MasukJuneCaleb’s house comes into view slowly as we walk.At first, it is just a shape in the distance. Then the details sharpen. The structure. The windows catching the light.My steps slow just a little as we get closer.Not enough for him to notice.Or maybe he does.I do not look at him to check.We reach the front steps, and something inside me shifts.It happens without thought.Without effort.Instinct.My fingers unwrap from his.The contact breaks, and with it, something in my posture changes. My shoulders pull back slightly. My spine straightens. My expression settles into something calm, controlled.Untouchable.It is automatic.It has always been this way.All my life, I have lived with one rule. Never let anyone know what is going on inside you.It does not matter what you feel.It does not matter if everything inside you is falling apart.From the outside, you do not show it.You do not give anyone that kind of access.You do not let them see where it hurts.You hold it in.
June My head spins for a second, my breath coming in short, uneven bursts as I try to recover. The world tilts, blurs, then slowly settles back into place. Silently, cursing the person who hit me. And then I realize... It's Caleb. Of course it is him. I feel it before I fully see it. The strength in the arms still wrapped around me. The heat of him pressed close. The way he shifted his body so mine would not take the full hit. My chest rises and falls as I try to catch my breath, my body still tense, still caught between instinct and awareness. For a second, I do not move. Then the realization hits harder than the fall did. I free myself from his arms and scramble back, forcing my body upright despite the way it protests. My legs wobble for half a second before I find my balance, my breath still uneven as I put space between us. He is already on his feet. It happens so fast it barely registers. One second, he is on the ground with me, the next, he is standing, faci
JuneI wake up slowly.It does not happen all at once. It comes in pieces. First the heaviness, like my body is made of something thick and slow to move. Then the ache, deep and familiar, spreading through my limbs like it always does after I shift back.My eyes open, but the world does not make sense right away.Everything is blurred at the edges. Light filters in from somewhere, soft and pale, making me squint. My head feels too heavy for my neck, like it does not quite belong to me yet.I breathe in.Out.My chest rises, falls, and with it, something inside me begins to settle. Awareness comes back in small waves. The surface beneath me feels soft. Not stone. Not cold. Something else.A bed.The realization comes slowly, but once it does, it sharpens everything just a little more.My body aches.Every part of me hurts in that dull, familiar way, like my bones remember being something else not long ago. My muscles feel stretched and sore, my skin too sensitive, like it does not quit
CalebBy the time we get back to the Academy, the sun is already dipping lower in the sky.Everything moves fast after that.Too fast.Warriors take over as soon as we reach the gates. The girls are carried inside carefully, wrapped in blankets, voices kept low so no one startles them. Some of them are barely conscious. Some cling to whoever is closest like they are afraid they will disappear if they let go.I hand June over to no one.I carry her myself.Her weight rests against me, light in a way that does not sit right after what I just saw her do. My arms tighten around her without thinking, like if I loosen my grip even a little she might slip away.“She needs the doctor,” Jake says beside me, his voice calm but firm.“I know,” I answer, already moving.But I do not take her to the infirmary.Instead, I take her to my place, away from the Academy... away from everyone.And right now, I do not want her anywhere crowded.The door pushes open with my shoulder and I step inside, head
CalebI barely register the blood on my hands anymore.All I see is her.June lies in my arms in her wolf form, her body still except for the faint rise and fall of her chest. The cave around us fades into the background, the broken bodies, the smell, the noise of the others moving behind me.She is warm. Too warm. Her fur is damp beneath my fingers, thick with blood that is not all hers.“June,” I say quietly.No response.My arms tighten around her as I pull her closer, lifting her head slightly so it rests against me. Her body feels heavy now, like whatever strength had been holding her up before is gone completely.“Hey,” I murmur, softer this time, my voice meant only for her. “Come on.”Nothing happens.I force myself to focus.Her breathing is there.Faint.Her heartbeat too.Faint but there.That is enough.I shift slightly, adjusting her in my arms, one hand coming up to brush through the fur along her neck, slow, gentle. My fingers sink into it, as I hold on to her.“June,”
CalebTanya’s weight feels like nothing and everything at the same time.She is too light.Too fragile.Her head rests against my shoulder, her breath shallow, uneven, like every inhale is a fight she is losing. My arms tighten around her without thinking as I move through the trees, careful with every step.I cannot run.Not the way I want to.Not the way I should.If I push too fast, her body will not take it... it will worsen whatever injuries her small body is carrying. I can feel it in the way she shifts against me, in the way her fingers twitch weakly against my shirt.She is barely holding on.“Stay with me,” I murmur, my voice low, meant only for her.Her lashes flutter, but she does not answer.My jaw clenches.I push forward, weaving through the forest, my senses stretched in every direction. The path back feels longer than it should. Every second stretches, heavy with urgency.June.The thought hits hard.I push it down.She is strong. I have seen it with my own eyes. I hav
SophiaThe sharp scent of pine and earth fills my lungs as I step into the training arena. The sun is beginning to set, casting long shadows across the open space, and a cool breeze rustles through the trees surrounding the clearing. I roll my shoulders back, feeling the familiar tension settle in my
SophiaI stare at Mikhail, his words hanging in the air between us. His gaze is unwavering, filled with a resolve that makes my heart race for all the wrong reasons.I try to keep my face from betraying the chaos inside me, but it’s a losing battle.Why is he doing this?But the important question is, w
SophiaI try not to squirm under Mikhail’s watchful eyes as he sits beside me, his presence a calming force despite the storm inside my chest. He hasn’t left my side since the others cleared the room, and now, he’s watching me like a hawk, concern etched into every hard line of his face.“Are you hung
SophiaThe morning light filters through the curtains, casting a soft, golden hue over the room. I blink awake, momentarily disoriented, before a tiny hand reaches out to touch my face.Pushing back my gloomy feelings, the remnants of last night, I turn on my side to watch Rose, who seems to have just







