Theron Mate?My senses were pricked at an attention as I sniffed through the air. A strange anxiety had been gnawing at me for days. Plus I hadn’t slept much. Couldn’t.I was anxious and restless. “She will come at twilight.” that was what was expected. The pattern that had been that way for years. And I hoped it would be wrong. But here we were.The moon had begun its slow rise, and suddenly the air changed.Different.Sharper.Alive.I resisted the overwhelming urge to shift. My body was on edge, my Lycan prowling beneath my skin, ears twitching, teeth bared, demanding to find her.She was here. I slipped away from the others, who thought they were being subtle. They weren’t. I knew I was being monitored. At first, I had dreaded this moment. Hated it and didn't want it. The idea of being bound to someone, of fate deciding for me. But now, now that the scent was closer...Excitement throbbed low in my chest.She’d be perfect, I imagined.Refined. Powerful.Like the current L
Arabella “Well, kids,” the instructor began, her tone warm but no-nonsense, “it’s completely normal that some of you may not find your mates right away.”“The next Lunar Moon rises tomorrow night,” she continued, her eyes sweeping across the large hall where we were all gathered. “And I know the anticipation is high, but I want to remind you, it affects everyone differently.”We were seated in the grand multipurpose hall—shifters and healers alike, lined in orderly rows. It was one of the few classes we all took together, meant to unify us before the biggest spiritual event of our lives. A general orientation, but also a mental and emotional preparation.Tomorrow night was when the moon would hang highest and fullest in the sky, pulsing with energy that reached into our very bones. I chewed lightly on my lip as I stared down at my hands. By this time tomorrow, I would no longer just be me. I would be we.I’d finally meet my wolf. Hopefully. This was basically my last year. If I d
Aurora “I wonder why those girls were sent away,” Meghan said. “Yes, immediate expulsion,” Sarah added with a scowl. “And now we’re being breathed down on by forces we can’t even see.”Annabelle bit into her food calmly, her eyes thoughtful.“They were found snooping around the West Wing section,” she said, like she’d been waiting for the question.“Last night.”I paused. “The West Wing?”She nodded. “The two girls that were sent off. That’s where they were caught.”My eyebrows shot up.“That’s one of the places that’s strictly off-limits, right?”“But isn’t that kind of harsh?” I asked slowly, trying to understand. “I mean… maybe they got curious or just—wandered?”Sarah nodded beside me. “Exactly. We’ve all been tempted to poke around a bit, especially with how mysterious this place is.”“Oh no, no, no,” Annabelle said, her voice dropping a little. “It’s not just what they did. It's the question of why. " The table went quiet..Annabelle let out a slow breath. “Twilight is in po
Aurora I finally reached my dorm much later, after classes and dinner. Every step up the staircase felt heavier than the last, the elevators, for some weird reason were out of service.At the door of I room, I paused.Something felt off. Wrong.The hairs on my neck stood up as I pushed the door open.Inside, the room was a mess. My things were scattered, overturned, tossed aside without care. Matrons moved about briskly, rifling through drawers, upending clothes, searching for… something.“Hey!” I called out, frozen in the doorway. My voice was more confused than angry.What were they looking for?They didn’t answer. They didn’t even stop.Before I could demand an explanation, Mirabelle appeared behind me, her heels clicking softly against the floor.“Oh no. It’s happening again,” she said under her breath, almost like she wasn’t surprised.“Come on.” She gently took my arm and began to lead me away from the chaos.“You didn’t bring anything… odd, did you?” she asked quietly. “Nothi
TheronThe king sat at the head, the queen beside him, looking every bit the polished, regal pair they wanted the world to believe they were. I could imagine we looked like a perfect family, framed neatly among the other important guests who had come for the dinner and the interview.I understood exactly what this was.A well crafted illusion.Strength. Warmth. Family and unity. A tight-knit royal circle, sharing a meal while the world watched.Perfection. I scowled under my breath. I took small, barely-there bites of my food, unsure if I could swallow past the bile clawing its way up my throat. My chest felt tight as my gaze swept across the room, catching every perfectly timed smile. “And about the benefit program,” someone said lightly from across the table, “I heard new attendees arrived at the academy just this week.”“Ah, yes,” the king replied with a pleasant nod. “A promising batch this year.”“It’s a beautiful thing, what you’ve done,” the woman continued. “Keeping the prog
Aurora"It was our king,” Chrissy said flatly. “Well… former king, technically.”“She had a baby… and died?” Sarah murmured, frowning. “That’s tragic.”I nodded in agreement. “Is it though?” Chrissy asked, arching a brow.Her voice turned sharp, bitter. “She wasn’t even a proper werewolf. Some kind of freak—something no one could ever really explain.”Confusion rippled across the room.“Don't you guys get it? She wasn’t fully wolf. Not a shifter either. Just… something else.” Chrissy’s lip curled. “An abomination.”The word dropped like a stone.“Imagine—just imagine—if she really was pregnant, and that thing survived. If it’s still out there somewhere…” Chrissy’s voice trembled now, but with rage, not fear. “Our world would fall apart.”“But it was just a baby,” someone whispered. “Innocent…”“Innocent?” Chrissy let out a cold laugh. “That child was never meant to exist. She and the king were never meant to meet.”“She was rumored to be part hunter and also a witch. A weird mutation