LOGINI barely slept that night.Every time I close my eyes, I see Draven sitting in my living room.Alive.Not a dream.Not a memory.Not a ghost my mind created because I missed him.Alive.When morning finally comes, I lie in bed for several minutes, staring at the ceiling.I can hear movement downstairs.Draven.I get out of bed and freshen up before making my way downstairs.The moment I enter the kitchen, I find him standing near the counter with a cup in his hand.He turns when he hears me.For a second, neither of us speaks.“Good morning,” he says.“Good morning.”His eyes move over my face.“Did you sleep?”“A little.”He gives a small nod.“So did I.”I almost smile.Almost.Instead, I walk toward the counter and reach for a glass.Draven moves aside immediately to give me space.I pour myself some water.For a few seconds, the only sound between us is the quiet clink of the glass against the counter.Then he speaks.“Are you still running the mechanic shop?”I look at him.“Yes.
I stare at him.For a moment, I don’t know what to say.There are so many things I could say.That I understand.That I missed him.That I thought about him more times than I could ever admit.That seeing him alive has torn open something inside me that I spent two years trying to bury.But none of those words come out.Because there is another truth sitting between us.Draven may have spent two years wondering whether I hated him.I spent two years learning how to live without him.And those are not the same thing.I slowly pull my hand from his.His fingers loosen immediately.He doesn’t try to stop me.That hurts more than I expect.I look down at my hands for a moment before lifting my eyes to him again.“You said you were afraid I wouldn’t want you anymore.”His expression tightens.“Yes.”“Do you know why that could happen?”He doesn’t answer.I take a breath.“Because you were the one who taught me that I could lose you even when I had done nothing wrong.”His face falls slight
Rhiannon’s gaze drops to our hands again.“So you stayed with the doctor.”“Yes.”“For two years?”I nod.“He was the only person who understood what was happening to me. Even then, he didn’t have all the answers.”I let out a slow breath.“He spent those two years teaching me how to control it. How to separate my emotions from everyone else’s. How to shut the ability down when I didn’t need it. How to keep the energy from reacting every time my emotions changed.”“And eventually I could control it…. Most of the time.”Her eyes narrow slightly.“Most?”I give her a faint, humorless smile.“I thought I had mastered it.”I glance toward the window.“For months, nothing happened. The energy stayed quiet. I could control my healing. I could control what I sensed. I could touch someone without immediately feeling everything inside them.”My gaze returns to hers.“I thought I was finally safe.”Rhiannon’s expression changes as she remembers tonight.The shaking.The heat coming from my skin
I watch Rhiannon closely as she listens.“The moonpriest expected my heart to stop completely,” I continue. “He thought that once my wolf left me, there would be nothing left to keep my body alive. But that didn’t happen.”Her fingers remain wrapped around mine.“My heart stopped,” I say quietly. “But my body kept fighting.”Rhiannon’s brows draw together.“The silver poisoning was still inside me. So was the Dark Witch’s fire. They should have destroyed what was left of me, but somehow…”I pause, remembering the first days after I woke.“They fused.”Her eyes widen slightly.“Fused?”I nod.“The moonpriest had never seen anything like it. He didn’t even know what to call it at first. He only knew that whatever happened inside my body was the reason I was still breathing.”Rhiannon studies my face.“What kept you alive?”I look down at our joined hands.“The doctor discovered something moving through my blood.”Her expression changes.“Something?”“An energy.”I swallow.“It was unfam
DRAVENI shouldn’t be reacting like this.That’s the first thought that cuts through everything else.I was sure I had this under control. Months of training it down. Months of learning how to silence what I couldn’t name at first. Orphe had been quiet lately. Almost obedient in a way that made me believe I had finally mastered whatever I became.So why now?Why the moment she stands in front of me again does everything start to slip?“Orphe…” Rhiannon’s voice breaks slightly when she says it. “What does that mean?”It hits me harder than I expect.Not because of the question.But because of her eyes when she asks it.There’s fear there. Real fear. The kind I told myself I would never put in her again.My chest tightens, and I feel it immediately—Orphe reacting under my skin. Not violent. Not loud. Just… awake.No.Not now.Not here.Not when she’s looking at me like that.I try to steady my breath, but it doesn’t fully settle. My hands are shaking, and I don’t realize it until she mo
The words stay between us. And I just watch him.Something shifts in his face.It’s small. Easy to miss if I wasn’t already looking too closely. His eyes hold mine for a second longer, then he looks away, like he needs that space just to breathe. His hand comes up, dragging slowly through his hair, pushing it back before falling again. It’s not a careless movement. It looks… strained.Like he’s holding something in.“I didn’t come back the same,” he says.His voice is quieter now. Rougher.I don’t interrupt.“I’m… wolfless.” He pauses, like the word itself doesn’t sit right in his mouth. “My wolf is inside you.”That second pulse that’s always beating in my chest.I feel it before I even think about it. Low and steady. My fingers press lightly against my shirt without meaning to.He looks at me again, softly this time.“I’ve missed you, Rhiannon.”Something in the way he says it makes my throat tighten.“It’s so hard to breathe right now. I—” He stops himself, like the rest of the wor
“Why her?” I whisper. “She was my best friend.”I watch his face change.The drop in his expression mirrors the way my stomach fell the day everything shattered. There’s no pretending he didn’t feel that. His wolf reacts too—I sense it, that low, wounded confusion rippling through the bond we never
Like they say, if you want to conquer the villain, you go the extra mile to prove your point.That thought settles deep in my chest the moment I open my eyes.The room is quiet, the early morning light barely slipping through the curtains, but my mind has been loud all night. I didn’t sleep. Every
RHIANNONMy heart is racing so hard I can feel it in my throat.Draven is only a few steps away from me now. Too close. Close enough that I can see the tension in his shoulders, the storm in his eyes. Close enough that whatever is between us—whatever never really died—feels like it’s about to drag
DRAVENThe second they walk into the party, it hits me again, harder this time. Like a wound I keep pretending has healed but rips open every time I see them together. It shouldn’t hurt this much anymore. I’ve seen her with him for days now. I should be numb by now. But I’m not. I’m nowhere close.







