CHAPTER 79
I HAD NEVER BEEN MORE OBSERVANT.
The diner was a glowing speck of warmth off the endless highway—vinyl booths, the smell of burnt coffee, and the faint hum of a jukebox in the corner playing something from another era.
I didn’t think I could eat. My stomach still buzzed from the road, from the city looming ahead, from the silent question of what are we even doing? But Julian needed to rest. And I—well, I needed to watch him in a place like this. A human place. A normal place.
He looked good under the flickering ceiling lights. Hair tousled from the wind, shirt clinging just a bit too well to his frame. He was relaxed, kind of. His eyes still tracked every movement in the diner like a soldier.
Then she walked up.
A blonde, young. She was chewing gum like she was in a movie about small-town girls who dream big and settle bigger. Her
CHAPTER 81HE CAME BACK WITH A QUESTION.We sat across from each other in the small kitchen of the suite—his hand wrapped around a steaming mug, mine playing absently with a sugar packet. The early light bathed the room in a soft, golden haze, but the heaviness of the past still lingered like a quiet echo between us.“Would you go somewhere with me?” Julian asked, eyes careful but steady.I looked up. “Where?”“There’s an art exhibit showing tonight,” he said, tone casual, but something in his eyes betrayed the weight behind it. “I used to go to this gallery when I was younger. I thought maybe we could go… together.”I blinked. “Art?”He nodded once. “I know it’s not exactly thrilling, but… I want you to see it. A part of me I’ve never
CHAPTER 80JULIAN'S POVFAR AWAY.The city lights blinked through the sheer curtains like distant stars, casting a soft glow across the room. But none of it mattered. I was somewhere else, somewhere far away—lost in a world only she could take me. All I saw… was her.All of a sudden, she pushed me away. I couldn't hold back the hiss that left my lips.“What's wrong?" I asked, my brows arching with concern.She smiled teasingly. “No! Nothing. I just need to take a shower."I growled, burying my face in between her neck. “Do you have to?"She nodded. “Yes, I want to. Plus, the scene is so perfect. Imagine me coming out of the bathroom, with my towel and all, water dripping from my hair, looking so sexy." She ran her hand through my hair as she spoke, her voice reduced to
CHAPTER 79I HAD NEVER BEEN MORE OBSERVANT.The diner was a glowing speck of warmth off the endless highway—vinyl booths, the smell of burnt coffee, and the faint hum of a jukebox in the corner playing something from another era.I didn’t think I could eat. My stomach still buzzed from the road, from the city looming ahead, from the silent question of what are we even doing? But Julian needed to rest. And I—well, I needed to watch him in a place like this. A human place. A normal place.He looked good under the flickering ceiling lights. Hair tousled from the wind, shirt clinging just a bit too well to his frame. He was relaxed, kind of. His eyes still tracked every movement in the diner like a soldier.Then she walked up.A blonde, young. She was chewing gum like she was in a movie about small-town girls who dream big and settle bigger. Her
CHAPTER 78YES!I wanted to scream the word at him, but I held back. I couldn't hold my smile back though. "A trip, huh? To where exactly?”He narrowed his eyes at me, and his next words made my lips part in shock. “The human world?"My eyes widened. I did not expect that all.“I was thinking,” he continued, his voice low and a little rough. “We need a change of sky.”I looked at him, puzzled. “Julian… the human world?”He glanced at me, a wry smile curling at the corner of his mouth. “Yes, the human world. Just you and me. No pack business, no elders. No ghosts.” His eyes softened. “Just a little time to breathe and be u.”For a moment, the world tilted.The idea felt foreign—almost sinful. Leav
CHAPTER 77RAVEN'S POVTHE DAYS CRAWLED BY.Peace had returned to the pack somehow. Julian and I were healing slowly, letting the process take it's own pace. That way, it'd be stronger, right?The knock at the door was soft—barely a sound, like a question asked through silence.I didn’t move. My legs were curled beneath me on the couch, a book forgotten in my lap, eyes distant. The air felt thick, as though something unseen had been waiting for just the right morning to arrive.Julian rose slowly, still stiff from the last of his healing, but strong again. I watched him cross the room, the light slanting across his bare forearms, the quiet way he opened the door.He said nothing for a while. A low exchange of words passed between him and whoever stood outside, muffled by wind and distance.Then… he
CHAPTER 76RAVEN'S POVIT HAPPENED TOO FAST.Julian collapsed into my arms like a tower crumbling from the inside. One second, he was standing—barely—and the next, he was nothing but heat and blood and broken weight against my chest.“Julian?” I whispered, already lowering him to the ground, the old wooden floor groaning beneath us. “Julian, look at me. Please—just look at me.”But he didn’t. His eyes were shut, brow furrowed like he was still fighting battles in his dreams. His lip was split, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His shirt was torn across the ribs, soaked red. And his shoulder—gods—his shoulder hung at an angle that made my stomach turn.I dragged him, trembling and breathless, toward the hearth. There was no fire, only ashes, but I grabbed kindling from a broken shelf and st