I stare at the ceiling of Miyukiâs room, lying on my back on the bed with my feet dangling off it. I needed just a few seconds from Octavius, from his intensity... and I felt like I needed to talk to someone else that isn't him. Surprisingly, the first person that came to mind was, Miyuki. My mind races, still replaying everything that happened today as I finish telling her everything that went down.Jace.Alive.I still canât wrap my head around it.Miyuki sits across from me on her bed, one leg folded under the other, her sharp eyes studying me like sheâs waiting for me to crack. Sheâs always had this way about her... observant, reserved. It used to piss me off. Now, I just find it oddly comforting.âSo, waitâĶ you and Jace,â Miyuki starts, making me look over at her as soon as she starts talking. âYou guys wanted to be mates when you were younger?â She questions, tilting her head slightly.I let out a slow breath, still processing it myself. âYeah. But obviously, we werenât allowed
K A I D A I make my way to Octavius with determination written on my face, with purpose in my step as I walk forward. Itâs late, the packhouse, and the pack house is quiet as it usually would be at this hour. My heart pounds a steady rhythm against my ribs, and I know itâs not just from exhaustion. I donât know why I suddenly feel nervous. Octavius is my mate. Thereâs nothing for me to feel nervous about. Yet, there are butterflies in my stomach, and my heart seems to beat just a little faster every time I think about him. But besides all those mushy feelings, I know heâs not completely okay.. I shouldnât feel hesitant to talk to him, but something about this moment feels heavier than usual. Maybe itâs because of everything thatâs happened todayâĶ finding my people alive, seeing Jace again, and the possible war weâre about to step into. Octavius is my mate. Thereâs nothing for me to feel nervous about. Yet, there are butterflies in my stomach, and my heart seems to beat just a litt
K A I D AMy hands remain at the back of his neck as I continue to kiss him, every kiss becoming increasinly more heated that the last. His hands grip onto my waist possessively, matching the energy of my kisses as he fights for dominance, and eventually wins. His bare skin feels hot against mine, and all I want is feel more of him... all of him...I feel him bite my bottom lip slowly, forcing a low, sensual moan out of mouth, and he takes that as an opportunity to slide his tongue into my mouth. I listen as he grows deeply in satisfiedly as his tongue plays with mine, and suddenly, he reaches down and grabs my thighs, lifting me off the floor with ease as my legs immediately wrap around his waist. I gasp at how swift he is, pulling away from him for a moment to stare at him, meeting his piercing blue eyes that burn with desire. They lock onto mine, searching for somethingâhesitation, doubt, anything that might make him stop. But thereâs nothing. Only certainty.My heart pounds as I ta
My heart thumps harshly as I watch him pull away from me. His dark eyes glint with something wild, something untamed, and it sends a delicious shiver down my spine. My body is already aching, trembling, as I struggle to catch my breath. The heat between us is overwhelming, suffocating in the best possible way. I watch as he slips off his trousers, revealing the monster between his legs. It stares back at me, hard and throbbing, all for me... He moves closer to me, pressing the tip against my soaked entrance, forcing a desperate moan out of my lips, making me bit my lip slowly right before looking up at him."Just relax... let me take care of you..." He whispers to me, lowering himself to me and kissing me delicately as he presses his body against mine. Soon, I feel him push himself inside me, causing my entire body to tense at the foreign feeling. A frown forms on my face as I grip onto his face, my pussy stretching to accommodate his length."Oh s-shit... Octavius..." I gasp, my fin
K A I D AWarmth. Thatâs the first thing I feel as I slowly drift into consciousness, my body tangled in the softest sheets, completely at peace. A firm, solid weight presses against my back, heat radiating from it in comforting waves. My muscles ache slightly, a deep, pleasant soreness that makes me shiver as memories of last night crash over me.Oh.My face heats instantly, but I donât move just yet. I let myself soak in the moment, the slow rise and fall of his breathing, the way his arm drapes lazily over my waist, anchoring me to him. His grip is loose, but protective, as if even in his sleep, he refuses to let me go.I take a slow breath, inhaling his scent, deep, woodsy, and intoxicatingly masculine. The events of the night before are still so fresh, so vivid in my mind. The way he touched me, the way we moved together, the way he whispered my name like it was the only thing that mattered in the world. My body flushes at the memory, and I bite my lip, squeezing my eyes shut.I
K A I D AStepping out of Octavius' room feels like the most difficult thing I've had to do in my life. I shouldn't be this nervous, right? I mean, people mate all the time. Back at my pack, there seemed to even be celebrations when two people finally completed the mating process. Everyone could actually tell when two people have finally mated.Great... just great... Meaning everyone in the house is gonna know I had my guts rearranged the night before."Just relax..." I hear Octavius voice snap me out of my thoughts, and that's when I remember that he is standing right next to me, and has been walking beside me this whole time as we make our way downstairs. I know my thoughts are probably too loud, and he can properly hear them..."Yeah, exactly..." He answers outloud and I sigh out of frustrattion and embarrasment as I look over at him."How are you so calm about this... Everyone is gonna know what we were doing last night..." I whisper to him, holding onto his hand for support as w
K A I D AThe cool morning air settles over Raven Moonâs territory as I stand beside Octavius, my heartbeat steady but alert. The presence of Jace and his people is unexpected, and though I trust him to an extent, I canât ignore the tension that crackles in the air like a brewing storm.Around us, several high-ranking Raven Moon wolves stand at attention, their eyes sharp, their postures rigid. Lucas, Miyuki, and Samson flank Octavius and me, their gazes trained on the group in front of us. Though they donât outwardly bare their fangs or emit threatening growls, I can sense the barely restrained aggression simmering beneath the surface. After all, Jace isnât just anyone... he's risen to be the leader of the Xarano pack. Though he is not outright calling himself an Alpha, I know he's stepped up where people needed him, where my sister nor I couldn't. He helped rebuild my pack when we weren't there, and for that, I owe him the utmost respect. However, his sudden arrival leaves me feelin
K A I D AThe air inside the packhouse is heavy. Heavier than usual.Jace and his people have been led inside, and though Octavius has accepted their presence for now, the entire Raven Moon Pack remains on edge. The Raven Moon wolves donât trust easily, and the sudden arrival of outsiders, especially ones as strong as the Lycans from the Xarano Packâhas every wolf in the room on high alert. We make our way into the large meeting hall within the packhouse, a place where we can discuss things a bit more freely. The room quickly fills up as we all station ourselves around it. The quiet hum of low conversations carries in the air, but itâs the kind of quiet thatâs too sharp, too strained. I can feel it in the way the warriors stand rigid, their bodies poised to react at the slightest provocation, their eyes glued on Jace and his people. Even Lucas and Samson, usually so composed, keep their gazes locked on Jaceâs group with barely restrained suspicion.And then the doors swing open.Cole s
K O R R AI wake watching the sun rise.Sleep doesn't come easy, not even now, not even when I'm finally in my own room, in my own packhouse. It's too quiet. The silence makes me itch. It leaves room for memory, and that's a dangerous place to linger.I sit on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, eyes on the shadows crawling across the floorboards. My body aches in ways I can't quite explain. Some of it is physicalâdamage from captivity that still hasn't fully healedâbut most of it lives in my bones. Deep. Carved into muscle memory.Eventually, I stand. I move slowly. I don't like rushing into the day anymore. That used to be Kaida's thing. She was always the first out the door, full of fire and recklessness. I used to pull her back. Now I feel like I'm dragging behind.I cross to the dresser and pull out clean clothesâblack shirt, black pants, worn leather jacket. Perfect. At least there's something suitable for me to wear. afterwards I make my way into the shower, washing away t
K A I D AThe silence stretches between us, heavy but not uncomfortable, one where both of us are simply processing everything weâve shared with each other. Korra hasn't sat down. She's still standing, probably still hearing the words I saidâabout Admosian, about Lucien, about bloodlines and wars we didn't ask to inherit. I shift my weight from one foot to the other, exhaling deeply as an unsettled frown rests on my face.The adrenaline is starting to wear off, and now I feel tiredânot just in my body but deep down, in that place people call soul, though I don't think mine has ever had a chance to breathe."I have to head back now, Iâm sure Octavius is worried about meâĶ" I say quietly. Korra turns her head to look at me. No surprise in her face, just a flash of something softer as she exhales. Something close to disappointment, but not quite."Already?" she asks and perhaps she isnât used to the fact that I wonât be living with her anymore. The two of us grew up close, with a fierce b
K A I D AâWhat?â I ask, voice low but sharp, like the word cuts on its way out. My heartbeat stutters, then kicks into overdrive. I blink hard. Once. Twice. Like thatâll clear the static building in my head. Like maybe I misheard her. Like maybe she didnât just say what I think she said.Korra stays calm. She doesnât flinch, doesnât back down. Her face is serious, grounded. No hesitation in her voice. âI know it sounds crazyâĶ but believe me, itâs true.âIâm watching her carefully now. Reading the tension in her shoulders, the stillness in her stance. Sheâs not spitballing. Sheâs not guessing. Sheâs thought about thisâprobably over and over again, turning it around in her head until it made enough sense to say out loud.âWeâve been researching,â she continues. âTrying to figure out which of the bloodlines I came from. We came from.âThat part catches in my chest.We.âWe dug through what we could findâold records, pack stories, bloodline traits. Physical markers. Based on our features,
K A I D AKorra and I are sitting on the edge of the bed in the room they set up for her. She smells clean nowâlike herself. No more scent of blood, rusted iron, sweat. No more stink of captivity clinging to her skin like a curse. Her hairâs still damp, slicked back and tucked behind her ears. Her face is clearer too. Hollowed out, yeah, but clear. Her eyes... theyâre finally awake.Iâm still not used to this. Seeing her here. Alive.I glance over at her and my heart lurches in my chest, heavy and full and weirdly tight. Sheâs here. Sheâs really here.She nudges her elbow into mine, that little sister-sister thing we used to do when we were younger, before the world split open and swallowed us whole.âTell me what happened to you now,â she says softly.I inhale, slow and deep, but it does nothing to ease the knot in my stomach. I feel like Iâve been waiting years for someone to ask me that. I also feel like I donât want to say any of it out loud.But she deserves to know.âWell... Itâ
Korra sits on the edge of the bed, freshly showered, hair damp, skin free of the dirt and grime from that hellhole.She looks better.Not just physically, but in the way she carries herself now. Her shoulders are no longer hunched, her body no longer weighed down by chainsâliteral or otherwise.But thereâs still something in her eyes.A ghost.Something Lucien left behind.I lean against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest. âFeeling better?âShe lets out a slow breath, rolling her shoulders as if testing her body for weakness. âYeahâĶ a little like myself now.âThatâs good.I donât say it, though. I just nod.Silence stretches between us for a moment, but itâs not uncomfortable. Itâs the kind of silence that comes with understanding, with years of missing time trying to fill itself in all at once.Korra studies me, her eyes scanning my face like sheâs trying to memorize it. Like she still canât believe Iâm standing here.âI canât believe youâre alive,â she murmurs, shaking he
K A I D AThe drive back to Xarano territory is long and heavy with silence.Though Octavius was opposed to the idea, I managed to convince him to let me head back to the Xarano Pack with my sister. They needed to see that she is alive; they needed to know that both Xarano sisters have returned and are standing strong.I sit beside at the backseat of the car, Jace being the one to drive us while Valerie sits in the front seat. I haven't been able to let go of my sister's hand. Perhaps out of fear that if I somehow do, I will lose her again. But I'll be damned if that ever happens again. Her posture is tense, her gaze locked onto the rolling landscape ahead of us. She hasnât spoken much since we left the ruins, and I donât blame her.Sheâs processing. All of it. Being free. Being alive-- truly alive --and out of captivity, and seeing us all again, and finally coming.I glance at her, my chest tightening. Does she even remember this place as home? I stare down at her tattoos, admiring t
K A I D AKorraâs growl is cold and deadly, silencing the entire forest and everything in it. Everyone is on edgeâĶ Jace, Valerie, the othersâĶ but no one moves. No one dares to.Because we all feel it.The rage rolling off of her, thick and dangerous, her silver eyes glowing with barely restrained fury.She looks ready to kill him. Fear floods its way into my body. I knew my sister had always been dangerous. What more after all these years in captivity, what more that she is now a Lycan. Who knows the horrors she has been subjected to? Who knows what sheâs seen? I no longer know what she is capable of doing, and so no matter what happens, I need to try and keep her calm.âKorra,â I say, carefully, taking a few steps towards her to try and enter her line of vision. âPlease calm downâĶâShe doesnât look at me.She only stares at Octavius, her breathing slow for now but the longer she stares at him, the more it elevates. Her hands are clenched at her sides, shaking slightly as her body vi
K A I D A Kaida walks slowly, her arm wrapped firmly around Korraâs waist, supporting her sisterâs weakened frame. So she seems physically strong, Kaida can pick up the faint scent of Wolfsbane off her, it was all over the cell as well and Kaida is certain Lucien had flooded the air with it to keep her abilities suppressed."Are you okay...?" Kaida asks worriedly, being sure to keep her sister steady and maintain her balance."I'm okay... I just need fresh air..." She answers, her voice hoarse as she lets out slow breaths.Korra is strong... stronger than her. Kaida has always known that, but right now, her body trembles with every step, her muscles struggling to carry her after years in captivity. Her once-powerful stance is reduced to unsteady footing, her breathing laboured.Still, she is here. She is alive.Thatâs all that matters.Kaida tightens her grip, feeling Korra lean into her slightly as they make their way toward the others. Her sister is unbroken, but she is not unscath
K A I D A I donât stop running. My breath is sharp, my pulse erratic, my mind locked onto a single thought: Sheâs here. The scent is pulling me forward, leading me deeper into the ruins, past the crumbling stone and the echoes of battle still raging behind me. I know Octavius and the others are fighting, I know we havenât won yetâbut none of that matters right now. Because I can feel it. My sister. Somewhere in this hell, Korra is alive. A snarl rips through the air. Two wolves leap at me from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust. I react on instinct. The first one lunges for my throat, but Iâm faster. I drop low, twisting under him before grabbing his hind leg mid-air and swinging him into the ruins. His body crashes through the stone, debris collapsing over him. The second wolf is already coming for me. Teeth bared. Claws slashing. I meet him head-on, our bodies colliding in a brutal clash of muscle and rage. Heâs strong. But Iâm stronger. He slashes at my