Fear is, was never a strange thing to me—it had always lingers like a bitter taste at the back of my throat, refusing to be swallowed. It doesn’t matter how many times I blink, how many breaths I try to take, or how tightly I wrap the blankets around me in this sterile white room… it clings to me like a second skin.I had been poisoned.Someone had tried to kill me.And now, even though I was alive, the world didn’t feel the same anymore for me.The healer, Luca, had explained the nature of the toxin to Killian after he forced the truth out of one of the junior kitchen staff who had crumbled under Elara’s interrogations. It wasn’t meant to kill me instantly—it was slow, meant to cripple me bit by bit. A paralysis toxin mixed with a suppressant to dull a wolf’s shifting abilities. It was dangerous. Illegal. And rare poison.Do you know scariest part? Whoever did this knew what they were doing.I was the target. Not by mistake. Not by accident.On purpose.Killian had increased the patr
Killian’s POVI never thought I’d be standing here, in the cold, sterile hallway of my pack house, feeling like a man slowly losing everything he’s ever known. But as I stood there, the weight of what was happening pressed down on me with every breath. Every second I spent away from Selene, every moment I wasn’t at her side, I felt like I was failing her. Failing us.The poison was working its way through her body, slowing her, numbing her, but I wouldn’t let it win. I couldn’t. Not after everything we’ve been through. Not after all the lies and betrayal. Selene deserved more than this. She deserved a life without fear, without this constant danger lurking in every corner.But who would I trust now?I walked the length of the hall, my mind a whirlpool of thoughts. Raven. The kitchen. The whispers that had filled the air, the night of the poisoning. Could it really be him? I clenched my fists, trying to push the doubt aside. Raven had been a part of my pack for years. He was loyal, was
I hate this bed.The scent of sterilized herbs, clean linen, and distant antiseptics is suffocating. Most times I feel like throwing up.I can hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Every tick reminds me of what I’m losing.I tried to get up this morning.I tried to swing my legs off the bed, place my feet on the floor, and stand like I always have.But nothing happened. It was so stuffed like a ribbon was tied in my legs.No sensation. No pain. No movement.Just dead weight. And my feet can't move.I was becoming afraid. What was happening to my feet I can't tell. Left with no option than to scream!I screamed, clawing at the sheets, trying to force my body to obey—anything but this helpless stillness. My legs… they wouldn’t respond.I couldn't feel them.A part of me was stolen overnight, and I didn’t even notice until I tried to move.Elara rushed in, panic veiled behind her usual cool expression. Luca followed her a heartbeat later. I saw it in their eyes—the fear, the u
Day Nine.It starts with silence. Not the comforting kind. Not the kind that cradles you gently and lets you drift into sleep. No, this silence is suffocating. Heavy. It presses down on me like a weight I can’t lift, reminding me that I’m no longer the girl who used to race through the woods, who used to lead warriors, who used to be Luna with fire in her veins.I stare at the ceiling, blank and white. It’s all I’ve seen for the last few hours. It mocks me.I will try again.My fingers dig into the mattress as I push, trying to lift myself, even if just a little. But nothing happens. My legs remain still. Dead. As if they’ve been replaced by something foreign—something that doesn’t belong to me.I scream into the silence, but it swallows the sound whole.Luca had checked on me earlier, his face carefully neutral, but I could see it. The flicker of fear in his eyes, the tightness in his jaw. He doesn’t know what’s wrong. No one does.I feel like a ghost trapped in a body that’s slowly
The silence in this room isn't peaceful. It's suffocating me.It clings to the corners, presses into my lungs, and settles over me like the same heavy blankets I can no longer toss aside by myself. Morning has melted ever since Elara and Luca left and now we are into afternoon, but no one’s come in yet after then. Not Killian. Not Elara. Not even Luca.I stare at the ceiling, watching the faint patterns in the paint, like tiny rivers that move only when I blink too long. I try to shift, to sit up, to move anything below my waist. But the truth is brutal and unchanging—my body does not respond. I’m trapped in it.I swallow against the dry ache in my throat. My eyes flicker to the door. There’s a soft knock, and then it swings open.Luca steps in, his white coat wrinkled, dark circles bruising the skin beneath his eyes. He looks exhausted. I try to smile, but my lips barely twitch."You're late today," I murmured.He pauses at the foot of my bed. “Sorry, Luna. Things have been... tense.
The golden hue of evening spilled lazily through the tall windows, it was casting long shadows that danced across the marble floors . The room where I laid was quiet—too quiet. Only the soft ticking of the clock above the fireplace marked the passing time.I laid there, propped up by a few pillows, my limbs unmoving and cold under layers of blankets which lay on my chest. Luca had come in earlier, carefully adjusting my IV and murmuring soft words I barely registered in my head. My mind was wandering about as he spoke. I couldn't recall what he said but I knew for certain he said something, something encouraging. His presence was calming, but even that felt muted against the steady ache that had settled deep inside me. The poison had sunk its clue deeper inside of me. Every passing hour was becoming traumatic for me. The pain. I hadn’t been to class with Luca in days now. Not that I could move and he was also my healer. The lesson between us had been forced to pause everything con
The morning of day eight arrived like a ghost, silent and grim.There was no warmth in it, no softness from the rising sun. Just the dull light bleeding through the curtains and the weight in my chest pressing heavier than before. The scent of herbs filled the room, thick and cloying, but even that was faint to me now. I couldn’t lift my hand to wipe the sweat from my temple. I couldn’t ask for water. I couldn't even whisper.I hadn’t spoken a word in years—not since the trauma stole my voice—but now, even my hands refused to obey me. They trembled weakly whenever I tried to sign, and more often than not, my fingers just... gave up. It was like my body was already grieving the life it once had, before the poison began to eat away at what little strength I had left.Luca had finally said it aloud last night.“You’re not getting better, Selene,” he whispered, kneeling beside my bed, his voice barely hiding the tremble in it. “The poison is spreading too fast. Your heart is weakening.”A
Killian’s POVThe elder’s council room was cold and filled with heavy silence. I stood by the window, arms folded, jaw tight. The scent of incense burned low in the corner, but it did nothing to calm my nerves. Elara sat to my right, hands folded neatly in her lap. Chief Elder Garrick entered last, his long cloak dragging slightly behind him as he moved to his seat. He didn’t sit yet. He looked straight at me.“The Moonlight Celebration is five nights away, Alpha,” he said, voice low but firm. “Have you brought your mate-to-be forward for preparation?”I clenched my jaw before I answered. “That’s why we’re here.”He finally sat down. Elara turned her head slightly towards his direction and then back to mine, she was watching me like she was waiting for something, maybe waiting for me to say something.“I need more time,” I said in a cool dry voice. “Just a little.”Elder Garrick frowned. “Time is not something the moon waits for. The celebration date cannot be moved. It has been decid
The weight of the silence pressed down on me, thick and oppressive, like a suffocating blanket that refused to lift. Even the softest sounds—the rustle of leaves outside, the whisper of the wind brushing against the windowpane—felt muted, subdued, as though the world itself had fallen under a spell of eerie anticipation. I stood still, barely breathing, my fingertips grazing the cool, dew-frosted glass of the wide window that overlooked the forest stretching endlessly into the distance. The moonlight filtered through the trees, painting long silver streaks across the floor, but even its glow felt wrong tonight—too pale, too ghostly. The calm in the air wasn’t peaceful. It was unnatural, as if the earth itself was holding its breath, waiting for something terrible to happen. Deep in my bones, a low vibration hummed, growing louder with each second. A warning. A whisper from something ancient and primal within me.Something is coming, I thought, the phrase not just echoing through my
The sun crept through the trees in pale, hesitant beams, but they did nothing to ease the weight pressing on my chest. The camp, once a safe haven, now felt like a maze full of shadows. Each corner I turned seemed to hold another secret, and I was too exhausted to keep searching for answers. Every step I took felt like I was walking on the edge of something—something I couldn’t quite see but could feel closing in around me. I wanted to trust the people here, wanted to let the illusion of safety in, but I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when there were so many whispers in the air—so many secrets hidden just beneath the surface.The morning began like any other, the quiet hum of the camp bustling around me, but there was an unease settling deep within my bones. I could feel it the moment I woke up—the weight of silence between me and the pack. My body was healing, yes, thanks to Luca’s careful attention, but my mind… my mind was still a shattered mess. The tenderness in his touch, his constant
Whispers Beneath the Moon.The moon-hollow spring shimmered like spilled silver beneath the gathering dusk. I couldn’t look away. It wasn’t just the reflection of the moon that caught my breath, but the way the water seemed to pulse with a life of its own, as though it were somehow aware of me. The air was thick with ancient magic, and it wrapped around me, squeezing my chest in a way I couldn’t explain.I’d seen beautiful places before, but none that made my heart ache with such unease. There was something so eerily perfect about this moment—too perfect. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. The soft ripples of the spring mirrored the flickering of my thoughts, both chaotic and restless. My eyes, locked onto the water’s surface, reflected a version of me I barely recognized—a girl lost in a world of secrets, searching for something she couldn’t quite define.My bare feet sank slightly into the cool, smooth stones beneat
The first thing I noticed was the scent of herbs—sharp, bitter, and so overwhelming that it clung to the inside of my nose like an invasive reminder. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t comforting either. I tried to focus on something else, but as soon as I opened my eyes, a wave of exhaustion slammed into me. The soft flicker of candlelight danced on the walls, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch across the room like tired spirits. The air was thick with the scent of healing oils, balms, and damp earth, all tinged with something sharper—the bitter aftertaste of the wolfsbane poison I’d barely survived.I tried to lift my hand to touch my face, but it felt as though a thousand pounds were pressing down on me. My body didn’t obey me as it once had. Each joint, each vein, felt like it had been soaked in slow fire.It burned and pulsed through every part of me. I was alive, but I didn’t feel truly awake. My skin felt too tight against my bones, my limbs heavy, sluggish. I barely
The first thing I felt was the pounding in my skull.It wasn’t sharp, but a deep, echoing ache—like someone was striking a drum underwater. Each throb sent a ripple through my temples, making it harder to breathe, to think. My lashes trembled against the weight of consciousness as I blinked slowly, trying to pull myself from the fog.A soft warmth surrounded me—the familiar scent of lavender detergent on my sheets, the feathery brush of my pillow beneath my cheek. I was home, in my room. But the peace I normally felt here had vanished. Everything felt... off. The silence was too heavy. The air is still. Time itself seemed suspended.And then I saw him.Killian. Perched at the edge of the bed like a sentinel refusing to leave his post. His usually unreadable expression had crumbled. His hand wrapped around mine, not gently, but like it was a lifeline—one he couldn’t afford to lose. The tendons in his fingers were taut, his knuckles pale from the force of his grip.He looked like a man
The air in the room felt unusually still when I woke up, like time itself had paused. I reached out and found Killian's pillow next to mine, the scent of him still lingering in the fabric, as comforting as it was bittersweet. He’d been staying close, his presence a constant reassurance in the chaos I had been thrust into. But today, I woke to an empty bed. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but the quietness of the room seemed to stretch on forever, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.Since arriving at the pack, I’d been doing my best to adjust. But no matter how much I tried, I always felt like an outsider. Still, I couldn’t deny that some things were starting to feel a little more familiar. I was slowly learning how to fit in—at least, I hoped I was. Killian had trusted me enough to leave me in Elara’s care while he handled matters within the pack.His departure wasn’t sudden, but it still left a pit in my stomach. He said he’d be back soon, that it wasn’t anything
The pain in my head is overwhelming, a dull throb that pulses in sync with the rapid beats of my heart. I blink, trying to clear my vision, but all I see are the blurry outlines of familiar faces, the chaos of the previous night still heavy in my chest. My hands tremble as I sit up in the bed, the cold sheets tangled around me, offering no comfort. The room is dark, save for the faint glow of morning creeping in from the window. But there’s something wrong in the air, an undercurrent of tension that seeps through the walls.I instinctively look to my side. Killian. His broad frame is sitting by my bed, his arm resting on my shoulder in what is supposed to be a comforting gesture. But all I feel is the weight of his presence—his protective nature, his concern. It suffocates me more than it soothes.“Killian?” I croak, my voice rough from sleep, but also from the knot of anxiety that twists in my stomach. He doesn’t answer, his gaze fixed on the distant corner of the room, his jaw clen
The air was still—too still. It was the kind of silence that didn’t soothe but stifled, wrapping around me like a noose. I opened my eyes to find the world bathed in a dull, gray light, the morning sun struggling to pierce through the curtains. Shadows clung to the corners of the room like ghosts. My chest tightened before I even sat up, dread anchoring itself deep in my stomach like a lead weight.My dreams had been nothing but twisted chaos. I’d seen Sebastian’s cold, dead eyes gleaming from the shadows, his mouth unmoving, yet his voice slithered through my mind like a curse. Raven was there too—his smile dripping with triumph, a smirk carved from cruelty. Their whispers had followed me into sleep, poisoning every corner of my subconscious. Even now, awake and aware, I could still feel them lingering—unseen but close, like breath on the back of my neck.I sat up, but my hands betrayed me—they trembled uncontrollably. I tried to steady them, to get the fear away, but it was like
I jolted upright in bed, a strangled gasp ripping from my throat as icy sweat soaked the back of my neck. My lungs burned for air, my chest heaving like I had just escaped drowning. The shadows in the room loomed larger than usual, clawing at the corners of my mind as if trying to pull me back into the nightmare I had just escaped.But it wasn’t just a dream—it was a vision. A message. A warning.Sebastian’s face lingered behind my eyelids, his pale eyes burning into mine with a haunting familiarity. It wasn’t just a memory—I could feel him. Somehow, impossibly, he had found a way to reach me through the tether that still existed between our cursed bloodlines. A bond I thought I had buried long ago now clawed its way back to the surface.Pain spiked behind my eyes, sharp and punishing. I clutched my head, pressing my palms against my temples as if that could cage the power surging inside me. It was like a storm—hot, relentless, alive. My magic stirred beneath my skin, crawling like f