“You shameless whore!“ She screeched before slapping me right in the face.“Tess! Not in public,” Her friends hurried to pull her away from me, swinging their heads left and right to catch who may be looking.Tears pooled in my eyes as my anger brewed. I clenched my fists staring at her as she continued to rage on and her friends held her back. “Let go of me! I'm just getting started with the little bitch.“Not in public? That was all they had to say for me? Since when had my life become so sad that the only defense I deserved was an attempt to save her reputation?“I'm so sick of this,” I muttered to myself.“It's not enough he rejected you, you're still going on to throw yourself at him. How shameless can you get, Who do you think you—” She didn’t finish because a slap had cut off her sentence.My eyes widened in shock as the scene unfolded. Khalid stood right in front of her, shielding me. I hadn’t noticed when he moved. I watched as his hand rose once again before falling to strik
I froze. “Your place?““Sort of,” he admitted. “It’s not far. A quiet spot out of the way. Nobody will bother you there. Well nobody you wouldn't want to bother you would be there, I think.“I bit my lip, torn between skepticism and the undeniable fact that I had no better options. Higan and Tess were both unpredictable, and my mom didn’t need more reasons to worry about me.“Fine,” I relented after a moment, sighing. “But if this is some kind of trap—”“You’ll bite me again?” he teased with a grin.I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the faint smile tugging at my lips.After all, I could be dead this time tomorrow, I should appreciate the little funny things in life even if it's a bipolar boy with the face of an angel.Khalid hailed a cab and we both quickly jumped into the backseats. I took the time to text Becca about my inevitable absence from school. She sent a thumbs up as a reply. I told myself she cared in her way.The drive was quiet, the tension in the air lingering despite K
“Daughter of who?” I squinted my eyes at the strange statement he made. “Gaiyetre? Who is Gaiyetre?”Did he think I was someone else?The name felt foreign on my tongue like it didn’t belong in my vocabulary or even in my world. Yet in some strange way, it struck something, a peculiar and unshakable sense of familiarity that I couldn’t comprehend.Gaiyetre.Ethan didn’t answer right away. His eyes simply held onto mine with unnerving intensity, as though he were searching for something hidden in them. The silence stretched between us, heavy and stifling, like a thunderstorm about to break.I shifted uncomfortably, my arms crossing over my chest. The way he looked at me made my skin tingle, but not entirely in an unpleasant way. It was a strange sizzling warmth gently crashing over me.“Why are you staring at me like that?” I finally snapped, trying to mask my unease with annoyance. “It’s rude, you know!” I mumbled with a frown.The sharpness of my voice seemed to pull him back. He loo
The sound of my name sent another wave of strange warmth down my body. I forced myself to nod before hurrying past Abigail and out into the living room. “Be careful of what? I already have things to be careful of,” I said to myself, the exhaustion of the day growing heavy on my shoulders. I wasn't paying attention before but the mansion was truly impressive. The study was just as extravagant with dark wood furniture and towering shelves filled with books I couldn’t imagine anyone reading. Khalid was lounging sideways in a chair by the window, his expression lighting up when he saw me. He's way too friendly for someone I just met hours ago. “There you are,” he said, motioning for me to sit. “How was your chat with Ethan?” I hesitated, unsure how to answer, settling to lean against a desk. “We didn’t talk about much.” Khalid raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, his playful grin returning. “Who would, se
The peculiar sight of Ethan on the bedroom floor was jarring. His face was twisted in agony as he lay against the wall, his body shaking with visible pain. But his eyes confessed the worst as it glowed an eerie, unnatural gold."I’m fine," Ethan muttered through gritted teeth, but it was clear to me he wasn’t. The glow in his eyes flickered as he locked gazes with me, and his voice faltered. "You need to leave."It was a command, not a request, but my feet felt like they were stuck in place. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. I had a growing desire to help, to ease whatever agony he was in.I stepped close despite his protest but to my dismay, another wave of pain seemed to tear through him."Ethan?" I asked softly, stepping forward slowly. I wasn’t sure why but I needed to make sure he was okay.His eyes snapped to mine, wearing his pain and frustration in a look that sent a chill down my spine. "Please," he whispered, his breath shallow. "Get out."Behind me, Khalid’s voice cut
A damp, foggy forest loomed before me once again, its oppressive silence weighing heavily on my chest. This time, the cold was sharper, biting into my skin.I glanced down and gasped. Blood soaked through my torn white shirt, smearing my chest in dark streaks. My breath hitched as I touched the ragged fabric, the pain searing. It was as though claws had raked through me.This again.I took a shaky step forward, my heart racing as fragments of my last dream surfaced—the white wolf, its piercing gaze, its claws tearing through me as it snarled for me to wake up. My knees trembled at the memory. Knowing it was a dream did little to comfort me. It felt real, too real.A low howl shattered the stillness, mournful and filled with pain. I spun around, my pulse pounding in my ears. My voice cracked as I whispered to myself, “Why is this happening? I am here again. This isn't just a dream.”Another set of new questions. Exhaustion overwhelmed me, and I collapsed to the damp ground, clutching m
Ethan’s golden eyes burned through the darkness, and my breath faltered as his hand slowly slipped away from my mouth.His scent caressed my nose. He smelt heavily of the forest like he ran to come here. It was alarming, the way his heat pulled me closer the longer he sat in front of me.“May I know why you're in my room telling me not to scream your name out to everyone on this street?“ I harshly whispered as I tried to push my instincts aside to ask.Every nerve in my body was on edge, screaming for answers, for action—but the way he was looking at me, so raw and gentle, left me unguarded. His eyes were not in their usual green either and the gold was pulling me in.“I couldn’t stay away,” Ethan admitted, his voice low and gravelly. His confession hung heavy in the air. “Being so close to you—it’s not helping.” He clenched his jaw.My cheeks flushed at his words, and my mouth dried up as I gaped. He broke into my room to tell me that.I caught his gaze dropped to my lips, and I felt
“Wait, no—this isn’t supposed to happen yet.” She continued, panic evident in her tone.I stared at her, the pain clouding my thoughts. Did she know him? “What?” I managed to croak, but the agony twisted my words into a strangled gasp.“She’s in pain,” my mother snapped, her calm unraveling. “The seal—it’s breaking, isn’t it?” Her face crumpled, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s too soon,” she murmured, shaking her head. “She’s not ready for this.”“I know, but she doesn’t have a choice,” Ethan replied, his voice steady. “If I don’t do it now, the pain will only get worse. She could—” He stopped, his jaw tightening. “She could lose her mind if it tries to unlock itself.”My mother’s gaze softened, sorrow settling in her eyes. “Harlyn… I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling. She turned back to Ethan and nodded, though her reluctance was clear. “Do it. Please.”Ethan moved closer, his steps deliberate, and met my gaze. “Harlyn,” he said quietly, his voice unwavering amid the c
She looked uncomfortable in the attention, but she didn’t shy from it either. Her expression was more distant yet a small cool grin rested on her lips. It seemed like she’d already decided how this day would go and was just going through the motions of playing nice.Higan followed her. His hand touched the small of her back, guiding her like she was something breakable. My stomach twisted at the scenery, and my right leg bounced on the ball of my feet but I kept my expression still. He smiled at people, greeted his friends, and nodded at the teacher. But his eyes didn’t settle too long on anyone in the room.Except me. I felt it and the subtle way Ethan’s aura shifted beside me in menacing waves. But that didn’t seem to deter the stubborn fool.However, I didn’t look away. Not from Becca. Not even when Higan’s gaze lingered. I watched her movements, the delicate way she removed her coat, and how she smiled too precisely at the people around her.Becca didn’t sit at the back as she lo
The morning light spilled into the halls of Springville High like it didn’t know any better. As though nothing had happened. As though the world hadn’t shifted beneath my feet under the glare of firelight and applause.Except it did. But I was still standing.The halls buzzed with that first-day-back tension—new boots squeaking against the waxed floors, lockers slamming too hard, too loud, laughter sharp and half-nervous. Everyone was trying to act like they weren’t wondering who had changed over break.I had. And not in ways I was necessarily happy about.Khalid and Abigail flanked me like shadow and flame as we moved past the entrance. Abigail carried her silence like a protective knife in her pocket. Khalid carried his like a banner of passive-aggression, barely speaking to me still.I’d long told myself to not be bothered by it.“First bell rings in five,” Abigail said, glancing at her phone. “Ethan will be with you first and third period, we’ll meet at the second and Khalid is at
“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