Mag-log in~DAMIEN~My fingers tremble slightly as I gather the last of the flowers.They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen—petals soft as silk, glowing faintly under the fading light, carrying a scent so sweet it almost aches. Not just flowers… they feel like something more. Like forgiveness. Like a beginning.“Mate will love them,” Lucian murmurs, his voice low but vibrating with excitement.I swallow hard.“I hope she’ll even see me,” I mutter.I turn and walk quickly back to my car, my boots crunching against the gravel. My heart is pounding now…not from the ritual, not from the goddess… but from what comes next.From her….Holly.The name alone tightens something deep in my chest.I reach my car, pull the door open, and immediately strip off what’s left of my torn clothes. My hands move fast, almost desperate, grabbing a clean shirt and dark jeans from the backseat.I change right there, not caring about anything else but time.Every second feels like too much.Every
~DAMIEN~I have been restless ever since my wife appeared to me twice in the dream and asking me to let go off the grudges I have about her death.Ever since she asked me to let go of the grudges I have against the moon goddess for not protecting my wife and taking away my mate from me.I don't even realize I have been holding those grudges deep in my heart until my late wife called my attention to it.She asked to me to find my happiness again and be happy. She wants me to have peace of mind.But is she aware that my peace of mind and happiness lies in the arms of another woman? A woman much younger than me? A woman that could easily pass as my daughter??“It doesn't matter, Damien,” Lucian speaks through the mind-link. “Our former mate already gave her blessings. She asked you to be happy. She sees everything.”“She must have seen how miserable you are without Holly, and that's why she came to your dream urging you to be happy. Stop overthinking things, Dam
~DAMIEN~“Dad, are you even listening?”Ella’s voice pulls me out of the fog, and I blink, forcing my attention back to the dining table.She’s staring at me, her brows slightly furrowed, her spoon halfway to her mouth.Gabriel is quieter. Too quiet.“I’m listening,” I say, even though I have no idea what she just said.I pick up my coffee and take a sip, but it tastes like nothing.Everything tastes like nothing these days.“You’ve been weird,” Ella mutters.“I’m not weird,” I reply flatly.She raises a brow. “You just called cereal ‘soup’ five minutes ago.”I pause.Did I?“Eat your food, Ella.”She rolls her eyes but obeys, mumbling something under her breath.I glance at Gabriel.He hasn’t touched his food.His eyes are distant, his jaw tight, his fingers clenched around his fork like he’s holding onto something invisible.He’s been like this… ever since that day.Ever since he went to Holly’s house last.I'm really curious to know what happened there,
~DAMIEN~I foolishly expected Holly to show up on New Year's Day.But she didn't, and I have never hated a day this much in my entire life.The house was too quiet.Not the peaceful kind of quiet… no.That one was loud and echoed. A silence that pressed into my chest and sat there like something heavy and suffocating.I was standing by the window in the living room, staring outside at nothing in particular. The streets were unusually calm, a stark contrast to last night’s chaos—fireworks, laughter, celebration.People welcoming a new beginning.And there I was…drowning in an ending.I was holding my phone in my hand all through, even though I didn't remember when I picked it up, but I remembered why I was holding it.I was glancing at the screen over and over again for a message from Holly, or a call from her, but I got nothing from her.No “Happy New Year, Damien.”My grip tightened unconsciously.“She’ll text,” I muttered under my breath, more to convince mys
~HOLLY~It's finally New Year’s Day.I wake up to silence,but not the peaceful kind.Not the soft, comforting quiet that makes you want to stretch and smile and breathe in a fresh start.No.This kind of silence is… heavy.It presses down on my chest the moment my eyes open, like something is sitting on me, refusing to let me breathe properly.For a few seconds, I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, blank and empty.Then it hits me.New year….A new beginning. A fresh start.That’s what it’s supposed to feel like, right?It's supposed to feel exciting, hopeful, full of possibilities.But all I feel is… nothing.My hand slowly reaches for my phone beside me.My heart does this stupid little hopeful flutter as the screen lights up.Maybe…maybe there’s a message.Maybe they texted.Maybe…..My breath catches as I unlock it quickly.And then, nothing.No notifications. No messages. No missed calls.Just… nothing.My chest tightens painfully.Not from one person,
~HOLLY~I can’t breathe.I swear I can’t breathe.The words I love you are still echoing in my head like they’ve carved themselves into the walls of this room.Gabriel loves me.My best friend.My person.The one who knows everything about me… except this.Except the one truth that would ruin everything.I just stare at him, speechless.Completely, utterly speechless.My lips are slightly parted, but nothing comes out. Not a single word. Not even a whisper.Because what can I say?My brain is scrambling, trying to catch up with everything he just said, but my heart… my stupid, confused heart… is pounding too loudly for me to think straight.“Say something, Holly…” he murmurs, his voice softer now, almost fragile.I swallow hard, but my throat feels dry.“I…” My voice comes out faint, shaky. “I…”Nothing.Nothing follows.God, why can’t I talk?Why can’t I just say something?Gabriel takes a slow step closer, his eyes never leaving mine.“I love you, Holly,”
~DAMIEN~The drive starts in silence.Not the calm kind, but the heavy, choking kind that presses against your chest and makes every breath feel like punishment.The engine hums beneath us, tyres cutting through the snow-covered road, but all I hear is Gabriel’s voice in my
~HOLLY~I wake up slowly, the kind of slow that means my body remembers everything before my mind does.Warmth. Scent. The ghost of Damien’s arms around me.Then reality creeps in.My side of the bed is empty because I slept in my room and not in Damien's room, even t
~DAMIEN~I push myself up and away from Holly slowly, forcing my wolf to calm the hell down. Holly is still beneath me, flushed, hair spread like a dark halo, eyes hazy with pleasure and questions she’s been holding back for far too long.The room smells like sex. Like her
~HOLLY~“Put your hands out in front and keep them there,” Damien commands.I am not in anyway alarmed at the roughness in his voice, instead it seems to turn me on the more.I understand that the harshness of his voice comes from the arousal at the breaking point.And I







