LOGINI sat on the Alpha seat and felt nothing.The hall was too quiet. Everything looked the way it always had, yet it felt wrong. Like the walls were watching me. Like they were waiting for me to say something and I did not know what.“Why is she still here?” I swayed my mother, referring to Elena.The warriors standing at the edges of the hall stiffened. No one answered. They did not need to.She stood near the pillar, dressed in white, her hair perfectly arranged, her eyes soft and hopeful. She smiled when she saw me looking.“My Alpha,” she said gently. “You called for court. I thought I should be present.”I clenched my jaw.“I did not,” I replied. “I called my council. You are not part of it.”Her smile faltered.Before she could speak again, my mother’s voice filled the hall.“Kade,” Selene said calmly as she stepped forward. “You are being rude.”I turned to her slowly.“You invited her,” I said.Selene sighed like I was a child throwing a tantrum. “She is your future Luna. Her pre
The silence lingered after Selene’s sharp voice cut through the hall. I watched Kade’s chest rise and fall as if he were trying to breathe in every memory he had just felt. Then his eyes widened. Slowly. Like something heavy had lifted off him.“I remember,” he said, his voice low. Then louder. “I remember everything.”Selene’s eyes narrowed, her mouth opening to say something. Kade ignored her. His gaze snapped to me. “Lyra, I remember.”My chest tightened. I did not move. I could not yet speak.He stepped closer. “It wasn’t you. It was her.” His jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with anger. “My own mother. She lied to me. She made me hate you. Made me believe that you—” His voice broke. “That you didn’t care. That you were… unworthy of me.”I swallowed. I had expected this moment. Not like this. The words still hit me.“I… I’m so sorry,” he continued, his hands trembling slightly. “For everything I did. For everything I said. For leaving you to deal with her lies. I… I don’t deserve
I woke up with a heavy chest.It felt like something bad was waiting for me, like the day had already decided how it would end and I had no say in it. I lay on my bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling, listening to the faint sounds of the court coming alive.I did not want to see Tim.That thought scared me.Tim had always been my safe place. Loud. Annoying. Protective. The one person who did not look at me like I was fragile. But after what happened in the garden with Kade, everything felt twisted. I had crossed a line alone. Tim did not know. And the guilt sat heavy in my chest.A knock came on my door.My heart dropped.“Lyra,” Tim called out. “Are you awake or should I assume you are pretending to sleep like always?”I closed my eyes briefly. “I’m awake.”The door opened before I could say anything else.He walked in like he owned the place, hands in his pockets, eyes sharp and curious. “You look terrible.”“Good morning to you too,” I replied.He smiled. “Something is wrong
The walk back was quiet.Too quiet.Kade walked beside me with his hands in his pockets, his shoulders tense like he was holding himself together by force. He did not touch me. He did not look at me either. But I could feel him. I hated how aware I was of him.“Are you okay?” I asked eventually.He stopped walking. I stopped too and then he turned to face me slowly. “You planned that, didn’t you?”I swallowed. “Planned what?”“The bridge,” he said. “You planned everything. Selene was right about you.”“I just wanted to take a walk,” I replied.“That’s a lie.”I looked away. “Then why did you follow me?”He did not answer.For a moment, I thought he would get angry. That sharp anger he carried so well these days. But instead, his shoulders sagged a little.“I felt the need to,” he said quietly. “And I hate that I did.”My heart twisted.“You looked shocked,” I said.“I was,” he replied. “I still am.” He rubbed his face with his hand. “I don’t like surprises.”“You used to,” I said befo
Tim knocked on my door like he owned the place. My heart dropped instantly. I froze where I was standing, one hand still holding my brush, the other resting uselessly by my side. For a second, I considered pretending I was not inside. But Tim knew my routine too well. He knew I was always in by this time.“Lyra,” he called from outside. “I know you’re in there.”I closed my eyes and sighed. So much for avoiding him. I walked to the door and opened it slowly.Tim stood there with his usual relaxed look, one eyebrow slightly raised, lips curved in that smug smile that always meant trouble.“You took your time,” he said.“I was busy,” I replied.“Doing what,” he asked, stepping into the room without waiting for permission.I shut the door behind him. “Thinking.” I rolled my eyes. “What do you want, Tim?”He turned around and looked at me properly. His smile faded just a little. “What’s wrong with you?”“Nothing,” I said quickly.“That’s a lie.”I crossed my arms. “Why are you here?”“To
I did not sleep that night.I lay on my bed with my eyes open, staring at the ceiling like it would give me answers. My body still felt warm, like his body was still near mine. My heart refused to slow down too.What had I done?I turned to my side and pulled the blanket closer, but it did nothing. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. The way his hands had hovered like he was scared of touching me too much. The way his voice had cracked when he said my name.Kade.I sat up with a groan and pressed my palms to my face.“This wasn’t the plan,” I whispered to myself.Tim had been clear. He had warned me to control myself and not fall for him but again, Tim knew nothing about our history. If he had, I would not have been here because, given our history, I was bound to be bad at controlling myself. I still felt stupid for letting myself want him.Worse, I had let him want me too. I got out of bed and paced the room, barefoot on the cold floor. I tried to convince myself that it was ju







