로그인Ivan.Something was wrong.I knew it before Gianna even looked at me.She sat frozen beside me on the bed, fingers still loosely holding one of the flashcards while her breathing turned uneven. Too shallow. Too sharp.My chest tightened immediately.“Ginger?”No response.The air in the room felt strange suddenly. Heavy. Wrong.I sat up straighter beside her, watching carefully as her eyes unfocused slightly like she was listening to something far away.Or someone.“Gia.”Her head snapped toward me instantly.And for the first time in a very long time, fear hit me hard enough to make my stomach twist.Because she looked terrified.Not of me though.“Hey,” I said quietly, reaching for her carefully. “Talk to me.”She flinched.Actually flinched.The movement hit me like a punch to the chest.Gianna never flinched away from me.Her breathing became sharper immediately after. Like she regretted the reaction herself.“I’m okay,” she said too quickly.Lie.I could hear it in her heartbeat.
Gianna.“Bye Cas,” I said, shutting the car door.Cassie smiled at me through the driver’s window before pulling away from the curb, her headlights disappearing slowly down the street.I stood there for a second longer than necessary, staring after her car.My chest still felt strangely warm from everything that happened earlier.Rue forgiving me. Cassie crying over me. People staying.God.I didn’t think I realized how badly I needed that until now.The evening air brushed lightly against my skin as I finally turned toward the house, exhaustion settling deeper into my bones with every step.The second I stepped inside, I headed straight for the kitchen.I was craving something sugary so badly it almost felt aggressive.Thank God there was still leftover cake in the fridge.I grabbed it immediately along with a fork before heading upstairs to my room.The moment I got inside, I kicked my shoes off carelessly before collapsing dramatically onto the bed with the plate balanced against m
Gianna.For the first time in days, my chest didn’t feel unbearably heavy.Not okay. Definitely not okay.But lighter.Like somebody had loosened a rope around my ribs just enough for me to breathe properly again.Rue and I were okay.Well… not fully okay.There were still cracks there. Awkwardness too. But it wasn’t broken anymore and honestly? That mattered more than I realized.I didn’t know how much losing her had been affecting me until I got her back.It felt strange.Good strange.The kind that sat quietly in your chest and made everything hurt a little less.I walked beside Cassie toward the parking lot after our conversation, the afternoon sun warming lightly against my skin while students flooded around us noisily.“You seem more cheerful,” Cassie said casually.I gasped softly.“So you’re saying I’ve been looking dead?”“I’m serious,” she continued, eyeing me suspiciously. “You don’t look like you’re two seconds away from a mental breakdown anymore.”“That’s growth.”“I’m c
Gianna.School felt unbearably loud today.Not loud in an actual way.Nobody was screaming. Nobody was causing chaos in the hallway. Conversations blurred together normally around me, lockers slammed shut, people laughed too hard at things that probably weren’t even funny.Normal.Everything was painfully normal.And somehow that made me feel worse.I know what you're thinking. Why does that make me feel worse?Because it seemed like the world kept moving anyway.People still worried about assignments. About failed quizzes. About who was dating who. Someone somewhere was probably crying over a situationship while I was actively trying not to spiral over the possibility of dying or turning rogue.And the craziest part?I still had to sit here and pretend my life wasn’t quietly falling apart.I still had to blend into normal when nothing about my life felt normal anymore.My head leaned back lightly against the chair as the lecturer continued talking from the front of the room, his voic
Gianna.Ivan exhaled softly before pressing one quick kiss against my forehead.“Stay here,” he murmured.“Absolutely not.”A faint breath of amusement escaped him despite everything.Then he turned and walked toward the door.Marcus's eyes landed on Ivan's neck.Silence.Heavy silence.I watched Marcus’s expression change in real time.Confusion.Realization.Then disbelief.“What have you done?”My chest tightened instantly.Ivan barely reacted.“You make it sound criminal.”Marcus looked genuinely frustrated now.“Ivan.”He dragged a hand down his face slowly.“She marked you?”The words made heat rush straight to my face.God.Hearing someone else say it out loud made it feel even more intimate somehow.Like the mark suddenly became real in an entirely different way.Not just ours anymore.Visible.Noticeable.Something other people could see and understand.Ivan didn’t hesitate.“Yes.”Marcus stared at him for a second longer like he was waiting for him to realize the problem on
Gianna.My fingers stayed curled lightly against the back of his neck.Still hesitant. Still nervous.But no longer uncertain.Because this wasn’t fate forcing my hand.This was me choosing him back.The room had gone quiet again.Not awkwardly quiet.Heavy quiet.The kind that made every breath feel louder.Ivan didn’t rush me. That somehow made it worse.Because if he pushed, maybe this would feel easier. Less terrifying. Less real.But he just stood there patiently, his hands resting carefully against my waist like he was giving me room to decide even now.Even after asking.My eyes flicked toward his neck briefly.Marking.God.My heartbeat sped up again.I knew what it meant for wolves. Everyone did.It wasn’t casual. It wasn’t temporary. It wasn’t something you took back after emotions settled.It meant mine.Not ownership in the cruel sense.Recognition.Trust so deep it became instinct.And suddenly I became painfully aware of the fact that Ivan was standing here willingly ask
Gianna.By the time Alina had left, I felt a strange mix of relief and exhaustion. The school day had been long, but having Cassie and Rue around afterward helped me breathe again. We all left to grab something to eat, their teasing and laughter filling the air like a gentle distraction. I laughed
Gianna. The atmosphere changed the moment I crossed into the city. It wasn’t dramatic. No sign, no sudden shift in scenery. Just a feeling. Like the air itself remembered me. Memories pressed in from every direction, uninvited and relentless. It felt strange being here again, but also painfully
Gianna.I woke up with tears already sliding down my temples, soaking into the pillow before I even understood why I was crying. My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped a band around my ribs and kept pulling. Another memory. Or fragments of one. Faces that were now easily recognizable. Voice
Gianna. His lips… God, his lips were fire.The moment Ivan’s mouth claimed mine again, everything inside me snapped. There was no ceiling, no walls, no logic — just heat and want and a maddening hunger that clawed up my chest like it wanted to devour me from the inside out.His hand slid around my







