A Breath Of Trouble

Luke’s POV

I sat there for a long time.

Just… staring at nothing.

The moonlight spilled across my floor, and the faint sound of skates on ice echoed from the rink outside, but none of it mattered.

All I could hear was her voice.

“You’ve snuck out plenty of times to hunt…”

Those words.

Those damn words.

How did she know that?

No one knew that.

Not even Elara.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and let out a low laugh. But it wasn’t a happy sound.

“You’ve really stepped in it now, haven’t you, Thorne…” I muttered to myself.

Because here’s the thing.

When she fainted, I caught her scent.

It was faint — almost hidden — but it was there.

Wolf.

My instincts went crazy for a second, but not in the way I expected.

It was like my whole body came alive, something u couldn't quite put in place.

Something in my chest shifted, like my fate was suddenly sliding off its rails.

I’d been waiting for that moment all my life, hadn’t I?

Waiting to feel that bond snap into place.

And now here she was… little Tiara… frowning at me like I was dirt under her shoe.

And I couldn’t even bring myself to care about Elara anymore.

Elara, who I’d been so sure I was meant to like.

It all felt like a lie now.

What the hell are you, Tiara?

I sat there longer than I meant to, thinking.

About her.

About me.

About the curse.

I’d lived so long already.

Too long.

I never died.

But I also never lived.

Because that’s how it worked, didn’t it?

The moment I wanted to live… the moment I dared to feel happy… my end would come.

So I learned to stop wanting anything at all.

Until her.

Her messy hair and her sharp tongue.

She was… fresh air.

Dangerous.

And yet I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

She didn’t smile at me like the others did.

Didn’t try to impress me.

Didn’t even seem to like me.

Was that what made her so… intoxicating?

Could she be… my mate?

I ran a hand down my face and chuckled at myself.

If she was, she would have felt it too. Wouldn’t she?

But no.

She didn’t.

She wanted nothing more than to get rid of me.

The thought actually made me laugh out loud this time.

“What the hell are you laughing at yourself for?”

I jumped.

Jonathan was standing in the doorway, a lollipop in his mouth, grinning at me like he already knew all my secrets.

“Nothing,” I said with a groan, flopping back onto the bed.

“Sure, nothing,” he said, dropping onto his own bed across the room. “Nothing that made you skip practice just because some girl fainted, huh?”

I glared at him.

“She could’ve been hurt,” I muttered.

Jonathan smirked. “Oh, she hurt alright? Or did she just hurt your pride when she ran away from you like you were the plague?”

I threw a pillow at his face.

How the hell did he know that?

He caught it easily, laughing.

“That’s a first,” he said through his grin. “Girls don’t run from you, man. They run to you. You must’ve really pissed her off.”

“Tell me about it,” I said dryly.

There was a beat of silence before Jonathan propped himself up on one elbow and gave me one of those looks.

“So… what’s her name?”

“…Tiara,” I admitted.

“Tiara,” he repeated, rolling it around like he was tasting it. “Cute. And she just ran off? Left you standing there?”

“Yeah,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

He whistled low. “Wow. Harsh.”

I chuckled, shaking my head.

“Listen,” I said finally, “can you do me a favor?”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Depends.”

“Keep an eye on her for me.”

That actually made him sit up fully.

“Wait. What?” he said. “You want me to keep an eye on her?”

“Don’t make it weird,” I muttered.

He snorted. “Too late. Dude, you’ve never asked me to watch anyone. Not even Elara, and I thought she was the one you were into. Now Tiara? That’s two girls in a row. Who even are you right now?”

“It’s not two girls,” I said firmly.

Jonathan raised both brows. “Oh? Because—”

“It’s always been Tiara,” I interrupted, my voice quiet.

He froze.

“…Come again?”

“I got them mixed up,” I said with a humorless laugh. “Tiara… Elara… I thought it was her, but it wasn’t. Similar names, similar look. But it’s always been Tiara.”

Not similar looks.

Not at all.

They were opposites.

Jonathan just… stared at me.

Like he wanted to call me crazy.

But he didn’t.

He just let out a low whistle and flopped back onto his bed.

“Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll watch her. But man… you’re making less sense by the second.”

I didn’t answer.

Because he was right.

Nothing about this made sense.

Later that night, I couldn’t stay in the room anymore.

The walls were closing in.

The air was too thick.

So I went out.

The cold hit my face the second I stepped outside, sharp and clean.

I stood there for a long moment, letting it wash over me.

Why… Why now?

Why her?

What did I ever do to deserve this curse?

Why was I born a wolf that couldn’t die but couldn’t live either?

And now she comes along… making me feel things I swore I’d never let myself feel again.

Hope.

Want.

It was dangerous.

Because the moment I started wanting to live… I knew my time would run out.

The moon was high and full tonight. My claws itched under my skin, begging to come out.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and started walking, trying to outrun my thoughts.

I pulled my phone out, half on autopilot.

And stopped dead when I saw the screen.

A text.

From an unknown number.

I sent you a present. How do you like her?

I stared at it, my pulse suddenly pounding in my ears.

Who the hell…

And what did they mean… “present”?

I reread it once. Twice.

Then one word slipped out of my mouth, low and bitter.

“…Tiara?”