LOGINSTACY (Final Chapter) The days after Jason’s death feel like walking through a storm that never ends. Grief comes in waves, sharp and endless, dragging me under until I can hardly breathe. Nights are the hardest. Liam curls into me, asking why lied to him. I finally told him the truth of what
After the burial ceremony, people drift away like leaves. It leaves room for things that need saying—hard decisions that want sunlight. Nate stands a step from me. His face is carved with exhaustion, and I watch his breath as though it could explain everything. “So, what next?” I say to him, the s
STACY I wake to the taste of iron and a grief so heavy it pins me to the mattress. For a moment I don’t know where my body ends and the dark begins. Then I remember the circle, the runes, and the fire—Jason’s face bright as a match just before the world went white. He’s not beside me. There is a
JASON. The circle resists everything we throw at it. Knight's claws rake across the glowing runes until sparks fly, Kael summons stormfire that burns hotter than any forge, Daniel hurls raw Alpha power that shakes the ground beneath us. Still, the barrier holds. And all the while, Stacy’s scre
Adrenaline slams through me, a flicker of life that makes the circle tense. The runes flare brighter, sensing their prey’s pulse in the earth. I try to call louder, but the circle chews at my chest with hunger. My limbs go light. I taste copper on my tongue. My vision swims silver at the edges. Fr
STACY Darkness tastes like iron and old rain. I wake to my throat raw, and my mouth packed with the tang of something bitter. The first thing I notice is the ropes biting into my wrists, a pressure across my chest like a hand that will not let go. The second is the light: a ring of fire, low and
STACY (Moments prior to Jason's arrival in the palace) This morning doesn’t begin as badly as I fear. From the balcony overlooking the courtyard, I lean against the railing, arms folded, watching the stream of sleek black cars pulling in one by one. The palace guards move with crisp efficiency
NATASHA. (The next day....) The capital feels different when you enter it with hate in your veins. I draw my cloak tighter around me and lower my head, slipping past a pair of guards. My hands are trembling, but not with fear but anticipation because all it takes is the right bribe. Money exch
STACY. The next morning, I linger longer than usual in my bedroom. Liam's curled against my side, his little chest rising and falling in a rhythm that soothes me far more than the sunlight streaming through the curtains. His curls are damp from last night’s bath, and even in sleep his small hand
NATASHA. (Back in Blue Moon) The rim of my glass clinks against the wooden bar counter for the third time tonight, though it’s not even close to midnight. The tavern isn’t crowded yet, but the low hum of conversations and the scent of burning oak wrap around me like a suffocating blanket. I swir







