LOGINLorienOne month later.The mirror in front of me blurred as I blinked back tears, though not of sadness. My hands trembled slightly as I smoothed them down the gown—masculine in cut, strong in its lines, but flowing enough to feel like something out of a dream. It wasn’t just a piece of clothing; it was a statement, a promise. Every stitch seemed to whisper: this is real, this is happening, you’re loved.I had never imagined myself standing here, dressed in something so beautiful, surrounded by happiness instead of dread. For so long, I had been certain my story would only ever be written in pain. Yet now, as I looked at my reflection, my heart stuttered in disbelief. It was the most beautiful day of my life, and for once, I didn’t have to question whether I deserved it.I was marrying the man I loved.A laugh slipped from my throat before I even realized it. My sons were the culprits, both of them leaning against the doorframe with identical mischievous grins, arms folded like they’
Lorien Two days had passed.Just two days since the nightmare had ended, since blood and ash had been washed from our world, and yet it felt like I had lived an entire lifetime within them.Now I stood outside our house with Cassius, sunlight spilling down in warm golden sheets, the twins giggling as they ran barefoot across the grass. Caius tripped over Lucian’s foot, and instead of crying, he burst into a fit of laughter that made my heart ache with relief. Their voices were the purest sound in existence.I breathed in deep, my chest expanding, my ribs almost trembling with the weight of it. “I can’t believe I’m standing here… that I can actually see a new day,” I murmured, the words spilling out raw, unfiltered.Cassius’s hand brushed mine, his thumb tracing over my knuckles like he wanted to ground me in this moment. “You deserve more than this, Lorien,” he said softly, his voice carrying the rough edge of conviction. His eyes were on me, never straying, like I was the only thing
Lorien I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt like it had caved in as I watched Cassius’s body jerk in ways it shouldn’t have. Horror clawed at me until I couldn’t hold it back anymore.“Help!” I screamed, my voice cracking in desperation. “Somebody, please! Help him!”My throat burned with each plea, but I didn’t stop. The sound of footsteps thundered down the hall until finally the doctors burst into the room, their presence a blur of white coats and sharp, commanding voices. Relief should have settled over me at the sight of them, but instead, dread only grew heavier.I tried to move closer to Cassius, but one of the doctors snapped at me.“Stay back! Do you want to put him in even greater danger?” The sharpness in his tone made me freeze, as if he had struck me across the face. “Both you and your mate already put him in serious peril. Calm the hell down, or we’ll make sure you do.”I gaped at him, shocked. No one had ever spoken to me like that—not in that cold, biting tone that left
CassiusJulian’s screams were music I had been waiting for all my life. The sound cut through the battlefield, piercing the smoke and blood-filled air, yet it didn’t stir a shred of mercy in me. My teeth clamped down on his right leg with a sickening crunch, bone shattering like brittle glass beneath my jaws. Hot blood spurted into my mouth, metallic and vile, but I welcomed it. His shriek rose to the heavens, a pitiful, ragged sound that made my wolf howl in savage satisfaction.“After everything—everything I gave you!” I roared, tearing my muzzle back, flinging the mangled flesh away like it was filth. “You dare betray me? You dare touch my mate?!”Julian’s body convulsed on the blood-soaked ground, his fingers clawing at the dirt as he tried to drag himself away from me. “C-Cassius—please—” he sobbed, his voice broken, wet with blood. “I was your brother in arms… I stood by you—”“Brother?” My laugh was hollow, venom dripping from every syllable. “You? You were the knife I let into
LorienI couldn’t breathe. Every gasp I took burned my lungs, like the air itself had turned to knives. I didn’t know how long I’d been struggling, only that the world around me was chaos—blood, screams, shadows moving in the dark. Somewhere out there, Cassius was fighting, and I could feel his rage tearing through the bond, but I couldn’t focus on that now. I had my own nightmare to survive.The house was too quiet. Too empty. That silence sank into my bones like ice, crawling up my spine. Something was wrong—horribly, sickeningly wrong. My heart pounded as I stumbled through the hall, hands shaking, every instinct screaming that danger was close.Julian.His name echoed in my skull like a curse. I didn’t need anyone to tell me—he was here. He had to be.I froze when I heard a faint sound. Not footsteps. Not a voice. A muffled cry, thin and distant, like it was breaking through a wall. My stomach dropped. That wasn’t in my head. That was real. My children.A sob clawed its way up my
Lorien I could hear my wolf, his voice pulsing in my head like a drumbeat against the madness. Get up. Move. Don’t let it win. Don’t let it kill you.The poison inside me felt like fire burning my veins, dragging molten lead through every limb. My body screamed with weakness, my muscles trembling as if they didn’t belong to me anymore. For a moment, I thought this was it—I would die here, nameless, another broken body discarded in the dark. But my wolf refused. He growled, sharp and unrelenting, cutting through the fog.You’re stronger than this. You can’t stay down. Fight, Lorien. Fight.I clawed at the ground, my fingers shaking as I pushed against the dirt-caked floor. My lungs heaved, pulling in air that felt too thin, too sharp. Slowly, painfully, I forced myself upright, every movement tearing at me like knives. I could still feel the poison, clinging to me like vines trying to drag me back under, but I wasn’t gone. Not yet.Not ever.I staggered forward, each step like walking
Lorien I didn’t understand what he was saying. No matter how much I tried to make sense of his twisted words, they coiled around my head like snakes, hissing in riddles that had no meaning. My patience, already stretched thin by his very presence, snapped like brittle glass.“What are you even tal
CassiusI was going insane. That was the only explanation for the way my chest kept tightening every time Lorien opened his mouth and said something that chipped away at the fragile hope I had been clinging to.“I don’t know what you want from me, Cassius,” Lorien said softly, his eyes shining with
LorienI stormed out of Cassius’s office, doing everything I could not to let the tears fall. My throat burned. My eyes stung. But I wasn’t going to cry—not there. Not where everyone could see how much it hurt to be doubted again by the one person I kept trying to believe in.I walked fast, almost
LorienThe noise from the field drew me out of the house before I even realized I was moving. I followed the crowd with a sense of dread tugging at my chest, each step heavy with the weight of a thousand questions I wasn’t sure I wanted answers to. The sun had dipped low, casting long shadows acros







