The room was eerily quiet and filled with tension.As the last of the pack members walked in, I noticed Levi strolling casually, hands in his pocket. He went to a dark corner of the room, the same as the first day I was here, and soon, his silhouette became one with the darkness.But somehow, I could feel his eyes on me, watching me from afar.The pack house was buzzing, every inch filled with murmurs, worried glances, and the scent of unease that clung to the air like smoke. I stood near the back of the great hall, arms crossed tightly across my chest, watching as the room filled with pack members. Some leaned against walls, others sat rigidly on the soft sofas, but we were all waiting.For answers. For the alpha.I could no longer see Levi anymore, and I was grateful. Even though I knew he was here, I could pretend he wasn’t. I needed space to breathe anyway.Finally, the Alpha shut the door, silencing the room as he stepped in. He moved to the center stage, his grey eyes sweeping ov
The door clicked shut behind Julian, and I was alone again.His presence had been unusually comforting in a way I hadn’t expected, but now that he was gone, the silence of the room seemed louder. I sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, staring at the floor, the events of the day tangled in my head. The pack house still felt foreign to me. Too large, too quiet, too full of people I couldn’t relate with.With a sigh, I got up and walked to the bathroom, turning on the tap to fill the tub. Steam filled the room like a misty veil, and I sank into the hot water with a quiet exhale. My muscles thanked me, the warmth soothing every ache and tension. I closed my eyes, letting my mind drift, but it didn’t take long before it drifted somewhere I didn’t want it to go.Levi.His voice echoed in my head like a haunting melody.“Does Shawn make your heart race like this?”The way he’d said it. Quietly, but with so much confidence, like he could see inside my mind and feel everything I did. His n
The morning after last night’s strange events was different, I awoke with a tight knot of anxiety settled in my chest. I was expecting to wake up to noise, gossip, but as I strolled through the halls of the pack house, it was silent. Nobody knew what had happened during the night.And those that were present said nothing.The pack dining room was alive with chatter and clinking cutlery. I tiptoed my way around the long mahogany table, grabbing a plate and keeping my head down.I opted for toast, scrambled eggs, and some sliced fruit. My hand hovered over the coffee pot, but I decided against it. My nerves didn’t need more fuel. I finished quickly, grabbed a shiny red apple, and slipped out unnoticed, determined to explore the rest of the sprawling pack house.It was bigger than I realized. There were rooms for everything. Combat training, archery, music, art, even a small library tucked into a corner near the garden wing. Everyone around me moved with ease and purpose, like they belong
The weekend went by slowly. Too slow, that by the time Monday rolled by, I was thankful to have somewhere to go.Even though that somewhere was school.After Saturday night’s training, I’d been holed up in my room, refusing to step out even during meals. Jerry and Monica had to take turns bringing me something to eat. I was thankful for them, but still very much embarrassed about the last training.I’d done horribly, and worse, I had showed everyone I wasn’t capable of standing up for myself. Every time I was in trouble, Levi was always there, ready to take on anyone who dared to say a word against me.But why?I refused to believed it was all because his father had put him in charge of me. Or maybe my delusional self just wanted it to be more.I tugged on my blazer and skirt, tied my sneakers, and grabbed my backpack with the speed of someone trying not to think too hard. The mirror caught a glimpse of me—blue eyes duller than usual, my long black hair braided to keep it out of the wa
As the week went by, Levi and I didn’t speak much. When I awoke the next morning feeling guilty, hoping to be able to patch things up with him, he didn’t show. Somehow, miraculously, his car was better.It made me think he had just used that excuse to spend time with me, but it was unlikely. He was the alpha’s son and I was barely a werewolf, he had friends and I had none.Why would he want to spend time with a nobody like me?All of that didn’t matter now, he was keeping his distance. It wasn’t until this moment that I realized I was truly alone. I had no friend, no one to tell my problems. I was completely and utterly alone.And it didn’t feel good.It wasn’t just silence, it was avoidance. A gaping void where something used to exist. Something I’d started to rely on. Every time I walked past him in the halls or caught a glimpse of his black hair in the crowd, my heart would skip a beat, stupidly hopeful.But he never looked my way. Not even once.And it was slowly killing me.By Fri
Pacing.That’s all I could do.I stood outside the alpha’s study, my feet moving aimlessly back and forth, biting my fingernails like it would somehow make the weight in my chest lighter. But it didn't. My thoughts screamed over each other, wild and jumbled.Images of Damien's hand wrapped around my wrist flashed in and out of focus, then Levi's voice shouting, his fists flying. The fury in his eyes. The crack of a punch.I hugged myself tightly, my nails digging into my arms. Damien had touched me, grabbed me, kissed me. My skin still crawled where his hands had been. And Levi...he looked like a man possessed. He almost tore Damien to pieces, he destroyed school property in the process.That kind of rage can’t go unlooked. He could be in serious trouble with his father.All because of me.My heart jumped as the door to the study creaked open. My father, Julian, stepped out, his face straight but I could tell he was worried by the way his eyes wouldn’t meet mine.Even though I was his
“Let go of me!” I yelled, struggling to break free.I could feel the pressure of his hands around my wrists. Damien’s grip was like steel, and no matter how much I screamed or struggled, he wouldn’t let go. I could see the madness in his eyes, the lust, the power, the hunger. My heart thundered against my ribs, panic rising like bile in my throat.“Let me go!” I screamed again, thrashing against him.But he didn’t. He pulled me closer, whispering something I couldn’t make out. His breath was warm against my ear, but every cell in my body recoiled. I tried again to push him off, nails digging into his arms, tears burning down my cheeks. It felt like it would never end.Then suddenly he jerked. His body trembled, then stilled. He looked down, and so did I.Blood.A dark patch spread across his shirt, blooming like a rose. Damien’s mouth opened, stunned. Then he was yanked upward, lifted off the ground by some invisible force. He screamed, flailing, before he was flung into the sky like
Levi hadn’t said a word since we turned back, and I was glad. The last thing I wanted to do was speak to him.The way we had just gone from an eighty to a zero so fast was alarming. The atmosphere in the car was tense, his hands gripping the wheel so tight I thought he’d snap it right off. But none of it moved me, I just wanted to get out of the car and away from him.As soon as the car rolled to a stop, I unbuckled and stepped out, slamming the door a little harder than I intended. I didn’t want to give him the chance to drag out whatever apology or excuse he’d been sleeping on the whole ride back.But then, a part of me did not think Levi had any plan of apologizing. He said what he said—or rather, didn’t—and he meant it.The cool breeze disheveled my black hair, making it fly in different directions as it blew, adding to my frustration. I tried to hold it down with my hand, turning and groaning, only to see Levi watching me attentively from inside the car, his lips pursed into a th
“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
I stood in the middle of my room, the silence deafening. My bag lay slumped against the dresser where I had dropped it, and the shadows from the setting sun stretched across my floor like long, creepy figures.Home.The word tasted strange in my mouth now. It felt like something I was still trying to remember how to belong to. I’d stayed more in the pack house that here.I sat on the edge of my bed, pressing my palms against the comforter as I inhaled deeply. “No more thinking about Levi,” I muttered under my breath. “No more waiting for someone who already made a choice.”He chose Cherry. Whatever he and I had—whatever it could’ve been—was over. I needed to stop living in the in-between. I needed to prove, not to Levi, not to anyone else—but to myself—that I could be more than the girl who fell for someone she was never meant to have.But did I really fall for him or was I just caught up in the moment?Maybe this all happened because I was missing Shawn and my life back at Hartville.
Levi was right.Monday came faster than anyone wanted, and with it came a whole new view on life. Nobody was talking about me as the new girl who was half human, they were all talking about how brave I was to go in search of Levi.And how romantic the whole gesture seemed.But as the week went by, news of Levi’s arranged marriage began to surface. Whispers erupted once more, most of them directed at me. Some centered on pity, some reveled in my despair. Then on Thursday, I heard the first rumor about how it was indeed me who had ended it with Levi.I don’t know who started it or where they had gotten the idea, but part of me suspected it was all Levi’s doing.The conversation changed again, most people intrigued by the balls they stupidly believed I possessed. Because who in their right mind would reject a wolf with alpha blood. Some people detested me for it, while some worshipped the ground I walked on.Either way, my name was on almost everyone’s lips. Both adults and teenagers. It
“What are we going to do?” Lola asked as soon as I closed the door of my room behind me. “Are we really giving up on Levi?”The question floated in my head for a bit.I knew I wasn’t going to let him go, but I still needed to plan my next step. What would Levi do in a situation like this? Would he even think before striking? He seemed to react on impulse most of the time.I sighed, throwing myself onto the bed. “We’ll fight for him like he’d fight for us. We’re not letting them push him into an arranged marriage, he’d be miserable.”I laughed a little, picturing him next to Cherry. They didn’t even look good. Or maybe I was just convincing myself to feel better. The truth is…Levi would make anyone look great next to him. He had enough charm for two people.“What’s the plan?” Lola asked.My lips twisted into a half smirk. “We have to see Levi tonight.”I didn’t go to sleep. I didn’t close my eyes for a second.I laid in my bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting. My mind replayed every wo
As soon as I stepped into the pack house, everyone went silent. They had heard about me sneaking out, about finding Levi, about everything.But I didn’t care about that.I had found Levi, that had to count for something. No matter the means I had to resort to, at least I was victorious. I just needed to be sure he was fine now.I watched as the different faces followed me, not knowing what each one was thinking. Though I was technically safe now, the silence was not comforting. I could barely breathe, the cold from the woods still pressing into my bones.I moved slowly down the hall, my body sore and sluggish, my mind spinning with unanswered questions. Where was Levi? Was he stable? Awake? Did he ask for me?I should’ve felt some relief now that the woods and blood and desperation were behind me. But I didn’t. I felt more broken now than I had when I’d held his cold hand in mine, whispering useless words to keep him from falling asleep.I staggered all the way up the stairs, passing e