Vaelen’s house feels heavier, like something shifted. Vaelen gathers us in the kitchen. “Listen up. Maw’s message was clear, stay out of the pack’s way, and they’ll leave us alone. No fights, no trouble.”Kaelion scoffs, arms crossed. “Easy to say when you’re not the one walking on eggshells.”Elle shakes her head. “You can’t stay here forever. It’s not safe and as much as I love you as Vaelen’s family, I cannot put my babies in danger”Sylvaine flicks her painted nails against the table, smirking. “Yea, yea, we are planning on leaving anyway, we don’t want to put the little munchkins in any danger, besides my TikTok witch career can’t grow with a basement view.”We all laugh, tension breaking just a little.Vaelen pulls out his phone and opens a house listing app. “Time to find a new place. Somewhere that’s yours.”House hunting quickly becomes a trial of patience. The first few places are too far, too expensive, or just not right.

Serena.Two days after Vaelen’s “this-is-not-a-hotel” speech, we start job hunting. Or, well... attempting to.Kaelion gets rejected from the hardware store for “aggressive aura and inappropriate questions about flammable adhesives.” Thorne nearly gets hired as an electrician,until he says he’s most efficient when “slightly electrocuted.”Sylvaine doesn’t even try. She insists she’s “freelance fabulous” and has decided to become a TikTok witch with a surprisingly loyal following after one potion tutorial went viral.Tristan? He won’t admit it, but he’s spiraling. He doesn’t know how to be normal. Not without orders, not without a mission, not without the pack. He walks like he’s still ready to snap someone’s neck. He talks like every word is a burden. And he watches me like I might vanish if he blinks.I’m not vanishing. But I don’t know how to reach him either. He feels like a far away dream I can't seem to reconnect with.Elle finally drags us into a local community center job fair.

Serena.The living room is quiet except for the soft hum of the television. On screen, the portal crackles like angry lightning before winking out, leaving two figures behind in a dull parking garage. The footage freezes just as Tristan turns his head toward the security camera, glowing silver eyes narrowed, his hair wind-tossed even underground. Thorne stands beside him, radiating static, his fingers still trailing sparks.“They’re here,” Kaelion growls, stepping closer to the screen.“Of course they are,” Vaelen mutters, rubbing his temple. “Because the goddess clearly thinks I don’t have enough going on.”A knock sounds on the front door. It’s not frantic. It’s firm. Vaelen sighs and stands, mug still in hand, and doesn’t move. Neither do I.We hear another knock and Kaelion growls. “Let me open it. I’ll handle them.”Vaelen raises a hand. “No. You’re not burning my lawn down tonight.”Kaelion bares his teeth in a not-so-subtle snarl as Vaelen opens the door.Tristan is standing o