LOGIN“Ada wasn’t like this before… was she?” Melissa asked softly.
“She wasn’t,” I sighed.
The three of us were crammed into my bedroom for the night—more accurately, for a confession night. After the disastrous dinner two days ago, my friends had been desperate to know every detail. There’d been no time to talk properly at school, so we
Within just a few hours,I kissed Ethan.And I kissed Fitch.The truth clings to me like dirty water dried on skin—sticky, sour, impossible to wash away no matter how many times I try to scrub it clean.I’ve never been that kind of person.I’ve never been the girl who holds two hands at once while pretending innocence. The kind who stands between two hearts and calls it confusion, as if that word can excuse everything.But now—that’s exactly who I am.And the most ironic part of all is that neither of them knows.They both have flaws.They both have pride.They both make mistakes like any other person.
I close my eyes.The pain doesn’t fade.It doesn’t even soften.It hooks deep inside my chest like a barbed iron claw, dragging something raw out of me inch by inch. It tears downward through my ribs, through my abdomen, along my spine, burning all the way to my toes.And yet—I’m still running.I know I am.My paws strike the earth in relentless rhythm. Muscles coil and release with practiced strength. The wind slices past my ears like cold blades.But my mind is splitting apart.Sarah.She is betraying the mate bond.This isn&rsq
I know I’m selfish.I’ve known it for a long time now.Last night, I shouldn’t have left Sarah the way I did.She was standing there, right in front of me, her eyes filled with something raw and fragile—longing, dependence, and a kind of pain she could barely hide no matter how hard she tried. And yet I still slipped out through her window like a coward retreating from the battlefield.Like a deserter.But I had to leave.My father was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. The pack was waiting for orders. And only hours earlier, I had stood in front of them all and been crowned Alpha.Not symbolically.Not ceremonially.
I sighed.The whole house had gone quiet.My parents’ lights went out first. Then, from the far end of the hallway, came the sound of Cody’s bedroom door closing. After that, the light in Ethan’s guest room disappeared as well. One by one, everyone naturally surrendered to the night.Everyone except me.I had slept until sunset, and now it was nearly one in the morning. Instead of being tired, my mind felt painfully awake—like some nocturnal creature living on an opposite schedule from the rest of the household.I leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling, my heartbeat a little too fast.My phone screen lit up.Missed calls—Mom. Cody. Many of them.
For that minute, I stood at the center of the stage.Applause, shouts, vows, blood, and glory intertwined like a ritual written by fate long ago. I had waited for this moment for too long—so long that I had almost begun to believe it would never come.I was Alpha.Not the future heir. Not a candidate. Not the one people expected to become Alpha someday.But now.The crowd lowered their heads and bowed. The air was thick with obedience, reverence, and something heavier, something invisible.Responsibility.From this moment on, these people—their lives, their safety, their hunger and fear—rested on my shoulders.My pack.
I slowly opened my eyes and blinked several times, chasing away the last traces of sleep.My face was still buried in the pillow, and that scent curled around me again—clean, warm, carrying a hint of forest night.Fitch.I knew perfectly well it was impossible, yet I still allowed myself to sink into it. The smell relaxed me like some conditioned reflex. Maybe it was only my brain trying to comfort itself. Maybe it was just memory lingering in the air. Whatever it was, it had been enough to lull me to sleep.I had only meant to nap for a few hours. Sleep had always been the most effective way for me to deal with anxiety. But apparently, I had “over-treated” myself.When I glanced at the blinds, orange light seeped through the slats. For a moment, I couldn
When Melissa was clutching her stomach and wailing over the table, I was seized by a sudden rush of anxiety.Over the past three days, those so-called “Moon Goddess resonances” had grown increasingly clear—like in
The air in the great hall was thick as honey. As Fitch led me through the crowd, I counted my heartbeat—once, twice—matching the steady, almost unreal warmth flowing from his palm.Eva sat to the left of the stage, her skirt spread like a tide beneath the moon. The couple beside her turned their he
Her hand fit into my palm like a small bird. As we crossed the foyer, the half-drunk guys let out low whistles and muffled laughs, but I heard none of it. All I could hear was her quick, shallow breathing, and the roar of my own blood rushing in my ears.The staircase had been polished slick by cou
I checked my phone for the third time. The cold glow of the screen was harsh in the dark.1:17 a.m.There was a soft tapping at the window, like fingernails against glass. I threw back the covers and crossed the floor barefoot







