I stayed sprawled across my bed, tossing balls of chocolate into my mouth. There was something deeply satisfying about lying in bed, wrapped up in fuzzy blankets, with a half-empty box of chocolates beside me and a textbook I had no real intention of finishing in my lap.The moonlight filtered gently through the sheer curtains, bathing my room in a soft glow, and every now and then, I’d pop another truffle into my mouth—dark chocolate with a cherry center. The fact that they were from Levi was all the more satisfying.I hadn’t known whether to laugh or melt when I found them.So I did both.I turned another page in my book—something about werewolf pack hierarchies, which was ironic considering my own hierarchy issues—and chewed thoughtfully. I should’ve been trying harder to concentrate, but instead my eyes kept drifting to my hands. I flexed my fingers, curling and uncurling them, and then focused on the spot behind my canines.I wanted to try something.According to some of the scho
The rumble of an engine broke the stillness of the evening.I stood at my bedroom window, watching as my father’s car pulled into the driveway. The sleek black SUV parked at its usual spot, headlights momentarily cutting through the darkness. My fingers curled around the seal of the curtain. I didn’t know why I was holding my breath, maybe because I already knew what was coming.A few minutes later, the whisper in my head came—Jerry's telepathic voice, soft but clear.“Dad wants to see you in his office.”Of course, he does.I didn’t waste time pretending I didn’t expect it. Pulling a sweater over my head, I walked out of my room and made my way to the study. The halls felt colder than usual, with the tension echoing between the walls.Or was it my thumping heart?When I pushed the office door open, Julian didn’t even look up. He stood behind his massive polished desk, bent over a map spread across it. Lines, pins, symbols. Strategy and territories in ink and paper.I cleared my throa
I panicked, scrambling up, nearly tripping over my own legs.Levi groaned. “You’re the worst guest.”“I have to go!”“Relax. It’s early.”But I didn’t relax. I hurried over to the window.He rubbed his eyes and stood, catching up with me. “Next time, use the front door.”“You mean there’ll be a next time?”He gave me a long look. “Just don’t bring cinnamon with you.”I grinned, taking one last look at his room, wondering when next I’d get the chance to be back. I hoped more than anything that he’d be fine and his father would stop giving him a hard time.I climbed halfway out the window before glancing back. “Hey, Levi?”“Yeah?”“Are we okay?”His answer was quiet. “We’re getting there.”I nodded, my heart lighter than it had been in days.And then I jumped down into the rose bushes, scraping my hand and muttering curses all the way back to my bicycle.Behind me, I thought I heard him whisper, “Be safe.”My heart melted, knowing he was worried about me, despite being the reason for his
When I was a little girl, my mum would get really sad sometimes. Now that I think of it, it probably had something to do with my father. Anyway, when she got in one of her moods or I do something to make her mad, I’d take out a bunch of candy from my stash and offer them to her as a peace offering.It always made her smile.Years later, I was still that girl, using candy to bribe her way out of tough situations. And sometimes, it worked. Other times…not so much.I couldn’t sleep. Not well, at least. Between feeling guilty for what Levi was going through and trying to figure out how to find the mysterious boy from my dreams, there was hardly time. Every second counted.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes. Fangs snarling under moonlight, blood soaking into the forest floor, Levi standing in front of me like a shield I never deserved. And beyond that, in the haze between sleep and something else, the dark-haired boy kept returning. Sometimes he stood at the edge of a field, silent
“Cherry?”“Drive, Astra,” she urged, raising a brow. “We need to talk, but not here.”I nodded, blinking several times as I started the engine and zoomed off. Today couldn’t get any weirder than it already was.Why was Cherry in my car and what did she want to talk to me about?“Here’s fine,” she said, looking out the window cautiously.I nodded again, pulling over by the side of the road. We were in the middle of a boulevard, the one that led to town, surrounded by massive trees. The first thought that crossed my mind was how Cherry had finally had enough of me and decided to end me.This was the perfect place to do it.Nobody would find my body for days if she played her cards right.Nobody saw us leave together, the only person that knew I was at the pack house was Levi. I immediately thought about my mother and how sad she’d be.Cherry turned toward me slowly, her face serious.“I’m leaving Moondew,” she said softly.The words didn’t register at first. I blinked again. “What?”“I’
I didn’t think it was possible for Moondew to be so quiet. So…on edge.The skies remained overcast for days, mirroring the mood of the pack. Patrols doubled. Warriors prowled the borders, barely sleeping, their gazes sharp and voices hushed. We weren’t just rebuilding. We were bracing for whatever was to come.Everyone was moving with caution.And guess who was suffering it the most?Levi.The night of the camping incident, I walked into the front door of my house only a couple of minutes to midnight.Nobody was expecting me, and I had done well to hide my bruises and pain—thankfully, my healing abilities had taken care of most of it. Julian and Jerry were surprised to see me, but they hardly had the time to ask questions as Julian got an emergency call from the alpha.He and Jerry had to head out quickly, leaving me alone to continue nursing my injuries in private.At the time, I had not suspected anything.It was not the first time the alpha would send for my father, and certainly n
There was silence.Levi’s wolf form stood over the mangled body. Blood dripped from his fangs as he slowly turned toward me. His eyes dimmed back to gray. He shifted back slowly, breathing hard. His chest heaved. Blood covered his hands.I stared, trembling. “You…killed him.”“I couldn’t stop Cain,” he said, staring at his red stained palms.Then Vrael’s voice echoed around us from the depths of the forest.“You’ll pay for this,” he said coldly. “Ezra was my brother. You killed him for a girl who doesn’t even know what she is.”Levi growled, looking around, his eyes sharp, ready to pounce if the prince decided to make an appearance.“Why don’t you show your face?” he called out, loudly. “Let’s finish what you started.”“No,” Vrael said softly. “Not today. But trust that I’ll come for you. I’ll take everything you care about until you feel my pain. A life for a life. A love for a love.”Levi curled his fists tight. “I’ll be waiting for you, and next time, you won’t get the chance to lay
“I’m not a werewolf,” I yelled out without thinking.The taller, muscular one began to laugh. “Oh look, she lies too.”I struggled, twisting hard in the first one’s grip. “I’m not lying. I don’t heal, you can see for yourself.”Another round of laughter erupted. This time, from both of them. The other one yanked me away from the first and began to drag me alongside him by my hair.The pain was excruciating, I had to stop myself from screaming out loud, for fear that he might enjoy my pain and make it worse.I kicked and thrashed, attempting to break free from his hold. But all that did was make him pull tighter, more aggressively.“Let me go!” I screamed, holding on to his hand to reduce the pressure on my head. “Where are you taking me?”“To see my father, the king,” the shorter one responded.He had barely spoken since we started the journey, but now that I got a closer look at him, I could see just how different they both were. This one was cleaner with no battle scars, he was more
I never thought I’d willingly walk out of Moondew and into Hollow Veil again, much less with girls I didn’t like, and had nothing in common with.As soon as Ruby smeared her blood across the barrier, I knew there was no going back.I stood with the others at the edge of the barrier, shivering slightly. Not from the cold, but from a strange unease that coiled in my stomach. The sky above us was painted in dark streaks, the sun already descended behind the thick canopy of Moondew’s bordering forest.The girls all exchanged looks with me, the smile on their faces wide and unchallenging. They were excited, while I was worried. It was pretty deranged to be happy about walking into danger, especially one we’d been warned about time and time again.They were treating this like a field trip, like a girls scout outing.None of this was okay.We walked about five minutes into the forest before Ruby snapped her fingers, making flames appear at the tip of two of her nails. She led the way, walkin