Novel-novel oleh Melissa

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

Asha woke up at eight-thirteen to her phone buzzing against the nightstand.She reached for it without opening her eyes, thumb already moving toward the alarm before she was fully conscious. But it wasn't her alarm. It was a notification from the building's security app, the one the landlord had installed six months ago after someone's bike went missing from the lobby.She'd never gotten a notification from it before.She lay there blinking at the ceiling, sleep still heavy in her limbs. The warmth in her chest was there the way it always was now, steady and present, the one constant she'd woken up to every morning since Thursday even though Thursday felt like it had happened in a different version of her life.She opened the notification.'Motion detected. Front lobby. 2:04 AM.'She almost closed it. Two in the morning was when people came home from late shifts, when neighbors stumbled in after last call. It was probably nothing.She pressed play anyway.The footage was grainy, the t

The cottage door came off its hinges.Not intentionally. Kadence hit it at full stride with his shoulder and the old wood simply gave way, the frame splintering outward like it had been waiting years for an excuse. He was through it before the pieces finished falling, his wolf fully at the surface, eyes blazing gold, every sense he had reaching ahead of him into the room.Lavender. Old wood. The dying warmth of a low fire.And his mother, sitting in the armchair by the fireplace with her hands folded in her lap, watching him the way she'd watched him since he was small. Like she already knew what he was going to do before he did it and had quietly made peace with it.Alive. Unharmed.Alone.Kadence stood in the wreckage of the doorframe and felt the rage in him crest and break against nothing, because there was nothing to break against. No Rhydian. No Saskia. Just the cottage and the fire and his mother's careful eyes and the particular silence of a room that had recently held somethi

The cottage door came off its hinges. Not intentionally. Kadence hit it at full stride with his shoulder and the old wood simply gave way, the frame splintering outward like it had been waiting years for an excuse. He was through it before the pieces finished falling, his wolf fully at the surface, eyes blazing gold, every sense he had reaching ahead of him into the room. Lavender. Old wood. The dying warmth of a low fire. And his mother, sitting in the armchair by the fireplace with her hands folded in her lap, watching him the way she'd watched him since he was small. Like she already knew what he was going to do before he did it and had quietly made peace with it. Alive. Unharmed. Alone. Kadence stood in the wreckage of the doorframe and felt the rage in him crest and then break against nothing, because there was nothing to break against. No Rhydian. No Saskia. Just the cottage and the fire and his mother's careful eyes and the particular silence of a room that had recently he

'AT LUNA MIRELLE'S PLACE' Rhydian had always believed that the best plans were the ones that looked like accidents. The cottage sat at the northern edge of Thornwell territory, tucked back from the tree line like something that had been trying to disappear for years and was mostly succeeding. Luna Mirelle's retirement, the pack called it. A dignified withdrawal. A choice. It had never been a choice. Rhydian stood by the window with his hands in his pockets, looking out at the dark tree line, listening to his sister move around behind him with the particular unhurried energy she got when things were going well. The cottage smelled like lavender and old grief and the specific kind of loneliness that settled into walls when someone had been alone inside them for too long. He'd always found it depressing. Saskia found it useful. "She's not going to tell him anything useful," Saskia said from across the room. Her voice was light, almost bored. "She barely knows anything." "That's no

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