ZAYLENAs I stared at the message from Liana, a surge of emotional turmoil swept through me, leaving me with hurt and confusion. "Why are you so mad at me?" the text read, each word a painful reminder of the ‘mistake’ that we both willingly made."You can't even comprehend why I am mad," I muttered under my breath. “If you could, you wouldn't have to be asking me this question right now.”It was true — I couldn't bring myself to explain the tumult of emotions that raged within me, but neither could I bring myself to word out my pain to her.The truth was, I felt utterly devastated by Liana's response to our night together.I had allowed myself to hope for something more, to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for us to build something meaningful together. But her request to forget about it all had shattered those hopes like fragile glass, leaving me feeling hollow and alone.I couldn't understand how she could be so blind to the depth of my feelings, so oblivious to t
ZAYLEN"What's wrong? What happened to Liana? Is she okay?" I asked the doctor anxiously, my heart pounding in my chest as I awaited his response.The doctor furrowed his brow, studying the monitor beside Liana's bed before turning to me with a somber expression. "I am afraid we are not entirely sure," he admitted. "She doesn't seem to have a fever, her blood pressure is normal, and her heartbeat is steady. But despite all that, she is still unconscious."My stomach churned with dread at his words, a sense of helplessness washing over me. “What do you mean you are not sure?” I demanded, hating this entire situation. "Isn't there anything you can do to help her?"The doctor shook his head, his expression grave. "We will need to conduct more tests to determine the cause of her condition," he explained. "In the meantime, all we can do is monitor her closely and hope for the best." I clenched my fists in frustration, a surge of guilt washing over me. I had been so consumed by my own em
LIANAI found myself staring at the bloodied patient, my eyes locked on the sight of their mangled body, especially the visible bleeding flesh.A deep hunger stirred within me, gnawing at my throat like I hadn't eaten in days. The scent of blood filled my senses, triggering an instinctual urge that I struggled to resist.Suddenly, Zaylen's voice broke through the haze of my thoughts, snapping me out of my trance-like state. I blinked, feeling disoriented for a moment before realizing where I was."What happened? You okay?" Zaylen's concerned voice reached me, and I quickly nodded in response, trying to push aside the unsettling hunger that still lingered within me."Yeah, I am fine," I replied, forcing a smile onto my lips. "Just feeling a bit thirsty, that's all,” I blurted out.I didn't dare to tell him the truth, to admit the dark desires that had momentarily consumed me. Instead, I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind, burying them beneath a facade of normalcy."Do you want
LIANAAs I stood there, a silent observer amidst the grieving throng, I could not shake off the haunting reality of James's funeral. From afar, I watched as his family huddled together, their sobs mingling with prayers, a cacophony of anguish echoing through the air. Their anguish cut through me like a knife through the heart — like I should be feeling bad as well."I should have never kicked him out," James's father choked out between tears, his voice trembling with regret."He was just lost, we could have helped him," his mother whispered, her words barely audible over the mournful cries.The weight of their words pressed heavily upon me, a burden of sorrow I did not want to bear. James's tragic end was all too much to comprehend. How could he have given up completely on life and thrown himself in front of a truck? He was a leech! Always trying to find new ways to leech off of someone while taking the easy route.Huh, was that why he chose death over everything else? Because it w
LIANAI couldn't help but chuckle at the unexpected turn in conversation. "Why would I still stay at your place?" I teased, arching an eyebrow. Zaylen chuckled as his response laced with playful banter, "Well, Noelle is still staying with Trevor. So the mansion is kinda lonely."I laughed, the tension of the day dissipating with each shared joke. "I can't be a replacement for your sister," I quipped, my tone light. “So no, thank you, I will be staying at my own place.”"Geez, I don't want you as my sister, either," Zaylen cringed, his expression turning mockingly dramatic.We shared a moment of lightheartedness, the heavy emotions of the day momentarily forgotten as we reveled in each other's company. And as we drove away from the somber scene of James's funeral, I couldn't help but feel happy for the support of the man sitting beside me. ###As night descended, I found myself engulfed in a sea of discomfort, my body wracked with pain that seemed to emanate from every fiber of my b
ZAYLENAs I listened to Liana's words, a sense of disbelief washed over me, mingling with a growing sense of dread. Each symptom she described seemed to match that of a werewolf transformation — something I had experienced firsthand. Starting from unquenchable hunger to sudden growth in nails… all of it were symptoms of transformation. Now, it made sense why she was able to guess Aaron was a werewolf and why she had a heightened sense of smell and sound. That might also be why she was staring at that patient's mangled body that way.But it couldn't be possible, could it? Liana wasn't a werewolf. She had not been bitten by one, had she?Oh, dear Goddess, if that had happened —But she would have told me if it had, right? The thought gnawed at me, a nagging doubt that refused to be ignored. So, I finally voiced the question that had been lingering at the back of my mind. "Liana, did you get bitten by a werewolf?" I asked, my voice reluctant.As Liana hesitated, my stomach dropped to
ZAYLENIn the afternoon, I found myself confiding in Jordan, laying out the unsettling truth of Liana's situation. His reaction mirrored my own bewilderment, his brow furrowing in concern as he processed the information.“She is becoming a werewolf? Is this because she is mingling with all these werewolves these days?” Jordan let out, and I shot him a glare for his ridiculousness.“Have you people sent your brains on a vacation, huh?” I got annoyed. “I get why Liana would ask that, but why are you asking, Jordan? It's not a disease, so why would it be contagious, for heaven's sake?” I responded in frustration. “But there's no other possible way, is there? I mean, she didn't get bitten. So?” He stared at me, waiting for a logical reply, but since I had none, he continued, “This is the only logical conclusion, right?”“In what way is this logical?” I released an exasperated sigh and pressed the bridge of my nose. “Anyway, it doesn't matter why she is transforming. I need a solution to
LIANAWhat? I am a werewolf by birth?Did the doctor go crazy? How can I be a werewolf — that too by birth?It wasn’t possible at any cost. There was no possibility.I shook my head in denial as my heart pounded in my chest. “This is impossible,” I managed to mutter. “I…”Zaylen reached out to me, his eyes filled with concern as he held my hand. "Liana, I know this is a lot to take in, but you need to stay calm."Stay calm?Calmness was a distant memory for me. How could I stay calm when I was having a literal identity crisis?"It isn't possible at any cost," my words shook as I struggled to comprehend the situation. "There is no possibility of it. How can I not be human? My whole life… I… it couldn't have been a lie."My thoughts spiraled into chaos, a torrent of confusion and denial crashing over me. “I am not a werewolf! It's a lie, it's a mistake," I repeated. "It's not true, it can’t be!”Zaylen held my hand tighter. "Liana, I know this is overwhelming, but we will figure it o