LOGINEve’s POV Astrid’s scream sliced through the trees when she finally woke upI thought she was unconscious, she had barely moved after my wolf forced her down. But now she lurched upright with a ferocity that would make one think of insanity.Her eyes were wild and desperate, shining with strange recognition, they remained fixed on the faint markings glowing across my skin.“No,” she choked out. “No, no, no, impossible!”Malik stepped in front of me instantly, a protective wall of muscle and rage. “Stay back,” he growled, voice low and sharp. “You don’t come near her again.”But Astrid barely looked at him. Her entire being stayed stunned as she pointed at me, shaking so violently she had to grip a tree to keep herself steady.“That mark,” she whispered. “That… that mark” Her voice fractured. She gagged on air, as though the words fought her. “it belongs to her.”My stomach dropped, who was she referring to? Malik’s wolf surged beneath his skin. “Enough with the drama, Astrid.” “It’
Eve’s POV The one thing the human world never took from me was journaling, though Blackthorn took my sense of safety and the human world? Well it took my certainty, but there I slowly learnt how to breathe again, it didn’t matter if I was drowning, I had to breathe. When everything else known to me slipped through my fingers, my beliefs, my relationships and the routines that had carried me through my entire life, I still knew how to pick up a pen and tell the truth, even if I couldn’t say it out loud. Writing was the only place I was allowed to be unfiltered, I wasn’t trying to be careful with my words such that it protects or calms people or gives them the hope I was yet to find, it was just me and my page. I sat on the edge of my bed, journal resting against my knees and my pen, dancing in my hands, the room smelled of wood and pine, a scent that should have comforted me at least but tonight it only reminded me that I was a survivor but it wasn’t in the comfort of my home I lear
EVE’S POV I pressed my palms against my rib and exhaled through it…“ Don't unravel yet "I begged myself. Malik returned a few minutes later after rushing off to attend to something I thought was his temper after the encounter with the wolves, he didn't say anything when he returned and I did not ask, he just sat beside me. “They are just scared,Malik.” I said softly, I wasn't just convincing him, this was me speaking to myself as well. “Wouldn’t you be too?”He scoffed. “They should be and maybe focus more on staying alive than alive than the speculation thing they keep doing.” “That’s not what I…meant.” He glanced at me then, his eyes softening on me, concern and guilt etched boldly on his face. “Oh no, Eve, don’t put this on yourself.” A small laugh escaped my lips. “ I’m in this already okay,” I replied. “Whether I want it or not.” He leaned back, resting his hands behind him, his eyes fixed on the treeline. “Anders is sending scouts to the eastern border to search for the
Eve’s POV You know the thing with aftermath is that they never announce themselves with thunder, you never see them coming sometimes, sure you know something follows after every situation, good or bad right? But you just never know what to expect so you don’t prepare or stay guarded, they just show up and when they do, they settle and you watch to either survive or die in it. I got so used to hearing, it gets better at dawn that i slowly found myself believing it in times when hope and delusions felt like the only thing to hold on to, and so i clung to them even as i slept but when dawn finally came at Blackthorn, it didn't come with relief nor did it feel better, a reminder that hopes and dreams were things that only belonged to the world of the humans. My body ached in ways sleep did not heal, I could tell that what had stirred at night had found its way deep inside of me and probably rearranged things without asking. My markings burned but they did not hurt, they only reminded me
EVE’S POV I felt it before I heard it, there was this subtle shift in the air, a tightening in my chest, and the faint ripple beneath my skin where my wolf stirred uneasily. I could tell Malik felt it too as the arm he had across me, stiffened. “Eve,” he said quietly. “I know.” I slowly sat up, scanning the dark area by the tree line, nothing moved, my eyes didn’t meet with anything that suggested we were being watched, yet I felt strange and I did not like this feeling one bit. “It’s coming again.”I was sure that this was where my strength slowly started to leave me, i searched but i found no courage, instead what i felt was resolve, i could have sworn a part of me felt ready to…die Malid stood up, his hands finding mine, I leaned into him, drawing strength from the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “Promise me something?” He didn't hesitate. “Anything.” “If all this ends badly, the truth we find from all of this breaks us, promise me you would never regret choosing me.”
Eve’s Pov However quiet it felt was everything I knew we had earned, it didn't feel empty nor did it feel tense, it was just right, like ice after a sunny day. Malik and I laid side by side on the cool grass behind the pack's ground, our hands close enough that I could feel his warmth without really touching him. The sky stretched endlessly yet beautifully above us, scattered with stars that seemed even brighter this night. I felt watched and guarded by the universe itself, it was safe to say, I felt like I was being listened to. I exhaled completely, letting myself melt to the earth beneath me. “ Imagine,” I said softly, breaking the comfortable silence. “That the life we had in Germany was real”Malik turned his head slightly to look at me and even in the dark I could still feel his attention, every bit of it settle fully on me and my words. “Imagine we were really just…humans,” I continued, “with jobs, proper schedules and worries that ended at traffic jams and deadlines.” I s







