Chapter 37: Idiot.Becky's POV.I didn’t sleep.I couldn't.Not because I didn’t want to. My body was exhausted, but my mind… my mind was a battlefield. Flashes of Haunter’s touch, his voice in the dark, the way my power had ripped loose from me like it had a mind of its own. I didn’t feel like myself anymore. I felt like I was wearing someone else’s skin, and it was too tight.I stared at the ceiling of the little guest room Grandma had set up for me. Moonlight filtered through the lace curtains, painting soft shadows across the walls. The air felt thick. Like it was watching me.Around 3 a.m., I gave up pretending. I threw the blankets off and padded out into the hallway barefoot, hoodie still wrapped tightly around me like armor. I didn’t know where I was going—just that I needed to move. If I stayed still, I’d crack.The floorboards creaked beneath my steps. I could hear Brandon snoring faintly from the room at the end of the hall. Damian was probably still pacing in his sleep, an
Chapter 36: The Mess Before The Beautiful.Sebastian’s POVThe drive to Grandma’s house was unusually quiet. Normally, a car ride with the four of us would be filled with snarky jabs, off-key singing, and the occasional wrestling match in the backseat between Damian and Brandon. But not today.Today, Becky was pressed up against the window in the backseat, earbuds in, hoodie pulled over her head, acting like the world didn’t exist. And maybe to her, it didn’t.I glance at her through the rearview mirror. Her arms were crossed over her chest like she was guarding herself from something — or someone.“She hasn’t said a word in over an hour,” Brandon whispered beside me, scrolling through his phone but not really looking at it.“Yeah,” I muttered. “I noticed.”Damian, in the passenger seat, turned around slightly to peek at Becky. “She’s shutting us out again.”“She’s not shutting us out. Something’s wrong.” My hands tightened around the steering wheel. “And I don't know what it is. Or d
Chapter 35: Power Problems and Sibling Nonsense.Becky’s POVSebastian landed on the floor with a thud and a bark of laughter. “There’s the little beast I remember.”I scowled at him, crossing my arms. “You’re lucky I didn’t blast your ass through the wall.”He raised a brow and stood, brushing himself off. “You probably could’ve. That’s the problem.”I hated that he was right. Again.I could still feel it—whatever it was. This low, constant hum inside me like something ancient was trying to claw its way out through my bones. My wolf was quiet, like she was sitting back to watch what happened next.That never meant anything good, for me. Sebastian grabbed my desk chair and spun it backwards, sitting in it like some knockoff interrogator. “So... what are we dealing with? Elemental magic? Ancestral witch curse? Accidental wolfsbane ingestion?”I gave him a flat look. “Not wolfsbane. That would’ve killed me.”“Only if you’re normal.” He smirked. “Which we both know you’re not.”“ Awww.
Chapter 34: Home sweet home.Becky's POV “For fucks sake Haunter, could you please stop staring at me with those fack ass lovie dovie eyes? It's making me feel nauseous.” I barked, unable to stop myself. It's the fifth time he's stared at me with those eyes since I woke up. It's driving me insane and it's all thanks to the stupid mate bond and my recklessness last night. He looked at me with hurt in his eyes before it was quickly replaced with a look of indifference and innocence. “But I didn't do anything?" “Fuck it, I'm going to my parents how for a few days and I'll continue working form home form there.” I said, already getting up from the chair. " And don't worry, I have five older brothers who are also hybrids and hybrids as friends too so they can protect me well.” I said cutting him off before he could speak, as I walked out of the dining room and upstairs to my bedroom. By the time I reached my room, my hands were shaking. I didn’t know if it was rage, frustration, or th
Chapter 33: The Claim.Becky’s POVThe word hung in the steamy air between us, vibrating with a possessiveness that should have chilled me. Mine. It wasn't a question, not a declaration of protection. It was a primal assertion, carved from the bedrock of whatever ancient magic bound us. Haunter’s silver gray eyes, usually so controlled, burned with an intensity that stripped away the steam, the towel, the lingering shock of the night. He didn’t just see the change in me; he claimed it. Claimed the power, claimed the danger, claimed me.And the terrifying, exhilarating part? My traitorous body sang in response.A wave of heat, entirely separate from the shower’s residue, washed over me. It started low in my belly, a coil of pure energy tightening, and radiated outwards, making my skin prickle beneath the damp towel. My breath hitched, audible in the sudden, charged silence. It wasn’t just the adrenaline from the fight or the wolfsbane’s lingering haze. This was different. Deeper. A res
Chapter 32: Cracks in the Silence.Becky’s POVTwo weeks of tension—of pretending not to feel the way my chest stuttered every time Haunter looked at me for too long—had finally built into something unbearable.The cult hadn’t resurfaced since the attack on the perimeter. But silence? Silence was worse. Silence meant plotting. Silence meant waiting. And I hated waiting.I tried to keep myself busy. Mapping old paths through the forest. Studying the fragments of parchment we'd found in the collapsed tunnels. Making late-night excuses not to sit too close to Haunter in strategy meetings because his proximity made my pulse betray me every damn time.I was doing okay. Holding it together.Until tonight.---The mission was simple: scout a burned-down sector on the west ridge where dark witches had supposedly held rituals decades ago. I was with Candy, Micah, and two younger wolves from the patrol unit. It was supposed to be quiet. Abandoned.Except, It wasn’t.Micah was the first to get h