Masuk
“Oh there you are, Sera!,” My mother beamed as I walked into the sitting room dragging my wet umbrella behind me.
“Hi mum.” I made to hug her but stopped when I saw that my whole family were gathered in the sitting room - including my boyfriend, Kael.
My brow raised in surprise. He never told me he was coming over. Fuck I've been texting him all day but he never responded.
Was everything okay?
But judging from the grin on my parent's face, everything was perfectly fine.
But what's going on?
“Come on in dear. Come in. We have got great news.”
“Exciting one!” Dad quipped in and I raised my brow as I took off my coat and followed my mother into the sitting room.
“What's going on?”
Kael was seated beside my sister and he was the only one not smiling.
No - instead he's trying as much as possible to avoid my gaze.
Which just raised my suspicions because seriously - what was going on?
“Okay, so hit me! What's the good news?”
“Your sister Thalia here and Kael are engaged! They are to wed next week.”
I blinked and turned to my mum with eyes wide open. Surely I didn't hear her right.
“What?” I breathed, my heart suddenly beating faster.
“Kael and I just got engaged. We are to wed next week.” Thalia said, and I shook my head in disbelief.
Kael.
As in, Kael, my boyfriend?
But..how?
“Oh I'm so excited. There is so much that we need to plan, so much.”
I stared at my mother, dumbfounded at her reactions.
Was she for real?
What on earth is going on?
Kael is my boyfriend. My. Boyfriend and -
I turned my gaze to him but he averted his gaze and stared fixedly on the floor.
“I…I don't understand.. understand.” I stammered standing up from my chair when it became clearer that this was no joke, my head spinning.
“You are marrying my boyfriend?!”
Thalia shrugged, “you mean my fiancé?”
I scoffed in frustration.
How could they all sit here like everything was normal? How could they be happy - rubbing the news to my face?
What the fuck happened?
How did this happen? Kael and I were on a date just last night and now he's marrying my sister?
“This better a joke because goddess help me — “ I turned to my mum and my anger increased “you are excited? You knew about this? You knew Kael is my boyfriend and you are okay with this? You knew they were going out behind my back?”
My mother rolled her eyes as if I was just being ridiculous, “what do you expect us to do? The boy made his choice Sera. You cannot crucify him for choosing.”
My knees almost gave out on me but I steadied my stance - just so I won't embarrass myself by falling in front of them.
“Mother…”
“For god's sake, Sera, do not be so dramatic! The least you could do is be happy for me.” Thalia snapped and I laughed, my vision blurred with tears as I stared at my beautiful sister.
“Happy for you? All my life, Thalia, you have always had it all. The attention, the love, the care. Every single thing and just when I thought I found my own happiness - you couldn't allow me to have that too.” a tear fell and I brushed it off, “and our parents have always supported you. You want my congratulations? Fine! Congratulations! I hope you two rot in hell!!!! I hope you meet death!!”
KENIA.I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t do anything but stand there, frozen, as Clark reached up and touched his face.The bond between us pulsed with his emotions. Resignation. Fear. And something that felt almost like relief, like he’d been carrying this secret for so long that revealing it was a weight lifted.His fingers found the edge of something I couldn’t see at first. And then he pulled.The skin came away in strips. I watched, horror rising in my throat, as he peeled away his face like it was a mask. No blood. No pain. Just the smooth, deliberate removal of what I had thought was real.Underneath was something else entirely.Gray skin, smooth and almost luminescent in the moonlight. No hair. No human features, just the approximation of a face with eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness. His entire form shifted as more of the human disguise fell away, revealing something ancient and wrong and utterly alien.My legs gave out. I hit the ground hard, my knees sin
CLARK.The week crawled by like a dying thing. I spent most of my time at the hospital, playing the role of the concerned son while my father lay unmoving in his bed. My mother barely left his side, surviving on coffee and false hope. The doctors came and went, their expressions growing more uncertain with each visit.“No change,” they said. “We’re monitoring him closely I sat through it all with practiced patience, offering my mother empty reassurances while my mind was elsewhere. At night, I returned to my mansion, to my secret lab where Gowen worked tirelessly on new formulas.“Master, you need to try this one,” the dwarf said on the third night, holding up a vial filled with liquid that shimmered like oil on water. “I’ve refined the compound. It should stabilize your form even better than the last batch.”I took it from his small hands and examined it. The liquid moved strangely inside the vial, almost alive. “What did you change?”“The molecular structure. I added an enzyme
CLARK.The hospital smelled like bleach and something else underneath, something organic and rotting that the chemicals couldn’t quite mask. I had always hated hospitals. Too many emotions concentrated in one place, too much pain and fear and grief swirling through the air like invisible smoke. I stood outside my father’s room, watching through the small window in the door. He lay on the bed, perfectly still, tubes running from his arms, machines beeping steadily beside him. His chest rose and fell with mechanical precision, kept alive by technology rather than any will of his own. My mother sat in a chair beside him, her hand wrapped around his. Her face was blotchy from crying, her eyes red and swollen. She looked smaller than usual, diminished somehow, like grief was physically crushing her.I felt nothing.The door opened and one of the doctors stepped out, nearly bumping into me. He was young, probably only a few years out of medical school, with the kind of eager competence
KENIA.The man I had cornered in the alley wasn’t a threat. At least, not to me. Walmer stood there with his arms crossed, his weathered face calm despite the fact that I had just tracked him down like prey. The afternoon sun caught the gray in his hair, making him look older than I remembered. But his posture was straight, his eyes alert. This was a wolf who’d seen battles, survived wars, and carried the weight of our pack’s history on his shoulders. “Walmer.” I said again, trying to keep my voice level. “You owe me a full explanation. Not just bits and pieces.”He nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. “Walk with me. Not here.”I glanced back toward the mall entrance where Jenny and Laura were probably getting impatient. But this was more important. I needed to understand what was happening, why someone from my pack was trailing me like I was some kind of target.“Fine,” I said. “But you have ten minutes. My friends are waiting.”“That’s all I need.” We walked deeper into the
KENIA. Monday morning came too fast. The alarm on my phone went off at six, dragging me out of a dream I couldn’t remember. I groaned and reached for it, squinting at the screen before shutting it off.“Turn that thing off,” Jenny mumbled from her bed, her face buried in her pillow.“I already did,” I said, stretching. My body felt heavy, like I hadn’t slept at all. Laura was already up, sitting at her desk with her laptop open, her hair tied in a messy bun.“You’re up early,” I said, rubbing my eyes.“Couldn’t sleep,” she replied without looking at me. “Figured I could get some studying done.”I didn’t push. Laura had been quieter than usual since the club incident, and I knew better than to pry when she wasn’t ready to talk. We all have been growing distant lately but none of us were ready to confront that. Just flowing with any energy the day brings. I refused to be the first to speak up.By seven, we were all dressed and heading to class. The campus was buzzing with students,
CLARK. The private jet arrived at the Earnshaw’s Mansion on Sunday morning, I came down with a cold aura, practically ignoring everyone who stood outside to welcome me. “Welcome home, young master.” The guards and the maids' voices echoed in unison. I didn’t spare them a glance and walked into the Sitting room. My mum and Dad were both waiting for me. Mum rushed towards me, pulling me into a warm hug. “Welcome home son.” She kissed my cheeks. “Thank you mum.” I said, trying to sound excited to be home. I pulled away from her, my gaze locked into my dad’s eyes. “Clark.”I fought the urge not to roll my eyes at his voice, “yes —dad.” “Can you see the way he’s replying me?.” Mr Earnshaw directed his flimsy question to mum. “Calm down darling. He just came back from school and is exhausted. Give him space to breathe.” Mrs Earnshaw cautioned her husband and took my arms. “Come son. I made all your favorite dishes .” She led me to the dining table. Different dishes were set







