ANMELDENGianna.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.“I can’t question fate, sis.”Alina’s lips curved slightly after she said it. Not enough to count as a smile. Just enough to make something cold crawl beneath my skin.Then she walked away.Just like that.Calm.Like she hadn’t just admitted she wanted me dead.I stood there staring after her for a second too long, my fingers tightening around the wine glass so hard I thought it might crack.The ceremony around me continued anyway.Music still played softly somewhere behind me. People still talked. Laughed. Moved through the glowing lights and flickering bonfires like the world hadn’t just tilted sideways beneath my feet.But suddenly all the sounds felt distant.Muted.My chest tightened slowly.Not explosive anger. Not heartbreak.Something quieter.Something worse.Because deep down…a part of me had already known.Alina stopped being my sister a long time ago.I think I just never wanted to say it out loud.My throat tightened painfully.Images flashed through my mind too
Gianna.The Hall of Crescent Flames.That’s what the elders called it.A ceremonial gathering held before an heir officially stepped fully into Alphahood. Part celebration. Part presentation. Part warning.Because according to pack tradition, the night wasn’t only about honoring the future Alpha.It was about seeing the future beside him too.I hated that already.“You’re staring at the dress like it personally insulted your ancestors,” mum said from behind me.I looked up through the mirror slowly.“I think it did.”A faint laugh slipped from her lips as she walked closer, fingers smoothing invisible wrinkles from my shoulder like she needed something to do with her hands.The dress itself wasn’t bad.Actually… it was beautiful.Dark silver fabric clung softly around my waist before flowing down to the floor in slow waves. The sleeves rested slightly off my shoulders, exposing my collarbones and the curve of my neck in a way that suddenly made me too aware of my own skin.Too aware o
Ivan.The house felt… normal.That was the unsettling part.Nothing about it matched the weight sitting in my chest.Voices downstairs.Cutlery faintly clinking.Doors opening and closing like any other day.Like nothing had shifted.Like the world hadn’t quietly tilted under our feet.I stood by the window in my room, fingers resting against the frame, my gaze unfocused as it drifted past the compound walls.Cars moved.People lived.And yet—It had already begun.The seer’s voice didn’t echo.It didn’t need to.It stayed.Quiet. Certain.I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face.Gianna.The image of her earlier slipped in without warning.The way she paused before answering.The slight tension behind her eyes.The way she said “I’m fine” like she needed it to be true.My jaw tightened.That wasn’t just stress.I knew stress.That wasn’t it.A knock sounded at my door.Firm. Familiar.“Come in.”The door opened, and Dad stepped in, closing it behind him.No hesitation.No small
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
Gianna. My whole body ached.Not the normal kind of ache. The kind that came from heat — from memories I couldn’t shake. The kind that still burned even after the fire was gone.I turned on my side and groaned. The sheets still smelled like him. My skin still buzzed, and no matter how many times I
Gianna. The sunlight slipped through the curtains, warm and irritating. My body felt heavy, like I’d run miles in my sleep. I groaned, rolling over, and immediately regretted it. My skin was hot—too hot. It wasn’t just warmth; it was a slow burn that crawled beneath my flesh.Oh, no.“Don’t tell m
Gianna. I woke up staring at the ceiling, sunlight leaking through the curtains. My body felt heavy, like I hadn’t actually rested.A knock came at the door.“Be down in five, Gia!” Mum’s voice sang, and then her footsteps faded.I groaned and dragged myself out of bed. After brushing my teeth and







