LOGINChapter 8 "Like what?" Kael asked, genuinely confused.My stomach dropped straight through the floor, he wasn't feeling it. The mate bond was only going one way. I could feel it pulling at me, could feel Ivy going absolutely insane in my head, but Kael felt nothing."Kael is in Nathan's body," Ivy said, and for the first time since this whole thing started, she didn't sound angry or demanding. She sounded thoughtful, like almost calculating. "And the mate bond that we've been waiting for all these years just appeared out of nowhere the second he touched us.""So what are you saying?" I asked her silently."I'm saying you were mated to yourself this whole time," Ivy replied, her tone deadly serious. "That's why you never felt anything when you turned eighteen, that's why we've been waiting four years with nothing. The bond was always there but it couldn't activate because Kael was inside you instead of another body."I looked at Kael again, really looked at him, he was still standi
Chapter 7"Ara," Nathan called, and the sound of that nickname coming from his lips made me stumble backward so hard I almost tripped over my own feet.I opened my mouth but nothing came out, my throat had closed up completely and all I could do was stare at him kneeling there on the kitchen floor with pieces of broken plate scattered around him."Ara, it's me," Nathan said again."Kael?" I managed to whisper, even though I already knew the answer, even though every part of me was screaming that this was impossible."Yes, it's me. It's Kael," he said, and he was looking down at his hands now, turning them over and over like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What's happening? How did I end up here? I can see your face now, from the outside. I can actually see you with real eyes instead of just feeling you"I couldn't move, my breathe seized. My soull that had lived inside my head for fourteen years, was sitting in front of me in Nathan Pierce's body. This wasn't real, this co
Chapter 6"Is Nathan around?" Marcus asked, confirming my fears. "I want to talk to both of you, make sure you're not killing each other."He said it like a joke but my smile felt painfully fake. "Um, let me see if he's available."I walked out of my room and down the stairs, my heart pounding with every step. I found Nathan in the living room, sitting on the couch with his laptop open, he looked up when I entered, his dark eyes meeting mine."Marcus wants to talk to both of us," I said, holding up my phone.Nathan's jaw tightened but he nodded, he closed his laptop and moved over on the couch, making space for me to sit beside him, I sat down stiffly, keeping as much distance between us as possible while still being in frame."Hey man," Marcus's voice came through the phone. "How's it going? Are you two behaving?""Everything's fine," Nathan said smoothly, and his voice was so normal and friendly that I almost believed him myself. "Lyra's been a perfect houseguest." Immediately th
CHAPTER 5Lyra's POVI woke up with the sunrise streaming through the window, my body stiff from barely sleeping after Nathan's strange midnight appearance. I had spent hours lying in the dark trying to make sense of why he had been standing in my doorway like that, staring at me with that look of raw hunger and pain on his face.Now, in the morning light, I was more confused than ever. And angry, I deserved answers about what the hell that was about.I threw off the covers and got dressed quickly, pulling on jeans and a simple t-shirt, my hands were shaking slightly as I brushed my hair, whether from nerves or anger I couldn't tell, or maybe probably both."Are you really going to confront him?" Ivy asked, sounding almost impressed. "Finally growing a backbone?""Shut up," I muttered, but I didn't close off our connection. She was right. I needed to stop being a coward and demand answers.I marched out of my room and down the hallway to Nathan's bedroom. My heart was pounding but I
CHAPTER 4Lyra's POVI sat on the edge of the guest bed, staring at the plain white walls around me, my suitcase lay open on the floor where I had abandoned it an hour ago, clothes still folded inside because I couldn't bring myself to unpack them, unpacking felt too permanent, like accepting this nightmare was really happening.My stomach growled loudly, reminding me I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. I pressed my hand against it, trying to make the hunger go away through sheer willpower. But my body wasn't cooperating. Another loud grumble echoed through the quiet room."You need to eat something," Kael said gently in my mind."I know," I replied silently, not moving from the bed. "But that means going out there. That means seeing him."The thought of walking through Nathan's house, of potentially running into him in the hallway or kitchen, made my chest feel tight. What would I even say to him? How was I supposed to act normal when everything inside me was screaming?"You ca
Chapter 3Lyra's POV"Could you place your luggage here please," the security lady said, pointing to the conveyor belt with a bored expression.I quickly lifted my bag onto the scanning machine, watching it disappear into the tunnel. My chest felt heavier with each passing second. I hadn't slept at all last night, tossing and turning as I tried desperately not to think about Nathan. But every time I closed my eyes, I could see his cold face from yesterday morning, and hear his cruel words echoing in my head.The machine beeped and my bag emerged on the other side."Here, you can go ahead," the security officer gestured toward the departure gates.I reached for my bag, but my mind was somewhere else entirely, lost in memories I was trying so hard to escape."Miss?" The lady called again, louder this time."Oh, I'm sorry," I said quickly, grabbing my bag and hurrying toward the waiting area.Two years. If I didn't see Nathan or hear about him for two years, maybe I could finally forget







