Novel-novel oleh Melissa

She checked her email before she was properly awake on Sunday morning, sitting on the edge of her bed with her hair still flat on one side and her eyes adjusting slowly to the light from the screen.Nothing.She knew there wouldn't be. She'd known that when she sent the emails on Saturday and she'd known it when she woke up at three in the morning and checked the first time too. Clubs didn't sort their booking inquiries on Saturday nights. That wasn't how it worked. But knowing that hadn't stopped her from checking and it didn't stop her now so she put her phone down and got up and went to make coffee.Sunday had a different quality of quiet than Saturday. Saturday quiet felt like something you'd earned. Sunday quiet had an edge to it, that low persistent awareness of Monday sitting just beyond the afternoon, waiting with no particular patience.She studied for three hours after breakfast, working through a practice paper at the kitchen table with her second coffee going cold beside h

"Asha." Tony's voice had that specific quality she'd heard managers use before, the careful measured tone of someone who had rehearsed what they were about to say and was now delivering it slightly too smoothly. "Thanks for picking up.""Sure." She moved to the window without thinking, looking out at the street below. Force of habit now. "What's up, Tony?"A pause. Just a beat too long. "So, listen. I wanted to call you directly because you've been with us a long time and you deserve to hear it from me rather than through the schedule app."Asha said nothing. Just waited."We're making some changes at Ember. Restructuring the lineup, going in a slightly different direction with the bookings, and unfortunately your slot is one of the ones we're looking at." Another pause. "I'm going to have to let you go, effective end of next week. You'll get your full hours for the remaining shifts and I'll make sure your final pay is sorted by Friday."The street below was quiet. A woman walked a do

ASHA'S POVShe woke up to grey light and the sound of someone's car alarm going off three streets over, which was such a normal Saturday morning thing that for a moment everything was fine.Just a moment though.It came back the way things did when sleep had been keeping it at bay, not all at once but in pieces, the amber lighting of the bar, the woman's coat, the envelope sitting on the counter while she debated whether to open it, the photograph, his hand at that woman's waist, and then that last line, neat and patient and completely certain of itself.*He already made his choice. Don't be her mistake.*Asha lay there for a second staring at the ceiling. Then she pushed the covers back and got up.The apartment was cold the way it got on October mornings when she'd forgotten to turn the heat up before bed. She pulled her cardigan off the chair, wrapped it around herself, and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Ground the beans the way she always did, measured the water, watched the

Twins POVThe message came in at half past midnight.Rhydian read it once, set his phone down, and picked up his drink.Saskia was on the other end of the couch with her legs tucked underneath her, pretending to scroll through something on her phone. She'd been pretending for the last two hours. "Well?""She held it together." He swirled his glass slowly. "Didn't cry. Didn't make a scene. Put it in her pocket and went back to work."Saskia looked up. "You're joking.""Maya said she was back on stage within the hour." He took a sip. "Hands steady."Something crossed Saskia's face that she covered quickly. "Tough girl.""Smart girl," Rhydian said. "She didn't fall apart in public. Took it quietly and kept moving. That tells you a lot about someone.""It tells me she's going to be harder to shift than we thought."Rhydian didn't argue with that. He leaned back and looked at the ceiling for a moment, the kind of stillness that meant his mind was moving fast underneath it. "She'll move. Wh

Marcus had three expressions and Asha had learned all of them.There was the default, the neutral mask he wore through most of his shifts. There was concerned, which showed up maybe twice a month. And then there was the third one, the one she'd only seen the night a man followed Destiny to her car and Marcus had handled it so quietly nobody talked about it afterward.He was wearing the third one in her doorway.She followed him down the corridor without asking questions. The bass from the main floor grew heavier with every step. She'd always found it grounding before, that low persistent thrum. Tonight it just reminded her that her heart was beating too fast.She stopped at the curtain and looked out before stepping through.He was at the far end of the bar. Average height, dark jacket, hands folded on the counter in front of a drink he hadn't touched. His eyes moved across the room in slow deliberate sweeps and something in her stomach pulled tight before she'd fully decided why.She

Three days passed the way days did when you were trying not to think about something. Slowly and then all at once.Monday she took the long way to campus without deciding to, adding twelve minutes to a walk she'd done the same way for two years. She noticed halfway there and kept going anyway, telling herself it was the weather, the grey October morning that made the shorter route feel exposed in a way she couldn't explain.Tuesday she sat with her back to the wall at the coffee shop near the college, the small table in the far corner that nobody ever took because the lighting was bad and the wifi signal barely reached. She'd never sat there before. She opened her textbook and studied for two hours and didn't look up at the door more than four or five times and told herself that was fine.Wednesday she checked the security app before bed. Found nothing. Checked it again at two in the morning when she woke up for no reason and lay there in the dark with the warmth in her chest doing it

CHAPTER SIXTY SEVEN _ARIEL_As we fought, the cave rocks began to crack and tremble, and the ground shook beneath our feet. The girl's eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and she seemed to be channeling the ancient power of the cave. I stumbled back, my footing unsure, as the rocks creaked and groaned around us. In a desperate bid to claim the amulet, I ducked away from the girl and made a grab for the pedestal. But she was too quick. With a swift motion, she snatched the Moonstone Amulet from its resting place and held it aloft, its glow illuminating her triumphant face."No!" I cried, my heart racing with disappointment. "That's mine!"The girl merely laughed, a wild, untamed sound, and held the amulet out of my reach. "Catch me if you can!" she taunted, her eyes sparkling with mischief. With a wicked grin, she turned and ran, the amulet clutched in her hand.I scrambled to my feet, determined to pursue her, but the cave was collapsing around me. Rocks crashed down, blocking my pa

CHAPTER SIXTY SIX_ARIEL_ "But what if I could help them in other ways? I'm a skilled researcher, and I know how to gather information. Maybe I could dig up something on Ryker and his followers, find out what they're planning and where they are."I stopped pacing and sat down at my desk, pulling out my laptop and starting to type. I searched for any mentions of Ryker or his followers online, but there was nothing. I tried searching for other keywords, like "werewolf packs" and "supernatural threats," but still came up empty-handed.Just as I was about to give up, I remembered a book I had read a few months ago. It was about the supernatural creatures of the world, and it had a section on werewolves. I grabbed the book off my shelf and started flipping through the pages, looking for anything that might be useful.As I read, I came across a passage about a powerful werewolf artifact. It was said to be able to protect a pack from harm, and it might just be what Selene and our pack neede

CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE_ARIEL_I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease as I left the Orion's mansion. My mind was racing with thoughts of Selene's newfound identity and the secrets that had been kept from her. I tried calling her multiple times, but her number just rang and rang."Selene, pick up! I need to talk to you!" I said, frustration creeping into my voice.But it went straight to voicemail. Again.Days passed, and I grew more concerned. I tried reaching out to her on social media, but she seemed to have disappeared. A knot formed in my stomach as I wondered if everything was okay."Chris, have you talked to Selene lately?" I asked, trying to sound casual when I called him."Yeah, I've tried calling her too, but I haven't been able to reach her," Chris replied, sounding equally concerned."Aren't you worried? I mean, with her newfound identity and all..." I pressed on."I'm sure she's just processing everything. But hey, speaking of Selene, her birthday is coming up soon. We sho

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR_ARIEL_As Selene's best friend, and like a sister to her. It was the most shocking part of her life I got to know. I know how much Selene hates the idea of werewolves and all that. Not to talk of being a werewolf from an Alpha bloodline?I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Selene, my best friend, my sister in every way, was telling me that she was with a birthmark owned by werewolves? It sounded like a joke, but the seriousness in her voice told me otherwise."Guys, I'm telling you, I have this birthmark on my body and it means I'm from an Alpha werewolf bloodline," Selene said over the phone.I was taken aback. I had always known Selene to be a skeptic when it came to supernatural things, and now she was telling me that she was one of us?"Selene, that's impossible," I said, trying to reason with her. "You know as well as I do that you've always been a normal person all your life, how come you suddenly have that birthmark?"But Selene was insistent. She told us

CHAPTER SIXTY THREE_SELENE_I was leaving when I heard her talking again."I'm afraid that's not possible, Selene," the moon goddess said, her voice firm but gentle. "You are a guardian of the packs, and you cannot simply reject your destiny. You have a responsibility to protect them, to lead them.""I don't want it," I said, shaking my head. "I don't want to be a guardian. I don't want to be responsible for anyone else's lives. I just want to be free."The moon goddess sighed, her expression softening. "Selene, you are not like other humans. You have a special gift, a special purpose. You cannot simply walk away from that.""I can try," I said, my voice defiant. "I can try to leave it all behind and start a new life, a life without the constant fear and responsibility."The moon goddess shook her head. "You cannot escape your destiny, Selene. It will follow you wherever you go. And besides, you are not just a guardian. You are a leader. You have a role to play in the greater scheme

CHAPTER SIXTY TWO_SELENE_I stepped out of the room as I began thinking why on Earth the moon goddess made sure of it to see me miserable.I found out I was werewolf so late into my life. when I actually thought I had a normal life.I found out my aunt isn't my aunt but a maid in my parents house.I found out I have an uncle who is an evil man and I'm to fight against him to save all the packs. I found out I was mated to a cold Alpha and I was from an Alpha bloodline.Every incident so far has been messy for me.Now that I thought I was going to enjoy my life with my mate peacefully, my mate dies."Like, why am I cursed? Why does it have to be me?" "Why does my life get messed up whenever I think I'm getting better?"" I can't do this, it's all stupid and silly" I groaned angrily."To hell with the moon goddess, To hell with every damn thing she said." "Why do you always have to make my life so difficult?" I muttered to myself, kicking a stone in frustration. "Can't you just leav