MasukNyra VirellionDreams… dreams… dreams…They had become a nightmare for me after everything that just happened.After the vehicles showed up one for my medical escort, one for the investigation team and their gear, and the other two for security and backup I was sent straight back to the palace.On the ride there, my mind stayed sharp and aware of everything around me, but my body simply wouldn’t cooperate.“Hey, it’s okay. Oh Goddess, her heart is racing. She’s in shock, isn’t she?”“I’m afraid so, healer. And she doesn’t even have a wolf. Such a rare case. You’re strong, Nyra Virellion. You… you’ll be alright. Just stay with us.”A younger woman spoke first, then the older healer reassured me. Both of them wore uniforms that looked a lot like human doctors and nurses. The van rode smoother than I expected probably because it was one of those specially built vehicles.Huh…?My thoughts had never felt this detached before.I feel so weak…“I think it’s time we give her a dart.”Dart?W
Vaerith“I’m in charge here, Nyra. No one questions me in my own pack.”After I said that, Nyra dropped her gaze to her lap. She could tell nothing was going to change my mind. I still didn’t understand why she was so set on not suspending the Trial. I crouched down to her level again.My chest tightened when she shifted away from me, just a little, like she needed space. She… didn’t feel safe around me anymore.“Nyra Virellion, is there anything you want to tell me? Anyone you think might be behind this? I’m not blind I see the pattern. It’s been circling around you since the last three trials. This is becoming a real problem for the pack too. I’d be grateful if you pointed us toward whoever’s breaking the rules in the Trial of Heirs.”As I spoke, Nyra kept avoiding my eyes. It kept chipping away at me for no good reason.This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.I waited a few seconds, hoping she’d say something. She didn’t.“I see. So you’re choosing not to help with the investig
Vaerith“Ha… ha… ha…” I watched her drag in those shaky breaths. She was still way too weak to push herself up on her own. Every tear that slipped free rolled down her cheeks like tiny crystals. I hadn’t realized I could get this angry until I saw her crying. She clearly didn’t want to talk about whatever nightmare she’d just lived through. What the hell had she been hallucinating?“I-I’m fine, Alpha Vaerith,” she managed, pulling herself back together bit by bit. It was like she was rebooting into the real world after being stuck somewhere between nightmare and reality. I knew that feeling too well.My fist stayed clenched tight behind my back so she wouldn’t see. I was crouched right in front of her, one knee sunk into the damp, muddy ground. Her entire back was caked in dirt and whatever toxins had soaked into the soil. I’d carried her all the way to the far side of the forest, and it hadn’t been easy. Even for a Lycan Alpha of my strength, hauling her while my head spun had been b
I was dazed, completely out of it.Why was he begging me to wake up? What the hell was happening to me?I could feel this huge, deep-breathing presence all around our minds, like we were trapped inside the chest cavity of some massive creature. The rumbling sound kept getting louder, slow and steady, sending chills down my spine.“Wake up, Nyra. Please. Please!”At his final plea, the imaginary figure of Lycan Alpha Vaerith jolted me hard. What was going on? Why was my mind conjuring him of all people to pull me out of this mess? I didn’t understand anything anymore. All I knew was that I wanted these endless loops of my past to stop repeating.I wondered if I’d even be okay once I finally snapped back to reality. Would it leave me with trauma I couldn’t shake? Hallucinations mess with you like that they sneak in and twist your head, forcing you to stare at your own buried thoughts and the ugly conflicts inside your beliefs. They make you confront yourself in the rawest way possible…
Nyra VirellionI’ve had these awful dreams three times in a row now. The memories from my past keep replaying, mixed with twisted new versions of how my parents died. It’s like a broken record that won’t stop spinning in my head.No matter how much I cried, I couldn’t pull myself back to reality. All I could do was sob through the whole thing. I was terrified I was losing a piece of myself, that I’d finally crack and go completely psychotic from all these forced visions and nightmares.They weren’t wrong about the south side of the forest being treacherous. It was one giant, open trap laid out for anyone or anything that wandered too far in.Nature could be so beautiful, and yet so cruel.Right beside those greedy, poisonous mushrooms grew the deflecting rafflesia flowers. They bloomed year-round in the dark woods, completely native to this place. And there was a reason for that.I should have known. The stench of those rafflesia we passed should have been warning enough not to keep g
VaerithI was keeping tabs on all the trial participants this time around. There was no slipping away into the operating room like before, for obvious reasons.It was still tough for me to admit I had feelings for her, even after what went down that night at the banquet. The slap still stung somewhere deep. Her rejection had left me second-guessing everything, but I hadn’t really had a chance to dwell on it. Between prepping for the next Trial, handling Pack business from the cabin, and sitting through endless meetings, I’d been swamped. Hell, I hadn’t caught a wink of sleep since the night before.Then Tharok started going wild inside me. I felt Beta Raelor suddenly pause his coordination duties among us royal spectators he could sense the storm building in me.‘Tharok. What’s going on?’ I asked the wolf inside me.‘Vaerith, something’s wrong with Nyra Virellion. She’s not responding like before. I can’t sense her the same way… She’s in danger.’My eyes shot wide open. I wanted to bo
~Vaerith~I wasn’t going to keep such a close eye on Nyra Virellion anymore. No more stepping in to help her with the power assembly either. She could handle it on her own. And if she couldn’t… well, that wasn’t my problem. She could go back to the wilds, back to her pack. Back to the Virellion pac
~Nyra Virellion~That was hands-down the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had with him. I kept turning it over in my head afterward, realizing he could be a bit slow on the uptake and got flustered pretty easily. Of course, I hadn’t missed the way his eyes dragged over me from head to toe the second
VaerithI bit my lip hard, trying not to lose control. The second Nyra Virellion stepped out of the bathroom, her scent hit me like a damn drug. She looked like an absolute snack, all warm and fresh, wrapped in nothing but a towel. My mate smelled like pure heaven, and every instinct in me screamed
~Author's POV~The commander watched the woman who had just powered through every brutal, unforgiving round of training he’d thrown at them. He let out a low chuckle, keeping his amusement hidden from the others.“That is all for today. You are dismissed,” he announced in a booming voice. A massive







