LOGINGIA O'LEARY
I paced back and forth in my room, my steps soft but restless against the cold floor. My thoughts were tangled, refusing to settle, no matter how many deep breaths I tried to take. The more I thought about it, the worse it felt.
The way Alan had shut me down earlier… the sharpness in his voice, the coldness in his eyes. It tells me everything I need to know.
I tried to sit on the edge of the bed, but the moment I did, my legs bounced with the need to move again. My mind wouldn’t quiet down.
This is my fault.
I buried my face in my hands. I should’ve kept
Levi PovHave you ever had your world tilt, like your world was about to crack and splinter into various pieces?Tiny shambles?It's like you're about to go insane. That was me. Or should I say, that is me.The moment I skied to a stop, this was where I heard her scream. When I got there, I saw nothing. Then my eyes dropped to the floor, and what I saw almost made my heart stop. It was blood. A pool of blood was on the floor.I let out a shuddering breath. Maybe it's not her, maybe someone else. More than one person’s, right? The noise informed me besides, I've always known that she was a fighter. That's what I tried to tell myself.But somewhere inside, I had this nagging feeling that there was something terribly wrong. I squatted, dipping my index finger into the pool. I hadn't even brought it close to my nose when a familiar scent hit me.It was hers.I swear the world stopped right there.My breath hitched.Nightmares flashed before my eyes. Things I didn't want to think ab
Gia PovMy heart's wrenched in my chest. I sniffled. His eyes widened. He came close to me, so close that just a hair's breadth separated us."It's not your fault. That's what I want to let you know. You didn't choose this. You didn't choose to be born as such a pack who never even valued you. You know the better part of it. You have the chance to change your life now — to change your destiny. You're away from the pack; you're away from the influence. No one is placing any kind of forced responsibility on your shoulders.In this pack, the Outlanders, we don't judge. In fact, almost everyone has no idea of your former identity. So you have a chance to start anew."That touched me in ways that I never knew it could. This isn't who I am. This isn't what I've envisioned for myself. The kind of person that I want to be — this is what's been forced upon me by the pack, and now I'm no longer; I can be a better person. I can leave everything behind.But now came the big question: how? How do
Gia PovI usually couldn't help but wonder how he became Bryce's beta, and most times I'll shrug: maybe he's just as productive as he's silent. Answering myself.But this time, my prediction was destined to fail."I can see you're getting real comfy," a voice commented.Three seconds passed before it clicked. "Bryce." I shot off the bed to the floor, awkwardly fiddling with my fingers.Can't believe I allowed him to see that. Why didn't I open the door myself?I tried to act as normal as possible, shrugging. "Yeah, what else can I do?" I said.His eyes landed on me, tracing my frame from my shoulders to my hands, then my feet, back before going to my face.All the places he landed were tense.Shoulders stiff, hands folded into fists without me knowing, and toes curled.I tried to release the tension, to act like nothing's wrong.Thankfully, Bryce wasn't here to pinpoint my faults. He simply walked up to me, took my hand, and pulled me toward the bed.When we both sat, that's when my
Gia POVI didn't want to believe it, but all the evidence was here. The spark.It's unbelievable. Something I didn't even feel with Levi, I was feeling with someone.'It's the goddess.' His hand gently wrapped around mine; he placed our hands on his chest, just above his heart.I jolted, trying to remove my hand away, but he held it fast.Firmly to his.The chest was a vulnerable area. I stared at him wide-eyed. Didn't he know? Just one move of a wolf's clawed fingers and he's gone.Like dead, unable to resurrect."That's why it's not any wolf but only you," his deep voice brushed past my ears, sending a tingle down my spine. I jerked away. "What the—" my eyes widened further if that's possible. He heard me?I'm sure the shock on my face was evident. 'Don't tell me he reads minds too,' I wanted to flee in mortification if that's the case.He shook his head. "No, sweetheart, I don't read minds.""But you just said what I was thinking," I was swift to point out, receiving another shock
Gia PovThe next time I woke up I was much calmer.I stared at the ceiling, my eyes tracing the patterns. I was this calm because I already knew where I was.The door creaked open. Bryce, with a tray in his open palms, entered the room with his back. He placed it on the bedside table, saying, "I guessed you'll be hungry."I weakly shook my head, not really looking down at my stomach, at least not now. Just then, as if to disprove my words, my stomach growled and grumbled, contradicting what I just said.Bryce chuckled. "Seems your stomach had another thing to say," he said, quirking his eyebrows while I flushed red in shame, pulling up the bed covers to my nose."Eat up," he turned, perhaps to give me time to pick up any semblance of dignity from my shambles pile.It was only when the door closed with a click, when I was left alone — he's gone, and I confirmed it — that I reached for the food.My finger hovered over the food. 'What if it's poisoned?' The off thought poked holes in my
Gia POVWhen my eyes opened, the first thing I saw was the ceiling above me.A strange one, decorated with spirals and curves of shimmering gold and white.'This isn’t my room.' That was my first thought. Or my room, for that matter.I propped myself up on my arm, staring around the room where I was. It was neat.No stray clothes or things cluttered around. I couldn’t pick out anything just from the room alone.I scuttled to the side; just then, a sharp pain stung me. I winced, my head snapping to the source.







