INICIAR SESIÓNIt would be a mistake. Astrid didn’t move. For a long moment, it felt like the entire world had narrowed down to just the two of them—his confession still hanging in the air, heavy and suffocating. I destroyed someone. I would do worse. Her heart was still racing. But something inside her… shifted. Not toward him. Away. Slowly, Astrid took a step back. This time, it felt different. Not hesitation. Not confusion. Clarity. “I believe you,” she said quietly. Damien’s expression didn’t change—but his eyes sharpened. “About everything,” she added. “About what you did. About what you’d do again.” Another step back. “And that’s exactly why I can’t stay.” Silence. The kind that feels like it’s holding its breath. Damien didn’t move. Didn’t reach for her. But something in the room tightened. “You’re walking away,” he said, his voice low—not surprised. Just… controlled. Astrid nodded, even though her chest ached in a way she hadn’t expected. “Yes.” It hurt. That wa
It would be a mistake.Astrid didn’t move.For a long moment, it felt like the entire world had narrowed down to just the two of them—his confession still hanging in the air, heavy and suffocating.I destroyed someone.I would do worse.Her heart was still racing.But something inside her… shifted.Not toward him.Away.Slowly, Astrid took a step back.This time, it felt different.Not hesitation.Not confusion.Clarity.“I believe you,” she said quietly.Damien’s expression didn’t change—but his eyes sharpened.“About everything,” she added. “About what you did. About what you’d do again.”Another step back.“And that’s exactly why I can’t stay.”Silence.The kind that feels like it’s holding its breath.Damien didn’t move.Didn’t reach for her.But something in the room tightened.“You’re walking away,” he said, his voice low—not surprised.Just… controlled.Astrid nodded, even though her chest ached in a way she hadn’t expected.“Yes.”It hurt.That was the problem.It shouldn’t hu
Astrid didn’t realize she had stepped closer to him again.Not until her breath caught—and she was standing right in front of Damien, like the space between them had never existed.Like she had never tried to leave.Her heart was still racing, her thoughts tangled, her emotions spiraling in too many directions at once.And yet…She stayed.Damien watched her carefully, like he was measuring something—calculating whether this moment would break her… or bind her to him completely.“You said there’s something I don’t know,” Astrid finally said, her voice quieter now, but steady enough to hold. “About her.”The shift in Damien was immediate.Not visible to anyone else.But Astrid felt it.That subtle tightening in his posture. The way his gaze darkened—not with anger this time, but with something deeper.Something buried.“You don’t want that truth,” he said.“I do.”“No,” he corrected, his voice low, controlled. “You think you do.”Astrid’s brows drew together. “Stop deciding what I can
The door had barely stopped vibrating from the force of Damien’s exit when it swung open again.This time—slowly.Deliberately.Astrid didn’t move from where she stood, her chest still rising and falling too fast, her skin still humming from where he had touched her.She should have calmed down.She didn’t.Because he came back.Damien stepped inside, quieter now—but somehow more dangerous than before. His eyes weren’t blazing this time.They were darker.Controlled.And that control felt like it was hanging by a thread.“You didn’t finish your sentence.”Astrid swallowed, her voice unsteady. “You left.”“And you let me.”The accusation in his tone made her brows knit together. “What was I supposed to do? Chase after you?”“Maybe.”The word landed heavier than it should have.Astrid let out a shaky breath, trying to steady herself. “You don’t get to confuse me and then expect me to—”Her words died in her throat as he closed the distance again.Not rushed.Not angry.Just… inevitable.
Astrid’s POVI didn’t breathe until he left.Not fully.Not properly.Even after Kael disappeared like he had never been there—like the air hadn’t just thickened with truths I wasn’t ready to face—I still felt it.That weight.That warning.That shift.“You’re shaking.”Sebastian’s voice was quieter now, but I could feel his eyes on me.“I’m fine,” I said automatically.I wasn’t.But I didn’t know how to explain what I had just felt.What Kael had seen in me.What he had called me.Something Morvane was waiting for.Something… powerful.It didn’t make sense.None of this did.“Sit,” Sebastian said.“I said I’m—”“Astrid.”Firm.Not harsh.But not something I could ignore either.I exhaled slowly and sat.My hands were colder than I expected.My thoughts louder.“What did he mean?” Sebastian asked.I laughed softly.Dry.Humorless.“You’re asking the wrong person.”“You knew him.”“From… before.”His eyes narrowed slightly.“Your ‘past life.’”I nodded once.“And?”“And he wasn’t someo
Astrid’s POVI woke up to the sound of my own breathing.Too fast.Too shallow.Like I had been running from something I couldn’t see.For a second, I didn’t move. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to separate what was real from what wasn’t.The shadows.The altar.Morvane.My chest tightened.It hadn’t been a dream.I knew the difference now.Dreams fade.That didn’t.That lingered.I pushed myself up slowly, my head spinning a little. My body felt heavier than usual, like I had fought something all night and lost more energy than I could afford.“Great,” I muttered under my breath. “Second life, same exhaustion.”A soft knock came at the door.Before I could respond, it opened slightly.Sebastian stepped in.Carefully.Like he wasn’t sure what state he’d find me in.When his eyes landed on me—awake, sitting up—something in his shoulders eased.“You’re up.”I gave a small nod.“Barely.”He walked in fully this time, closing the door behind him.“You passed out,” he sai
Sebastian’s POV “Do not let him out.” She whispered, and I was sharp enough to hear it amid her whisper. She was not speaking to me, nor to herself. She was remembering something even I do not understand. She only said, “Do not let him out.” “Astrid,” I called her name. “Please look
I don’t know how long I stood outside Astrid’s chambers after she had left me and gone into her room. I stood there, thinking about whether I should go in. She had already made it very clear to me that she does not want to see me around her anymore, nor does she want to have anything to do with me
The elders say that when an Alpha dies an unnatural death, the land reacts. But this was something more than the Land reacting. The land was mourning what was lost.Shadows walked past the trees that morning. The spirits of the old Alphas gathered near the border where Damien had vanished. Their fo
Astrid’s POV It was morning already, and I woke up on the right side of the bed today feeling energetic. No thoughts of Damien and no hallucinations. It was just a very peaceful night's rest. I stood up from the bed and headed towards the balcony. Then the thoughts of Taylor came to my mind. Ta







