Mag-log inLIVIA My mother stood in the doorway of the kitchen, her face twisted in genuine disgust as she watched me wipe my hand with a small cloth. She didn’t know it was cursed, of course. To her, it was just a piece of trash I’d fished out of the bin."How can you pick that up with your bare hands, Livia? Have you lost your mind? Think of the germs," she scolded, pulling her apron closer as if the sickness could jump from my hand to her.I offered her a tight, dismissive smile, the kind that was meant to end the conversation before it could begin. "Don't worry, Mother. It won't affect me. I’m just tidying up, and I’ll be back soon." I didn't wait for her to press further. I turned on my heel and marched out of the house, the cool night air biting at my skin and clearing the lingering scent of kitchen cleaners from my senses.She didn't stop me. She actually believed the lie, probably relieved that her daughter was finally acting "normal," finally chasing after a man who wasn't the Alp
LIVIAI skidded to a halt in the kitchen, my chest heaving, my hair a wild mess of half-styled tangles. My mother stood by the counter, a wet rag in her hand, staring at me with a mixture of confusion and mild irritation.The scent of bleach and stale pine cleaner hung thick in the air, cloying and heavy, stinging my nostrils."What is it? Why are you shouting, Livia?" She pulled her apron tighter around her waist, her eyes narrowing as they raked over my attire. "And why are you dressed up? I thought you were staying in tonight."I forced my racing heart to slow, clamping down on the frantic energy surging through my veins. I couldn't let her see the truth, not now, not when I was so close. I smoothed the fabric of my dress, pasting a thin, practiced smile onto my face."Yes, I know, I said that," I lied, my voice steady, practiced. "But a man I met... someone I've been talking to, he just invited me for dinner. You’ve been badgering me for weeks to let go of Tristan and move on,
LIVIA I looked at my reflection in the mirror, smoothing down my hair and forcing my face into a mask of calm, pleasant indifference. The wolf inside me was snarling, ready to hunt, but I pushed it down. I had to be perfect. I had to be invisible.The hunt was finally on, and this time, there would be no mistakes.'And what if he tries to protect her?' My wolf’s voice slithered into my consciousness, a low, nagging hiss of doubt that made my skin crawl.I rolled my eyes, shaking the thought away as I turned to the vial resting innocently on the wooden grain of my drawer. Oh, give me a break, I thought, my mind sharpening into a cruel, jagged edge. Before I answered her, 'Tristan is an Alpha, he’s built for strength, for brawls, not for detecting microscopic chemical interference. He can’t smell the scent of a curse hidden in a fine vintage. No one can.' She didn't say anything."Good. Perfect. This will be absolutely perfect," I whispered, the words tasting like victory before
LIVIAThe vial sat on my nightstand, a tiny, crystal-clear anchor weighing down my entire existence. For three days, it had been the only thing I could focus on. I stared at the crimson liquid, imagining it swirling into a glass of vintage wine or a simple afternoon tea. It was so small, so deceptively harmless, yet it held the power to delete Yelena from the world. Three days of waiting had turned the room into a cage.My skin crawled with the need to move, to hunt, to strike.Yet Yelena was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had vanished into the ether, tucked away by Tristan and his inner circle.Even my own mate was nowhere to be seen, leaving me to stew in this suffocating isolation. I didn't dare go out myself; though the elders had officially cleared my name after that botched accident, I knew how the pack worked. They were wolves; they smelled fear and suspicion like blood in the water. One wrong move, one lingering glance toward the Alpha’s estate, and they would t
ANONYMOUSThe air inside the abandoned storage facility felt heavy, smelling of damp concrete and the sharp, metallic tang of old iron. I leaned against a rusted support pillar, my arms folded across my chest as I watched her. Livia was a nervous wreck, pacing the uneven floorboards so rhythmically that it set my own nerves on edge. Her heels scuffed against the grit, a dry, scratching sound that filled the silence between us. Every time she turned, her eyes darted toward the small, darkened glass vial sitting on the center table. It looked innocent enough, just a smudge of crimson liquid catching the dim light, but it held enough poison to unravel a legacy.She stopped abruptly, her chest heaving as she finally looked at me. Her eyes were wide, the pupils dilated with a mixture of terror and desperation. She pointed a trembling finger at the bottle, her voice barely a whisper that echoed too loudly in the hollow room."Are you sure this will not kill her suddenly? And I am not
YELENA But before she could pull out into traffic, a sharp, jarring laugh erupted from the backseat. It was so loud it made me jump.Nyra was cackling, her face illuminated by the harsh glow of her phone screen. She was staring at it with an expression of pure, unadulterated chaos."Nyra?" I asked, turning in my seat. "Are you alright?"She didn't answer. She tapped her screen aggressively, holding it up like she was recording a voice note for the entire world to hear. "Jackson! You’re being absolutely pathetic right now! Answer my damn calls, you coward!"I shook my head, a small, tired smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.I turned back to the front, looking at Vivianne, who was watching her friend through the rearview mirror with a look of mild, detached amusement."She’s absolutely, completely, and hopelessly in love," I muttered to her.Vivianne shifted the car into gear, her eyes back on the estate as she started driving. "Heaven help her," she murmured, though there was
TRISTANWhen Jackson called to tell me the result was out, I stopped everything I was doing.The file in my hand stayed open on the desk, my beta was still talking, but his voice turned into noise. My wolf rose to the surface instantly, restless, and pacing. Something was wrong.I could feel it in
TRISTANYelena didn’t wake up all through yesterday.I stayed until dawn, sitting on that hard hospital chair, watching her chest rise and fall like it was the only thing holding my world together.When morning came, I had to leave. I told Jackson to call me the second her eyes opened. Not a minute
YELENAA whole week had passed.Seven long days of knocking on doors that never opened, of questions that led nowhere, of hope rising and crashing in the same breath. The police searched for Tyler everywhere they could think of. I followed them once, all the way to his house. I stood at the gate,
YELENAThe moment Jackson’s fingers touched the silver… he screamed.It wasn't a shout, it wasn't a curse but a raw, ripped sound that bounced off the walls and crawled straight under my skin.Nyra grabbed his wrist so fast the chair beside her fell over.Tristan and I froze for a breath too long.







