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 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 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
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 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
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 sound of that roar clung to my bones like an ancient curse which was unearthed from the grave.It wasn’t just a warning—it was a promise that was hurting. A declaration that the devil had arrived at our doorstep, the devil that had given his warning for long, not in the shadows but in full, arrogant glory. That voice, that soul-deep growl that shattered the treetops and silenced the wind—it belonged to Sebastian. And with his arrival came the death of peace, the unraveling of safety, and the return of everything I had fought to escape from his dangerous grip. The fragile calm I had dared to hold like porcelain in trembling hands was crushed, its shards now scattered across the blood-soaked horizon.I stood there frozen, my boots sinking slightly into the damp earth, as my eyes searched the forest's edge where the world blurred into gloom.The trees shifted like breathing beasts, their silhouettes stretching unnaturally as if recoiling from what slithered through them. There were
Pain was the first thing I felt—dull, spreading like thick ink beneath my skin. My eyelids fluttered open to a blur of soot-streaked canvas above me, the tang of smoke heavy in the air. The shelter around me had once been part of a larger tent, now reduced to a makeshift half-wreckage held up by snapped poles and scorched rope. Somewhere beyond the torn flaps, muffled screams and the metallic clash of steel cracked through the air like thunder. The war had not ended. It had only grown teeth.I shifted slightly and nearly cried out from the burn that pulsed through my side. My body felt like it had been dragged through a storm, then left to rot in its wake. My mouth was dry, the taste of iron heavy on my tongue. My limbs refused to move as if they no longer belonged to me. That’s when I noticed her—Elara—kneeling by a battered table, grinding herbs together with quick, jerky movements. Her back was to me, but her shoulders were tense, her motions far too aggressive for someone trying
Pain was the first thing I felt—dull, spreading like thick ink beneath my skin. My eyelids fluttered open to a blur of soot-streaked canvas above me, the tang of smoke heavy in the air. The shelter around me had once been part of a larger tent, now reduced to a makeshift half-wreckage held up by snapped poles and scorched rope. Somewhere beyond the torn flaps, muffled screams and the metallic clash of steel cracked through the air like thunder. The war had not ended. It had only grown teeth.I shifted slightly and nearly cried out from the burn that pulsed through my side. My body felt like it had been dragged through a storm, then left to rot in its wake. My mouth was dry, the taste of iron heavy on my tongue. My limbs refused to move as if they no longer belonged to me. That’s when I noticed her—Elara—kneeling by a battered table, grinding herbs together with quick, jerky movements. Her back was to me, but her shoulders were tense, her motions far too aggressive for someone trying
The sound of that roar clung to my bones like an ancient curse which was unearthed from the grave.It wasn’t just a warning—it was a promise that was hurting. A declaration that the devil had arrived at our doorstep, the devil that had given his warning for long, not in the shadows but in full, arrogant glory. That voice, that soul-deep growl that shattered the treetops and silenced the wind—it belonged to Sebastian. And with his arrival came the death of peace, the unraveling of safety, and the return of everything I had fought to escape from his dangerous grip. The fragile calm I had dared to hold like porcelain in trembling hands was crushed, its shards now scattered across the blood-soaked horizon.I stood there frozen, my boots sinking slightly into the damp earth, as my eyes searched the forest's edge where the world blurred into gloom.The trees shifted like breathing beasts, their silhouettes stretching unnaturally as if recoiling from what slithered through them. There were
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