Lyra“What?” The word slipped from my mouth, but before I could catch my breath, Nick pulled me closer. My heart hammered as his face inched toward mine, so close that his breath mingled with mine. The air between us burned.“Stop this,” I whispered, my cheeks flaming hot. My hands pressed lightly against his chest, but my strength felt useless against the pull of his touch.“No.” His voice was sharp, absolute. His arms tightened around me, dragging me closer until our noses nearly brushed. My lashes fluttered shut instinctively as his lips hovered over mine, close enough that every nerve in my body screamed for contact.“Lyra? Are you already asleep?” Mirae’s voice rang from the hallway, slicing through the moment like a knife.Panic shot through me. I jerked, trying to push away, to escape before she opened the door. But Nick was faster. He caught me by the waist and pulled me back down, my body crashing against his. I landed on him clumsily, breathless, his chest solid beneath me.
LyraI danced into the shared room, unable to stop the grin stretched across my face. My cheeks hurt from smiling, but I didn’t care. The air felt different around me, light, electric.Mirae froze mid-motion, the knife still in her hand, the fruit she was cutting forgotten. Her brows shot up in shock.“Did something good happen?” she asked, her tone cautious but curious. She held a slice of mango, juice dripping onto her fingers, staring at me like I had completely lost it.I rushed over to her and hugged her tightly, laughter spilling out of me. “Yes, Mirae! Something more than good. Thank you for calling Nick! You’re seriously the best.”Her body stiffened in my arms. “What’s gotten into you? You’re making me uncomfortable.” She tried to squirm away, but I held on for a second longer before letting go.I bit my lip, my heart fluttering all over again. I couldn’t tell her everything, the truth about Jay, about how it wasn’t him all this while. She’d never believe me. Still, I couldn
Lyra“Suck me!”The words burst out of me before I could stop them. My voice cracked, desperate, trembling.Nick’s eyes, red, wild, like molten fire, snapped up to mine. For a heartbeat, he froze, staring at me as if I had just punched the air out of him. His chest rose and fell raggedly, his lips quivering like he was fighting something inside.I was supposed to run. That was what he wanted. That was what he begged me to do. But my legs never moved. How could I leave him here, breaking apart, when I knew he’d die without me?His eyes twitched, the red burning brighter, and for a terrifying moment, I thought he would actually do it, that he would sink his fangs into me, drink until I crumbled in his arms.He leaned closer, his lips hovering above the blood seeping from my palm. I held my breath, closed my eyes, bracing myself. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst.But instead of the sharp sting I expected, I felt something else, warm, careful, tender.I gasped and opened
Nick“What? Love?” Damian spat, his voice sharp, mocking, cutting through the air like glass. His lips curled in disdain as he took a step closer. “Do you even know what love is? Huh?” His tone dripped with venom, eyes narrowing like daggers aimed straight at me.Rage swelled inside me, burning through my chest. My hands clenched into fists so tight my claws almost pierced my own palms. Love? He had no right to even utter that word. This man, this monster, didn’t know the first thing about it.He abandoned us, he abandoned me. He abused my mother until she broke, until she had no choice but to run. And yet she still carried me inside her, the child of that same monster who now stood before me, mocking everything I had ever protected.I could still hear her voice when she told me the truth. The way her eyes welled up when she admitted how he used to hurt her, how she endured his cruelty until she couldn’t anymore. And this… this was the man who had cursed me. My curse wasn’t some rand
Lyra“Nick, please… save me!” My voice tore out of me, broken and desperate, my palms clapped tightly together as if prayer alone could bring him.But the silence mocked me.Now I regretted everything. Every doubt. Every cruel word. Every time I didn’t believe him. Nick wasn’t the killer werewolf… he never was. And yet here I was, trapped in this nightmare, staring into the twisted smile of a monster who had worn Jay’s face like a mask. My mind screamed, trying to make sense of it, Jay wasn’t Jay. He was never Jay. He was this. Damian.His breath ghosted over my skin, hot and vile, his fangs already grazing the side of my neck. My body stiffened, my pulse screaming in terror.“No!” With every ounce of strength I had, I jerked forward, ramming my forehead into his temple. His growl ripped through the silence, low and furious.“Ouch…” Damian’s head tilted back, his hand clutching at his temple.I didn’t wait. My legs moved before my brain caught up. I ran. I ran like a madwoman, like th
Lyra“Are you there?” The officer’s voice rang out from the other end of the phone, sharp and official.My throat closed. No. This can’t be happening. My stomach twisted violently. My Nick… what if he was in danger because of this? I couldn’t let that happen.“I—” my voice cracked, but before I could speak again, the officer continued, his tone heavy with suspicion.“We would need to recheck the clothes you gave us that day. Please return them so we can analyze again… or do you know who owned those clothes?”The world stopped spinning for a moment. My lungs froze, but then, relief. They didn’t know. They weren’t sure. I exhaled shakily, my shoulders sagging as the tension bled out of me.Before I could answer, Mirae snatched the phone on the floor, her eyes wide, her jaw tight. “We just found that coat on the floor,” she said smoothly, though her tone shook with impatience. “And we’ve thrown it away. We don’t have it anymore.”She didn’t wait for their response. Her thumb hit the scre