The first morning after the tournament was announced, I woke up before the sun did. Sleep had come in fragments, all restless dreams and flickers of golden threads and Ruby’s smug face. The air was still cold when I stepped outside, my bare feet pressing into the dewy grass behind the pack house.Levi had suggested I move back into the pack house so he could monitor my training. If you ask me, I think the real reason was just so I’d be nearer to him. At all times.It was both romantic and concerning.Valerie found me, arms crossed against her chest, her hair a wild mess of red curls in the wind.“Can’t sleep?” she asked, her voice soft.I shook my head. “Can’t stop thinking.”She walked up and stood beside me, looking out into the woods. “Penny for your thoughts?”Sighing, I turned to look at her. “What if I don’t win?”She furrowed her brows. “Don’t tell me you plan on giving up before you’ve even started?”“No. I don’t know. I just think—”“Then stop thinking and start training.”An
The golden thread between Levi and me still shimmered faintly in the moonlight, tethering us to each other like a promise written into the stars. The ceremonial ground had fallen into stunned silence, the kind that wraps around your ears and makes your heartbeat sound deafening.My hands were pressed against Levi's chest, his skin warm beneath my palms. He held me like I might vanish if he let go, his forehead resting gently against mine. For a moment, there was only the sound of our breathing, the rustling trees, and the full moon watching over us.Then came the murmurs.Whispers spread like wildfire across the gathering. Words like "half wolf," "mate bond," "chosen," and "Luna" floated through the air like daggers laced with doubt and curiosity. I could feel the eyes, hundreds of them, watching. Judging. Waiting.Levi's arms tightened around me. "I’ve always known, Astra," he said, his voice low but firm. "From the moment I found you in the garden that first day. I felt it. I was spi
“Whatever you decide, just make sure you’re at least happy.”Ella had said to me as we walked out of the park, side by side. It almost felt like we were friends again, and maybe in a way, we were.Things could never go back to how it used to be, but I was willing to move forward and forget the past. We parted ways when we reached the end of the street, waving each other goodbye and promising to keep in touch and let the other know how things turned out.The night had settled in with a kind of silence that made even the rustling of my sheets sound too loud. My mom had gone to bed early, giving me one last look that spoke volumes. She didn’t need to say a word, I knew she was still worried. Still hoping I’d change my mind. Still hurting for me in a way that only mothers can.But I didn’t change my mind. At least, not yet.I laid awake, eyes fixed on the ceiling, trying to untangle the knot that had been forming in my chest since Jerry and Valerie left. It had gotten tighter after the par
I could still hear Shawn's voice echoing in my head from last night, still feel the way his hands had grabbed me, the way fear had turned to fury in my blood. But more than that, I could feel the aftershocks of my own strength. What I had done. What I had become.The morning sun filtered softly through the blinds, painting warm stripes across my bedroom wall. I stared at them for a long time before even attempting to move.My bones felt heavy. My heart heavier.Finally, I pulled myself out of bed and threw on an oversized hoodie. My wrist still ached a little from where I’d pushed him. Or maybe that was just the memory, because something told me as a wolf, that wouldn’t be possible.Downstairs, I found Mom at the kitchen table, her hands wrapped tightly around a mug of tea. She didn’t look up when I walked in, just gestured toward the plate of toast and eggs she’d made."Thanks," I murmured, sliding into the seat across from her.We didn’t talk much. She didn’t bring up the events of
The air felt different when I stepped into school the next morning.Something in the atmosphere had shifted, and for once, it wasn’t against me. The same hallways stretched out ahead, the same rows of lockers, the same fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. But the eyes that followed me? They weren’t the same.People stared, some looked away quickly, others held my gaze a little too long, almost like they were trying to decipher who I was now, to understand where I stood in the hierarchy. A few offered nods, half smiles. Even the ones who’d laughed along with Ella days ago were suddenly shy with their eyes, careful with their words.I didn’t strut. I didn’t smirk. I just walked. Back straight, chin up, the way a person with no grudged was supposed to walk. With the confidence of my inner wolf.By the time I reached my locker, someone had slipped a folded note through the vents. I hesitated before opening it.That comeback yesterday? Iconic. If you ever need backup, I’m in. - Tasha.Tash
The scent of cinnamon drifted through the air, pulling me out of bed before the alarm even had a chance to buzz. For the first time in a while, I didn’t mind being up early. My muscles still ached faintly from the stress of the past week, but something had awoken inside me—a quiet fire burning in the pit of my stomach.I padded down the stairs in fuzzy socks and found my mother humming at the stove, her back turned. She was holding on to a spatula, swaying from side to side."Morning, sunshine," she said without looking."Morning," I replied, walking over to grab two mugs from the cupboard. "You made French toast?""Figured you could use a little sugar before facing the world today."I smiled, pouring coffee into both mugs. She slid a plate stacked high with golden toast onto the table, then sat across from me. We ate in comfortable silence for a while, the clinking of forks and the occasional scrape of a chair the only sounds.Eventually, she looked up. "So," she said, her tone casua