Chapter 6 - Hallucinations or real?

Lyra

"What… are you?" I whispered, my voice barely a breath, shaking like a leaf caught in a storm.

Nick stared down at me, his eyes still glowing, icy, sharp, unreadable. His chest rose and fell with a wild rhythm, and his lips, those same lips that had kissed me like they needed me were brushing against mine again. My body tensed. I wanted to fight, to push him away, but the heat of his mouth on mine melted my resistance.

No. No, no, no—

I tried to move, to scream, but everything started spinning. My vision flickered like a faulty light bulb. His face blurred. My legs gave out.

And then… nothing.

~~~

“Lyra! Lyra!”

A familiar voice echoed in the distance, frantic and cracking with emotion.

My eyelids fluttered open.

Bright lights, then a face, Mirae’s, hovering over me, tears streaming down her cheeks like she’d been crying for hours. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, panic dancing in them.

“Why are you crying?” I croaked, throat dry. I reached up weakly to touch her face.

She let out a sob and pulled me into the tightest hug she could manage. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” she whispered fiercely. “You were just lying there on the ground, Lyra! I thought something had happened to you. I thought…God, I thought you were—”

Her voice broke again.

I clung to her, heart still hammering.

I turned my head and saw people gathered around. Faces blurred by the misty night, but I recognized a few.

Rixa.

Arms crossed, eyes rolling.

Standing beside her like her loyal puppet… Jay.

“I knew she’d cause drama,” Rixa spat with a sneer. “Let’s go.”

She grabbed Jay’s arm, tugging him like a leash.

He didn’t even glance back.

Not once.

He just followed her.

Like a dog.

A lump formed in my throat. I had come here to make him regret losing me… and instead, I’d collapsed on the ground like a joke. Humiliated myself.

I looked away.

“What happened out here?” Mirae asked gently, helping me sit up.

Pain flared through my legs. I winced, clutching my thigh. “I… I don’t know. My legs hurt. I must’ve fallen. But…”

My brows furrowed. My brain felt foggy.

“I remember leaving the party after seeing Jay and Rixa… and then…”

I stopped.

There was something else.

Something terrifying.

But every time I reached for it in my memory, it slipped away like smoke.

Why can't I remember that detail?

What happened?

I tried standing again, dragging my feet slowly, leaning against Mirae for balance—

And then Jay appeared.

He rushed back, a frown on his face, bending down to help.

I blinked. Shocked, but not surprised.

Of course.

Now he notices.

Mirae nearly exploded beside me.

“Oh, now you care?” she snapped. “Get away from her. She doesn’t need your help, you cheat!.”

Jay ignored her. His eyes were on me, guilt painted across his face. “Let me carry you,” he said quietly. “Please.”

My heart twisted at his voice.

But before I could answer—

Rixa stormed back, heels clicking angrily. “Jay! What are you doing? I thought you two were over!”

Jay was silent.

Spineless.

She clutched his arm. “Come with me. Right now. Or I swear, we’re done.”

I looked at him, still pissed.

And then—

Nick stepped in front of me.

Like a shadow out of nowhere.

As soon as I saw him, something inside me… sparked. Lit up.

I hated it.

But I also didn’t.

He looked at me, a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. “Mind if I carry you instead?” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Since you and I are both single now, maybe we should mingle. Because I’m interested.”

The world stopped.

Mirae gasped. “Yes! Go ahead, carry her!” she said gleefully, patting my back.

Before I knew it, I was on his back, arms around his neck.

The warmth of him enveloped me, solid and steady.

But then, my vision twisted. Doubled. My head throbbed like it was splitting in two.

And suddenly, I saw it.

A flash.

A werewolf. Charging straight at me.

I screamed, flinching hard, nearly falling off his back.

Nick caught me instantly, holding me tight. “I got you,” he said under his breath, steadying me.

My breath came in short, sharp bursts. What the hell was that?

It must be the illness. The doctor said there might be hallucinations. Maybe that’s what it was…

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, still clinging to him, my voice a cracked whisper.

Nick didn’t respond right away.

But I saw her.

Rixa.

Frozen. Watching me on Nick’s back like she’d just seen a ghost.

She wanted him back. It was obvious now.

And she was using Jay to get to him.

So I tightened my grip around Nick’s shoulders, resting my head against him… just to make her bleed a little inside.

Nick stopped walking.

Then, to my utter shock, he turned me around, effortlessly shifting me so I was facing him now, his hands still under my thighs, holding me like I weighed nothing.

I was breathless.

My heart raced.

Everyone was watching.

“What are you doing?” I asked, barely able to speak.

He looked straight at me.

“Want to know why I’m doing all this?” he asked.

I nodded.

He leaned in.

And kissed me.

Right there. In front of everyone.

Gasps filled the air. I could feel the stares like fire on my skin, but all I could focus on was his lips. The way they moved against mine, hot and confident, like he didn’t care who saw.

He pulled back slightly, just enough for his words to land.

“That’s the answer,” he murmured.

“I’m doing all this because I’m interested in you. One hundred percent interested.”

My breath caught.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

He was serious. I could see it in his eyes. No smirk. No tease.

I stared at him, lost.

How could a guy like him, a known heartbreaker, be interested in… me?

Was this a joke?