LOGINThalassa’s POVI led Cynthia toward the dining table, my steps a little slower than usual, like my mind wasn’t fully present in my body. The house felt strangely quiet, too quiet for a place that usually had Karen’s voice somewhere in the background or Veran’s heavy footsteps moving around.But today… nothing.I glanced around again as we reached the dining area. The long table was already set, beautifully as always. Plates, cutlery, glasses neatly arranged. And then the food—so many different dishes it almost looked like a celebration no one told me about. The aroma hit me immediately, warm and rich, wrapping around my senses in a way that made my stomach tighten with sudden hunger.For a moment, I just stood there, staring.Cynthia let out a soft sound beside me. “Wow…”I nodded slightly, still distracted, still wondering where Karen and Veran had gone. It wasn’t like them to just disappear without saying anything, especially not when food was ready. Something about the silence felt
Hearing my wolf, I frowned and turned inward. “Why are you asking about Cynthia?” I muttered under my breath as I continued walking forward, stuffing my phone into my pocket. “There is nothing I’m going to do about Cynthia,” I said firmly.“She is Thalasa’s friend,” I added, more to convince myself than anything else. “Anything I do will only come back to her. You know how much Thalasa cherishes Cynthia, so there is nothing I can do.”My wolf stayed silent, but I could still feel its presence pressing at the back of my mind, like it wasn’t fully satisfied with my answer.Then I heard footsteps behind me.I paused and slowly turned.It was Veran.He looked at me for a moment before speaking, his eyes sharp and unreadable. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “Who were you talking to?”I let out a small breath, trying to act normal even though I knew he had already noticed something off.“Who are you talking to?” Veran asked again, stepping closer, his tone more direct this time.I t
Kael povI stared at the spot where Thalasa had just walked away from, something heavy settling deep in my chest.It wasn’t just unease.It was darker than that.A quiet, creeping feeling that something wasn’t right… that something was being kept from me.Then my wolf, Ethan, stirred.Why do I feel like she’s hiding something from us? he asked, his voice low and suspicious.I clenched my jaw, immediately pushing back against him.“I already know she’s hiding something,” I muttered under my breath. “But don’t start putting doubts into my head.”Still, I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair as the thought refused to leave.“There’s something deeper,” I admitted quietly. “Something she’s not telling us.”My eyes narrowed slightly.“What is Thalasa hiding?” I questioned inwardly. “What is she keeping from all of us… from me?”Over the past few days, I had noticed it.The change.It wasn’t obvious at first, but now it was impossible to ignore. Her behavior had shifted—more guarde
“Yes… for the part where you said he never seems to amaze you,” I replied slowly, a faint, amused smirk playing on my lips. “You’re right. Karen has a way of constantly exceeding expectations… just never in the way people hope.”Thor watched me closely, the corner of his lips still curved with that cold amusement, but I could see it now—his interest was fully caught.“Well,” he said, leaning forward slightly, his tone sharpening with curiosity, “how exactly is she connected to Karen?”I didn’t miss the shift.The moment Karen’s name became central to the matter, Thor’s attention locked in completely. Whatever hesitation he might have had earlier was gone. This was no longer just business—it was personal.And that made him predictable.A useful kind of predictable.I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other, letting the silence stretch just enough to build tension.“It’s… an interesting situation,” I said at last, my voice calm but deliberate.My gaze held his, steady a
Kael pov“Kael, what brought you here?” he asked suddenly.A faint smile curved on my lips as I stepped further into the room.“Thor,” I said calmly, “you know me well enough to understand that I don’t come here unless it’s for something important. I don’t move without reason.”He didn’t answer immediately.Instead, his attention returned to the golden chessboard in front of him. He was playing alone, moving the pieces with quiet precision, like every step had already been calculated far ahead. His legs were crossed, his posture relaxed, but nothing about him was careless.“Have a seat,” he said after a moment, gesturing lightly.I followed his motion, my smile lingering as I walked over and took the seat opposite him. I settled in slowly, my eyes never leaving him.Only then did he lift his gaze to meet mine.“So tell me, Kael,” he said, leaning back slightly. “How may I help you?”I held his gaze, my expression calm, but my mind already ten steps ahead of this conversation.“You see
Thalassa pov“Because I don’t want to lose you,” I said, my voice trembling as I held onto her.“This… this is still the early stage. It’s the only time we can actually fight it before it gets worse. Your hair is already changing, Cynthia. It’s slowly turning white, and that’s just the beginning. If this continues, it won’t stop there. It will start affecting everything—your body, your skin, even the way you look.”I swallowed hard, forcing myself to continue even though the words hurt to say.“You’ve already awakened the power. I have seen people whose powers have awakened, its danger, so I understand how hard it is to suppress it once it starts. It’s not something you can just shut down, but we can control it. We have to control it.”My grip on her tightened slightly.“But the way you’re holding onto this pain… the way you keep reliving it in your mind… it’s making it harder. The power feeds on that, Cynthia. It grows stronger because of it, and the more it grows, the harder it beco
“Why did you—” I started, my voice shaky as my brain struggled to catch up with what had just happened.“Kiss you?” he finished calmly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.I blinked at him in shock. He didn’t even look embarrassed. No apology. No awkwardness. Just that usual calm expre
Before us lay Phillip.He was on the ground, completely still, his lips pale like snow, and his skin had turned a frightening shade of bluish white. For a moment, my brain refused to understand what my eyes were seeing.Cynthia gasped beside me, and her grip on my arm tightened painfully. Our eyes
Then the game started again.As if nothing had happened.As if a girl hadn’t just been shot right in front of us.The bottle spun once more, clinking softly against the table, and people began answering again. This time, everyone told the truth. No lies. No hesitation. Fear had done its job. The ru
After the whole back-and-forth with Phillip finally ended, Cynthia and I just kept our heads down and walked the rest of the way to the hostel. No more talking, just the sound of our steps and the occasional buzz from our phones that we both ignored. The lobby felt colder than usual when we stepp







