LOGINAya's POV We were running out of time.That thought didn’t just sit in my head.It echoed.Loud. Relentless. Suffocating.Johanis’ blood stained the ground beneath us, too bright against the dark, damp soil of the forest. And the ground.. the woods, the forest itself seemed to feed on my mate’s blood even though he is not wolfless.“Aya…” Lily’s voice shook beside me, her hands still supporting Johanis’ other side. “We—we need to move. Now.”“I know,” I whispered.But I didn’t move.I couldn’t.Because Johanis was still looking at me.Like I was the only thing keeping him conscious.Like if I looked away—He’d disappear.“Aya…” His grip tightened weakly around my wrist. Barely there. But I felt it.Every bit of it.“Don’t… stay…”“Shh,” I cut him off immediately, my voice breaking despite myself. “Don’t talk. Just—just stay with me, okay?”Another cough.More blood.My vision blurred.This wasn’t happening.This wasn’t supposed to happen.“You said you were fine,” I whispered, my voi
Aya's POV.For a moment, everything held. The forest. The creatures. Even the air. It was like the entire world had paused just to watch us.To watch him.Johanis’ arms were still wrapped around me, tight but careful, like he didn’t trust himself not to break something if he held on any harder. His chest rose and fell against mine, uneven, sharp breaths that hadn’t settled yet.And I could feel it.Through the bond.The instability.The way something inside him hadn’t fully gone quiet.Just… waiting.“Aya…” His voice was rough, low, right above my head.“I’m here,” I whispered again, tightening my grip just slightly.Behind us—The forest shifted. Not violently this time. Not lunging. Not attacking.Just…Moving.Like it was adjusting.Adapting.My stomach dropped.“Johanis…” I murmured, pulling back just enough to look up at him. His eyes met mine immediately. Still dark. Still unstable. But clearer than before. Like he was now present and that was enough for now.“We have to move,”
Aya's POV The forest went still.Not quiet—still.Like everything had paused mid-breath.The creatures that had been lunging toward us froze where they were, twisted bodies locked in place, glowing eyes fixed on me. The shadows stopped shifting. The air itself felt suspended, thick and unmoving against my skin.And that pull—It was stronger now. So much stronger..It wasn’t just calling me anymore.It was… reaching.Something deep within the forest tugged at something inside me, something I didn’t understand but somehow recognized. My chest tightened as the feeling spread, warm and cold all at once, sinking into my bones.“Aya…”Johanis’ voice cut through it.Sharp.Panicked.“Don’t.”My fingers trembled slightly at my sides. I wanted to move. I wanted to step back, to run, to do anything—but my body wouldn’t listen.Because something inside me was listening instead.Answering.“Aya, look at me.”His voice changed.Not commanding.Not controlled.Desperate.“Look at me,” he repeate
Aya's POVThe forest felt like it was breathing. Not metaphorically.Not in the poetic, it’s just the wind through the trees kind of way.No…I could literally feel it in my bones.The ground beneath my feet shifted ever so slightly, like something vast and ancient was stirring underneath the soil. The air was thick. Heavy. It pressed against my lungs with every breath I tried to take.And the silence—It wasn’t quiet.It was watching.My grip tightened around Lily as she leaned against me, still weak but more alert now, her fingers clutching the fabric of my sleeve.“Aya…” she whispered. “This place… I don’t like it.”“I know,” I said softly.Because I didn’t like it either.Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to run. But there was nowhere to run to. Because this place..is so hard to find where the exit is. It looks and feels like it's never-ending..“Johanis…”My voice came out smaller than I intended. He didn’t look at me right away.Still standing in front of us, still
Aya's POVThe footsteps outside grew louder. Faster. Closer..My heart leaped into my throat.My mate.. He was coming.I could feel it through the bond—wild, sharp, almost violent in the way it surged through me. It wasn’t just awareness anymore.It was urgency.Rage.Fear.For me.The Blackmoor captain tilted his head slightly, as if listening to it too. That same calm expression remained on his face..Like this was all expected.Like everything was going exactly the way he wanted.“Perfect timing,” he murmured.“Stay back,” I snapped, pulling Lily closer to me. She was still weak, her weight leaning slightly against my side.“Aya… what’s going on?” she whispered.“I don’t know,” I admitted.But that wasn’t entirely true. Because deep down—I did. This was a trap. And we walked right into it.The footsteps stopped right outside the door.For one split second, everything went still. And then…BANG.The door slammed open so hard it hit the wall with a deafening crack.Johanis stood the
Aya’s POVThe game started like a storm. It was really fast and relentless. Both sides were unforgiving to one another..From the moment the puck dropped, the energy in the arena exploded. The clash between Woodhill University and Blackmoor wasn’t just a match—it felt like a collision.Two forces.Two intentions.Two teams that refused to back down.I sat beside Lily, my hands clasped tightly together, eyes locked onto the ice. Johanis moved like he always did. But this time.. his movements seem much more precise ad controlled, but still so damn deadly.Every movement calculated, every pass sharp, every shift purposeful. Ryan and Finn kept up the pressure, pushing forward again and again, while Leon and Brooks held the defensive line like a wall.And for a moment—Everything felt normal. The crowd roared. The ice rang with the sound of skates and sticks. The scoreboard shifted.1–0. Woodhill.Cheers erupted around us. Lily grabbed my arm. “They’re doing so good!”I nodded, a small smi
Aya's POV My feather didn’t move either.At first.I followed the instructions, tried to empty my mind, tried to think of conversion. Pheromones to magic. Instinct to intent. But the more I thought about it, the more my thoughts tangled. And yes, I still have pheromones even if I don't have a wolf
Aya's POV The principal arrives like a storm that doesn’t bother knocking. The clinic door opens with a sharp crack, and the air seems to change immediately—thicker, heavier, like every molecule is bracing itself. Principal Reed steps inside with his hands clasped behind his back, posture rigid, e
Aya's POV Johanis should not be upright.That is the only coherent thought my brain manages as he shifts his weight off the edge of the clinic bed and immediately sways like a tower that’s decided gravity is optional. Mika’s hand shoots out on instinct, fingers digging into his arm.“Absolutely no
Aya's POV I want to cover for my mate.I want to say something—anything—that will redirect Elder Odin’s attention away from Johanis, away from the impossible blue fire, away from the truth sitting in my chest like a live wire.But I don’t know what on earth my response is supposed to be. So I just







