I rubbed my palms together before holding them to my face. The thrill rushed through me, bubbling up like a spark catching fire. I would see them pretty soon too. I was going home to my parents, to my mom, to my dad, to Becca, and the rest of Springville. A tightening sensation pulled at the tips of my fingers as my body slowly began to run cold. The rest of Springville? My hands dropped to my sides. To Higan, my mate who had rejected me? My gaze fell to the ground as my body ran colder. I had somehow forgotten about a huge chunk of my life in Springville. The bullying, the rejection, the ostracizing. What would happen when I returned? I proposed that my parents let me stay the rest of the school term at home and my mom agreed but what about college after? Summer break? I would still be in town, under The rule of Higan Sinclair as the Alpha. “Harlyn love?“ Tyler shook me lightly by the shoulder, his voice dipping light with concern. I blinked quickly, forcing a smile. “Sorr
The moment my bare feet met the moist grass of the forest in my dreamscape, I felt it. A sentient shift in the atmosphere. The air felt denser and fully charged with something electric and violent. The trees rustled as they trembled and recoiled from a storm brewing. The usual scent of petrichor and pine was tainted with the acrid burn of unnatural. And there they were. My wolf, white fur stained with mud and an onyx liquid, her eyes burning with molten golden fury. And her opposition. Me. Or rather, the version of me I had come to fear. My doppelganger, the Melbringer. The last time I'd encountered her in my dreamscape, she nearly killed me with her wrath. It looked like my wolf had now taken my place. She swung around wreathed in smoke and tresses, flickering between substance and shadow. Her pallid eyes squinted sharp with amusement with lips curled in a delighted smirk. Whatever was happening, she was relishing it. An opaque filmy force coiled around her fingers, tw
“No.” My voice was hoarse but firm.Ethan's gaze snapped back to mine with a frown. I could feel the tension in the way his body coiled, ready to strike.I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe past the lingering haze of pain. “It wasn’t an external attack,” I whispered.Silence followed once again. I let it linger because how exactly was I supposed to explain that my sorceress side had manifested as an entity in my mind and it was strong enough to harm me physically?Ethan’s grip flexed, his control razor-thin. I could see it in the way his jaw tightened, in the flicker of something unreadable behind his dark eyes. He was anxious.I licked my lips, forcing the words out. “It was me,” I admitted. “It happened in my dream.”The weight of their gazes pressed in on me.“Explain,” Ethan ordered, biting down on his Jaw.“I've been having certain dreams for a while where I sorta talk to my wolf and this girl,” I paused, twiddling my thumbs.“What did she look like?“ Khalid headed toward
Things had settled down in the plane but my mind refused to.The edge of my fingers hovered over an open book in my lap, my eyes skimming the words without really absorbing them. I'd picked it to pass the time as we continued to head for Springville.Control. That’s what I was supposed to be learning. But how could I even begin to grasp control when I wasn’t sure what was real?"Oh, little one, things are about to change for you.“The words still sang in my head, low, guttural, and amused. It was also familiar in a way that sent a shiver down my spine.It sounded like my wolf. I'd heard her many times in my dreamscape but it was the first I'd heard her speak in my mind.But that didn’t provide much of an information. Wolves didn’t just speak in their human mind. That wasn’t how it worked. There were special circumstances, sure like deeply bonded mates shifting, sacred rituals, and moments of absolute desperation. But this? This was something else entirely.The sound of rustling made m
“A well-known one apparently,” I retorted with optimistic sarcasm.The last time I was at their place in town, I never picked up on this flock of cars. Whose were they? It was Springville after all. However, the more I stepped down, the more I realized I recognized some of those cars in waiting. And, as if called upon by my fears, I watched the boy of my nightmare climb down a black G-wagon.Higan Sinclair.I halted my steps as my heart stilled. I hadn't seen him in so long yet suddenly he was right in front of me. The slithery discomfort coiled in my chest like a snake as I watched Higan step closer.Even after months, my body still betrayed me. My heart stilled, then stuttered, as if caught in a moment it had long since lost the right to care about. I forced my breath to even out, reminding myself that he wasn’t anything to me, that I was stronger than the damage he'd done to me.Whatever claim he had on me was non-existent.But then a question rang loud. Why was he here?More than
The plan was to stick around for whatever conversation would be held between Ethan and Alpha Harris, but that plan quickly fell apart as Khalid insisted on escorting me to a bedroom.“You know it won't necessarily stop me from eavesdropping,” I whispered to Khalid as we climbed up the carpeted stairs.“Have you ever wondered how pack members can't really hear what is discussed by their pack leaders in their homes?“ Khalid countered with a sheepish smile as he dragged my suitcases behind him.“I'm guessing there's some magic involved,” I remarked, tugging my duffle bag closer to my shoulders.“Precisely and I promise you, your ears won't like the attempt,” he warned with a clipped tone.I wondered what he meant by that but I yielded anyway. One, I was too tired to discover whatever secret they were guarding right then. Two, there was someone in the house I wasn't comfortable with and I needed to be aware of his every move.Higan. They had left him out of the conversation too and he had
I stayed perfectly still, hoping to hear something more. Nothing. After a long pause, I released a slow deep breath and shook my head. Maybe I was being paranoid. Maybe.Still, I reached for the door and made sure it was locked before turning away. “Worrying won’t do anything,” I whispered to myself.My parents would be here soon, and if nothing else, I wanted to look presentable when they arrived.With that thought, I grabbed some fresh clothes from my bag and headed to the bathroom where an ivory bathtub waited. Lined up on the marble counters were countless bathing products and a particular pomegranate-scented bath bomb that caught my eye.The warm water helped ease some of the stiffness in my muscles. I scrubbed away the lingering exhaustion from the trip, letting the steam fill the small space, cocooning me in temporary peace.But it couldn’t wash away the restlessness in my mind.Even as I lathered soap across my arms, Higan’s face resurfaced in my thoughts, his infuriated stare
What? I flushed from the idea, shuffling my feet before turning away sharply to grab my clothes, putting some space between us.I swallowed, gripping my towel tighter. “I should get dressed,” I murmured before turning to face him with my clothes held against my chest.He blinked, seemingly surprised before he nodded and moved to face the door. He didn’t leave. A small smile grazed my lips.Tension stayed thick in the air between us but my paranoia was long gone. I quickly changed into a pair of large comfortable grey sweats. My fingers trembled all through despite the warmth lingering on my skin.I could feel Ethan, his presence, his awareness of me, even with his back turned. By the time I finished, the air in the room had shifted, but neither of us acknowledged it.Not yet.Ethan remained where he was, his back still facing me. His head tilted slightly, his dark hair tousling. It felt like he was hesitating before he finally spoke. “You expected me to leave entirely, didn’t you?”Hi
“The barrier,” Ethan answered before either of them could. “Between here and… some other side where Melbringers reach for immense power.““Usually used when they're trying to commit massacres,” Khalid scoffed out, his shoulders squared defensively.My stomach turned. “I didn’t mean to.”“But you did do something,” Khalid said, voice lower. “Because what? Someone pissed you off again?“ He bit harshly, glaring at me.I flinched, his words sharper than they needed to be. My chest ached, my ears rang, and I felt Ethan step closer like a shield I hadn’t asked for but suddenly needed.Why was he being like that? I didn't mean to. All I knew was that I was angry, more than angry and I had every right to be angry given what I saw.“She didn’t do anything—” Tyler began, but Khalid cut across him with the heat of a snapping blade.“She did enough. She nearly destabilized a veil. You all know what that means. She opened something ancient and violent just because.”“Khalid,” Ethan growled a dange
The fire towers glowed brighter, crackling behind us. Laughter and footsteps surrounded us with the kind of joy people tried to bottle into New Year’s Eve like it was a perfume they could wear into January.I was delighted to an extent, enjoying swaying to the music with Ethan but my gaze kept darting sideways, past his shoulder.Why? Higan. He was still watching, still standing under the same flickering lamplight, but in a twisted way that made my stomach turn, he seemed a little closer.He hadn’t moved since we last made eye contact, but somehow the space between us felt thinner. Like the crowd could part at any moment and he’d be there, right in front of me staring me down with that same contemptuous look in his eyes.Ethan noticed my tension. “He's really riling you up.”I bit my bottom lip. Ethan could feel my emotions stirring. So I really hoped he wouldn't misunderstand what they meant. I just couldn't shake the sensation of Higan’s gaze crawling along my skin.“I'm sorry,” I w
“Have you ever done this before?” he asked, a hint of hesitation playing in his tone.I tilted my head. “Gone to a town party?“He shook his head slightly. “Dressed up. Gone out with someone.”My throat tightened. Not because I didn’t have an answer, but because I did. “No,” I said honestly. “Not really.”“From moving around a lot with my parents and settling here only to be rejected and forced to stay, I couldn't really find time to dress up and go out with anyone,” I went on doing my best to keep my tone light. I didn't want to sound pitiful.Ethan didn’t say anything right away. His thumb moved over my knuckles slowly, steady.“It’s not just a party,” he said eventually. “It’s the way people watch each other. The way they pretend their new year means something new when half of them are still dragging their old regrets behind them like a second shadow.”My brows knitted softly as I tried to understand what he meant. “Poetic,” I quipped.He turned slightly toward me, his expression s
“Here, this should do,” Abigail strutted into my bedroom with clacking heels, holding up a charcoal sleeveless drop-waist dress on a hanger.She was already dressed, of course, donned in a simple tailored maroon dress that sharpened her silhouette. Her raven black hair was swept into an elegant braid and adorned with white-jade clips.I was still barefoot in front of the mirror, hair curled and pinned halfway up, mascara wand in hand, and blinking at my own reflection like I didn’t quite recognize it.The room smelled faintly of my rose toner, flat iron smoke, and the lingering pomegranate scent from the lotion I borrowed from my mom. My nerves were a separate scent, sharp and cloying, like metal and something gone sour.I stared at the dress she brought like it had teeth. “You do realize it’s winter, right?”Abigail hummed resonantly and dropped it on the bed with a careful flourish. “I'm aware but you'll live,” she asserted, turning away.I reached for the fabric on my bed, caressin
I did. Once. Then again, till the air felt right in my lungs once more. My hand had stopped its throbbing but my heart was still plagued. The dark pull at my sanity loosened, inch by inch, fading like the most huffing out my mouth as I gasped. My wolf still hovered, tense and angry, but no longer foaming in the mouth. It was only after my body stopped trembling did Abigail let me go. She stared at me like she was trying to gauge if I was still in there. “That wasn’t just your wolf,” she said quietly. “Something else was pushing through.” I nodded. I couldn’t lie. Not about this. “The doppelganger in my dreams,” I muttered, pressing my fingers to my temples. “Me?” I corrected, confused about how exactly to address her. She was a part of me after all. No. She was me. “I wanted to kill her,” I confessed, hanging my head low as I held my chest. That was the ugly truth. My desires were mine, they were not separate from myself but somehow they managed to exist as an entity outside
Snickers trickled from some groups like a leaky faucet. The spectators around us perked up with thinly veiled curiosity, whispering behind their coffee mugs.“I told you it was her, she just looks different.““... thought she died in the attack.““... returning is so brave.““That's cruel, she's already an omega.“The chattering was incessant. My panic grew. I hadn't lived through any of these humiliating episodes in the months I'd been gone yet one encounter with Tess and I was here all over again. The subject of ridicule.My jaw clenched as I stared down at my thighs, my eyes shimmered with tears of frustration. I felt it. Those old stings behind my ribs, right under my lungs, right at my heart. The bruises pressed too many times.My hands curled around the rim of my mug, fingers tingling with desperation to do something. Why didn't she just leave? Why did she have to do this here?“You really should’ve stayed wherever you disappeared to,” Tess cooed. “But I guess trash always finds
I almost laughed. Almost. Because despite the comical manner in which she said it, there was some truth to it. I would have graver things to worry about. With that in mind, I shouldn't think so much about it.So in the meantime, I settled for enjoying my coffee in my favorite coffee shop like a normal teenager. With the way things were headed, I wouldn't be getting more of those moments anymore.The entrance bell above the door chimed sharply and my gaze darted to the spot out of habit. A gust of wind swept in with it, slicing the warm cinnamon air in two.And just like that, the atmosphere cracked open. Tessandra Harris. She struted in casually, wearing her pride boldly. With her usual entourage of seasonal clones in short skirts, cashmere, tights and jackets, she cut through the shop with her presence.Her gaze sliced the room like a blade looking for someone to gut while her lips were in that perfectly upturned grin that confessed to a false kindness I'd yet to witness.And then, a
Mug shots was one of the few open shops I usually visited when I could. It was smaller with less traction than the popular coffee shop at Town Central. However, it seemed like that had changed. It was peculiarly filled up.As I stepped in, I'm greeted with a wave of cinnamon warmth and curious glances. A glaring contrast from the silence and the occasional texting notifications of the bored barista.The frequently steady hiss of steamed milk and the low murmur of conversations weaving into the hum of Christmas Jazz was not the setting I pictured having a conversation with Becca.But then again, my plans to interrogate her had long been soiled by Abigail's presence.“Quite the hotspot,” said Abigail herself as she swept her gaze through the coffee shop. Many looked away as they met her eyes. Some, albeit dumb boys, threw a few suggestive glances.I tried not to shudder given I'd recognized them from school. “Oddly enough,” I breathe out.“Here,” I blurted, stepping forward to lead. I h
I opened my mouth to argue, but Ethan cut in. “Your mom is right.”I turned sharply toward him, eyes wide and surprised at his agreement. What happened to his initial support yesterday?He exhaled through his nose, clenching his blood-stained fingers. His dark gaze was piercing, locking onto mine with something scrutinizing. “Whatever happened just now, whatever you pushed yourself into, it hurt you. You don’t just bleed from using an ability unless something is pushing back.”He knew there was something more to it. But surely he could tell, I wasn’t going to stop.I forced an easy shrug, running my hand through my hair. “It wasn’t that bad,” I interjected smoothly. “I just got a little too carried away. It won’t happen again.”A lie. One I could tell Ethan didn’t believe for a second. But he didn’t argue anyway.Everyone else watched me for a moment longer as if weighing whether to push further. My dad had long settled down. He had opted to intensely stare at me like he'd always done