Mia's POVCass must’ve read it on my face because she snapped her fingers. “And before you even start thinking it’s impossible… just don’t. The trick is, you need to start earning those votes now. If you wait until the official game, it won’t count. People’s hearts lock in early. By the time the third trial comes, everyone already knows who they’re cheering for.”I rubbed my temples. “So you’re saying I should… what? Bake cookies for them? Smile and wave?”Cass threw her hands up. “Yes! Exactly! Okay, maybe not cookies, but you get it. Talk to them. Help an omega carry baskets, help a Beta hunt or something... small things matter to the point they add up.”I snorted. But Cass wasn't laughing.My smile dropped and I shrugged. “Sorry,” Yeah, I wasn't. “Don’t give me that look. I swear to the goddess, if you even ‘’think’ about saying you’re not good at connection, I’ll lock you in a room with every pup in the pack until you learn.”I let myself smile at her antics. Cassian might think
Mia’s POV“Go on,” Cass stayed behind me like a little guardian devil. I stared at my wolf… her scars, and unnatural creamy fur that had earned me names I’d never wanted.Monster.Freak.“Now you see why I can never be Luna.” I whispered, averting my gaze.“Wrong,” Cass snapped so quickly I actually flinched. She marched across the room like she’d just won some argument in her head before it even started. “Completely, absolutely wrong. You’re acting like a villain revealed in a bad movie. ‘Look at me, I’m scary, fear me.’ No. I’ve seen scary. You’re not it. You’re… intense… different, sure, but different doesn’t equal monster. If anything, it makes people pay attention.”I rolled my eyes. “You screamed, Cass. Then you puked. That’s not exactly ‘paying attention.’”Her face flushed, but she doubled down anyway. “Okay, yes, that happened. And in my defense, I told you I’ve got a sensitive stomach. It’s my body betraying me, not my brain. My brain thinks you’re badass… my stomach just
Mia’s POV“Everything.”She shook her head quickly and reached out to cover my hand with hers. “No, Mia. Don’t say that. You were chosen. Whether you accept it or not, he called you mate. None of them can take that from you unless you give it away. And…”If only she knew I wasn’t exactly their true mate.How did that part escape her? Even with all the chaos going on?I took a deep breath, trying to quiet the questions in my chest. But how many others were thinking the same way as Cass?How many actually believed I was the one meant for Axel and Alex? It was even a taboo to want both Alphas in the first place. I was about to tell her to just drop it when her lips curved into a warm smile… almost too encouraging.“I am rooting for you. I want you to win. I want you to become our Luna.”My mouth fell open. “Wh–wh–what?”Me? Luna? The thought was so absurd it nearly knocked the air out of me. My inner voice screamed at the insanity of it… Luna to the same man who broke our deal? To the s
Mia’s POVThe knocking started faint at first… almost polite, but then it quickly grew louder like whoever was outside had no intention of leaving until I answered. My whole body stiffened and I wiped at my eyes roughly. Even my wolf twitched inside me, alert and uneasy.“Who is it?” My voice came out harsher than I intended. I just didn't want anyone to see that I was a mixture of nerves… or to see the leftover tears drying on my cheeks.“It’s me” a soft voice came from the other side, muffled but gentle. “Cassian.”Relief poured into my chest. Cass. Sweet and harmless Cass… not Axelair with his fury. My legs pushed me off the ground and I stumbled toward the door, pressing my eye against the tiny peephole just to be sure. The familiar shape of Cass’s plumpy face filled the circle. Her brown hair was tied back loosely and her eyes were full of calm patience. Just like any other normal omega. I undid the bolt and pulled the door open quickly. Cass barely waited a second before sli
Mia’s POV“…tell me… why was she tortured?”My ears twitched. What was that?The first thing I felt was weight—not pain, not even air—just the dragging heaviness that pinned me down. My eyelids fought against me as if they had been sealed with glue, but slowly, painfully, I pried them open.The room blurred under a soft glow of light, double at first, until the outlines sharpened into walls I didn’t recognize.I blinked again and shifted, only to realize I was lying in a bed. A real bed.Wait a minute…“Take it easy,” a gentle voice whispered from somewhere close. It was a woman. She sounded a bit too calm and composed for the way my heart had started hammering in my chest.What was happening? My throat was dry, but I forced out the first word I could remember.“Where’s Alex?”The silence that followed was too long… and then someone chuckled, clearly annoyed by my question.I flinched.“Alexander?”This person sounded… offended.Who was that?I frowned.The sound was unmistakable. For
Axelair's POV Her lips pressed against mine hard enough to sting, but I didn’t pull away at once… maybe it was the heat of the moment or the exhaustion burning through my body, but I let Samantha chew on my lower lips there for a second before I finally pushed her back by the shoulders.I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and smirked down at her. “You kiss like someone who’s desperate not to lose.”Her eyes widened at my words, and for once she looked like she hadn’t expected the blow. The teasing tone I used didn’t soften whatever I meant, and she knew it. Samantha swallowed hard, then took a half step back as though I’d shoved her. “Desperate?” she whispered.I raised a brow. “Don’t pretend you don’t hear it. You’re clawing at me like I’m the last bone in the den. It doesn’t suit you, Samantha.”Her lips parted like she wanted to snap back, but then she sighed, brushing her wavy hair from her face. When she looked at me again, the playfulness was gone. “Fine. Have it your wa