The day started off cloudy, with rain in the forecast for the weekend. I wondered if I’d still be able to watch the eclipse with Mr. Ghost. It had been over a week since I last saw him. After a full day of rest, it was time to get back to work. I grabbed Precious and started playing my songs, fine-tuning the arrangements. During my lunch break, I ended up thinking about Nicolas and sent him a short audio clip of a song’s chorus along with a message:Eliza: Congrats on your graduation, brother! Consider this audio a sneak peek of your gift!Nicolas: A sneak peek? Are you finally gonna show me the new songs? I should’ve graduated sooner!He replied just a few moments later. As I was typing out a response, my phone started ringing. It was him!“Lisa, we need to meet up,” he said as soon as I answered. I could hear the anxiety in his voice.“What’s going on?”“There’s no one home right now. Can you come over? I really need to tell you something. And while you’re here, you can show me the
William had dislocated Nicolas’s arm, and I couldn’t do anything about it because I couldn’t bring myself to fight against my mate. I felt awful. When I tried to help Nicolas, William grabbed my arm and dragged me along with him."William, he needs help. Please!" I begged again, but it was no use."Shut the hell up!" he shouted at me. He dragged me to his car, and as soon as he started the engine, he floored it, tires screeching."William, let me explain, please!""You bitch! Explain? What the fuck is there to explain that I didn’t see with my own eyes? You spend a week with him, and now you’re meeting up with him alone? You think you’re fooling me? You’re fucking worthless!""That’s not how it is, I—""I told you to shut the fuck up!"I couldn’t hold back the anguish and sadness in my chest. Even staying silent, I couldn’t stop myself from sobbing. William pulled over on a narrow street, out on the outskirts of the village. He was breathing heavily."William, your nose is bleeding. A
Everything in my head was just a high-pitched ringing, echoing persistently in the back of my mind. I started struggling to breathe and desperately searched for music. Lisa had abandoned me, and now Preciosa was destroyed. I was falling apart.By the time I started to get even a glimpse of what was happening around me, it was already dark.“How long have I been like this?” My head was spinning. I leaned against the bed and focused on listening for any sounds. The silence told me there was no one home. I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket. The screen was cracked, but it still seemed to work. There was only one person who could make sense of everything that had happened.After trying over and over, I finally heard a familiar voice on the other end, and it made me want to break down and cry."Mom, it's me!" I said. "Mom, please help me!""Sweetheart, what happened?""I told Grandma about Dad, and she freaked out. I don’t know what to do. Mom..." I started crying again. The pain was j
I sat on the bed, completely lost. I tried calling my aunt to find out how my grandma was doing, but her phone was ringing in the room next door. In the rush to help Grandma, she’d left it behind.Next thing I knew, it was almost midnight. My mom got back to me with a message. It was short but straight to the point:Mom: My friend will be there soon. Grab your stuff and go with her!Sure enough, not even five minutes later, a blue van pulled up in front of the house. A medium-built woman with long, curly black hair and dark skin stepped out. She was wearing pajamas."You’re Eliza?" she asked. I nodded slightly."Girl, what kind of mess did you get yourself into? Don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay. I’m Verônica, your mom’s friend."She held out her hand, but I couldn’t bring myself to shake it. Instead, I clutched the bag that held my Preciosa even tighter."Poor thing! I’ll help you carry your stuff, okay? Luckily, I had the perfect place lined up for you. Your mom already paid three mont
I passed by the hospital front desk and paid the entire bill in advance, leaving some credit for any unexpected needs. Then I slowly walked down the road as the first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon.I wandered aimlessly for a while, completely lost. I couldn’t remember where the little house Veronica had taken me to was. I reached into the pocket of my jeans, looking for the key. I was planning to track the house by its scent.“You forgot the keys!” Lisa said in my head. I smiled softly, hearing her voice in my mind again. She was right—I suddenly remembered I’d left the key on the bed and had only grabbed my wallet. I hadn’t even closed the front door.“We’re going to be okay,” I promised myself. I needed to believe that—to believe I could fix everything.“I’m starving!” she said the moment we passed by a café that had just opened. The smell in the air was irresistible. I stepped inside and picked a table to sit at.“Whoa!” the girl at the counter exclaimed when she saw me.
I took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears, and walked over to the drink table. Even though I was underage, I felt an urgent need to keep myself from crying, and since people say alcohol is good for drowning your sorrows, I figured it might do the trick. I filled my cup with punch, and just as I was about to down it, someone grabbed it out of my hand. I looked to the side and met Nicolas’s eyes. He looked like he was trying just as hard not to cry.“Does it hurt?” I asked him. I wasn’t talking about our bond—I meant his arm, which was bandaged up. Without a word, he set the cup down on the table, turned around, and walked away. I stood there, unsure of what to do. Should I follow him or give him space? “Nicolas, wait!”He heard me, but he didn’t stop. It was clear he didn’t want to talk to me. So I gave up on the idea of drinking and tried to drown my sorrows in food instead while I waited for the performances to start. Every now and then, I found myself scanning the crowd fo
There was a lot of commotion and whispering in the hall. I didn’t hesitate to bolt out of there before that whole mess somehow blew back on me. I was afraid they might try to pin something on me—besides, I already had way too much on my plate. Maybe I was wrong, but I didn’t want to take the risk. It felt like I’d become a magnet for trouble, like everything had collapsed on me all at once. I kicked off my sandals and gathered up the skirt of my dress. I felt like I needed to run until I felt safe.Lisa, answer me! I pleaded. She didn’t want to run with me, and I didn’t push her. I was too much of a coward to shift into my wolf form, knowing that all of Lisa’s feelings and pain would come crashing down on me the moment I did. I could barely handle my own pain—how was I supposed to carry hers, too?I abandoned my sandals the second I entered the forest. The emptiness in my heart felt like it was turning into a black hole, slowly eating me alive. I just wanted to get rid of all that neg
I began to wake up, a sense of peace and comfort settling in my heart. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the sleeping bag in the exact position I’d curled into the night before. I looked around, confused, realizing I was alone. A bit of daylight streamed into the cave, signaling that morning had arrived.“Was it all just a dream?” I asked myself as I sat up. I rubbed my eyes a couple of times, recalling the feeling of being in Phantom Lord’s arms, telling him about my pain and anguish. Could it really have just been an illusion?That scent is amazing, my wolf said calmly inside me. How could a simple dream have eased our pain like this?“Scent?” I drew on Lisa’s energy, sharpening my sense of smell, which immediately brought my attention to my own body. I wasn’t just wrapped in a towel—there was also a soft, white cloak covering me. I pulled it to my nose and inhaled deeply. It was his scent. “It wasn’t a dream…”My heart started racing, and I found myself smiling genuinely
I entered the Alpha’s house through the front door. Since I had permission to visit Caroline whenever I wanted, none of the guards dared to stop me. Obviously, I had a different goal this time.“Where’s the Alpha?” I asked a maid walking by.“Miss Eliza, if you’re here to see him, I’m afraid I can’t help you. He just went into a meeting, and I don’t know how long it’ll last.”“Where is it?” I asked her.“Miss, you can’t go in there.”“Don’t worry, I’ll just wait outside,” I said, trying to put her at ease. It seemed to work, because she led me down a hallway and pointed to a room with two guards posted outside. There was a bench in the corridor, so I sat down calmly. The guards looked at me, puzzled, but neither tried to make me leave.Drawing on Lisa’s energy, I heightened my senses to the max, identifying the scents in the room and listening closely to the conversation inside.“I don’t think what you’re doing is right! You should wait until my father gets back before discussing this
I began to wake up, a sense of peace and comfort settling in my heart. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the sleeping bag in the exact position I’d curled into the night before. I looked around, confused, realizing I was alone. A bit of daylight streamed into the cave, signaling that morning had arrived.“Was it all just a dream?” I asked myself as I sat up. I rubbed my eyes a couple of times, recalling the feeling of being in Phantom Lord’s arms, telling him about my pain and anguish. Could it really have just been an illusion?That scent is amazing, my wolf said calmly inside me. How could a simple dream have eased our pain like this?“Scent?” I drew on Lisa’s energy, sharpening my sense of smell, which immediately brought my attention to my own body. I wasn’t just wrapped in a towel—there was also a soft, white cloak covering me. I pulled it to my nose and inhaled deeply. It was his scent. “It wasn’t a dream…”My heart started racing, and I found myself smiling genuinely
There was a lot of commotion and whispering in the hall. I didn’t hesitate to bolt out of there before that whole mess somehow blew back on me. I was afraid they might try to pin something on me—besides, I already had way too much on my plate. Maybe I was wrong, but I didn’t want to take the risk. It felt like I’d become a magnet for trouble, like everything had collapsed on me all at once. I kicked off my sandals and gathered up the skirt of my dress. I felt like I needed to run until I felt safe.Lisa, answer me! I pleaded. She didn’t want to run with me, and I didn’t push her. I was too much of a coward to shift into my wolf form, knowing that all of Lisa’s feelings and pain would come crashing down on me the moment I did. I could barely handle my own pain—how was I supposed to carry hers, too?I abandoned my sandals the second I entered the forest. The emptiness in my heart felt like it was turning into a black hole, slowly eating me alive. I just wanted to get rid of all that neg
I took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears, and walked over to the drink table. Even though I was underage, I felt an urgent need to keep myself from crying, and since people say alcohol is good for drowning your sorrows, I figured it might do the trick. I filled my cup with punch, and just as I was about to down it, someone grabbed it out of my hand. I looked to the side and met Nicolas’s eyes. He looked like he was trying just as hard not to cry.“Does it hurt?” I asked him. I wasn’t talking about our bond—I meant his arm, which was bandaged up. Without a word, he set the cup down on the table, turned around, and walked away. I stood there, unsure of what to do. Should I follow him or give him space? “Nicolas, wait!”He heard me, but he didn’t stop. It was clear he didn’t want to talk to me. So I gave up on the idea of drinking and tried to drown my sorrows in food instead while I waited for the performances to start. Every now and then, I found myself scanning the crowd fo
I passed by the hospital front desk and paid the entire bill in advance, leaving some credit for any unexpected needs. Then I slowly walked down the road as the first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon.I wandered aimlessly for a while, completely lost. I couldn’t remember where the little house Veronica had taken me to was. I reached into the pocket of my jeans, looking for the key. I was planning to track the house by its scent.“You forgot the keys!” Lisa said in my head. I smiled softly, hearing her voice in my mind again. She was right—I suddenly remembered I’d left the key on the bed and had only grabbed my wallet. I hadn’t even closed the front door.“We’re going to be okay,” I promised myself. I needed to believe that—to believe I could fix everything.“I’m starving!” she said the moment we passed by a café that had just opened. The smell in the air was irresistible. I stepped inside and picked a table to sit at.“Whoa!” the girl at the counter exclaimed when she saw me.
I sat on the bed, completely lost. I tried calling my aunt to find out how my grandma was doing, but her phone was ringing in the room next door. In the rush to help Grandma, she’d left it behind.Next thing I knew, it was almost midnight. My mom got back to me with a message. It was short but straight to the point:Mom: My friend will be there soon. Grab your stuff and go with her!Sure enough, not even five minutes later, a blue van pulled up in front of the house. A medium-built woman with long, curly black hair and dark skin stepped out. She was wearing pajamas."You’re Eliza?" she asked. I nodded slightly."Girl, what kind of mess did you get yourself into? Don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay. I’m Verônica, your mom’s friend."She held out her hand, but I couldn’t bring myself to shake it. Instead, I clutched the bag that held my Preciosa even tighter."Poor thing! I’ll help you carry your stuff, okay? Luckily, I had the perfect place lined up for you. Your mom already paid three mont
Everything in my head was just a high-pitched ringing, echoing persistently in the back of my mind. I started struggling to breathe and desperately searched for music. Lisa had abandoned me, and now Preciosa was destroyed. I was falling apart.By the time I started to get even a glimpse of what was happening around me, it was already dark.“How long have I been like this?” My head was spinning. I leaned against the bed and focused on listening for any sounds. The silence told me there was no one home. I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket. The screen was cracked, but it still seemed to work. There was only one person who could make sense of everything that had happened.After trying over and over, I finally heard a familiar voice on the other end, and it made me want to break down and cry."Mom, it's me!" I said. "Mom, please help me!""Sweetheart, what happened?""I told Grandma about Dad, and she freaked out. I don’t know what to do. Mom..." I started crying again. The pain was j
William had dislocated Nicolas’s arm, and I couldn’t do anything about it because I couldn’t bring myself to fight against my mate. I felt awful. When I tried to help Nicolas, William grabbed my arm and dragged me along with him."William, he needs help. Please!" I begged again, but it was no use."Shut the hell up!" he shouted at me. He dragged me to his car, and as soon as he started the engine, he floored it, tires screeching."William, let me explain, please!""You bitch! Explain? What the fuck is there to explain that I didn’t see with my own eyes? You spend a week with him, and now you’re meeting up with him alone? You think you’re fooling me? You’re fucking worthless!""That’s not how it is, I—""I told you to shut the fuck up!"I couldn’t hold back the anguish and sadness in my chest. Even staying silent, I couldn’t stop myself from sobbing. William pulled over on a narrow street, out on the outskirts of the village. He was breathing heavily."William, your nose is bleeding. A
The day started off cloudy, with rain in the forecast for the weekend. I wondered if I’d still be able to watch the eclipse with Mr. Ghost. It had been over a week since I last saw him. After a full day of rest, it was time to get back to work. I grabbed Precious and started playing my songs, fine-tuning the arrangements. During my lunch break, I ended up thinking about Nicolas and sent him a short audio clip of a song’s chorus along with a message:Eliza: Congrats on your graduation, brother! Consider this audio a sneak peek of your gift!Nicolas: A sneak peek? Are you finally gonna show me the new songs? I should’ve graduated sooner!He replied just a few moments later. As I was typing out a response, my phone started ringing. It was him!“Lisa, we need to meet up,” he said as soon as I answered. I could hear the anxiety in his voice.“What’s going on?”“There’s no one home right now. Can you come over? I really need to tell you something. And while you’re here, you can show me the