로그인“The Midnight Call is a ritual done at the very last minute before the Autumn season begins. At midnight, a ceremonial horn is blown from the tower. All wolves must drop whatever they’re doing and step outside. We are divided into groups, and each group must return with the horns scattered around the school walls, Here’s the twist, the horn isn’t high-pitched, but because it resonates with wolf blood, it doesn’t travel through air… it travels through instinct.”Anastasia explained it with wide, excited eyes, her hands moving dramatically as she spoke.I just stood there, trying to wrap my head around what she had said. No matter how hard I tried to understand it, it didn’t make sense.“So… are you saying humans can’t hear the horn?” I asked, genuinely curious, trying to piece it together.Anastasia burst into laughter, clearly not expecting the question. When she realized I wasn’t laughing with her, she cleared her throat awkwardly.“I mean… duh. It’s a wolf pack. Rules are made for w
After minutes of silence, Sebastian rested his head on my shoulder while Rex threw us judging glances. The night ended with Amber coming out to assure us that the Luna was okay. Rex didn’t go for any extra talks , he simply asked if he could see her, and when Amber agreed, he rushed to the room where the Luna was sleeping, and we joined him.The Luna was indeed resting. She had stopped convulsing, and she slept like a baby.I remember the way Amber took a deep breath, like a huge load was lifted off her shoulders. She was tired and needed proper rest. Her body needed all the sleep it could get — that was why, right now, I was trying to get ready for school without waking her up.“Where are my glasses? My eyes are extra itchy today. Should I just use my contact lenses?” I said to myself as I tiptoed around the house, making sure not to make any loud sounds.After a while of getting ready, I was done. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, and it was the same face every time. It was
I turned to face the boys. Sebastian sat in a corner, his face buried in his palms. Rex was pacing around the room, making curious glances at his mother’s body. He looked like he was about to explode.“Hey…” I squatted down in front of Sebastian, and he raised his head to look at me. His eyes were red from crying. I rubbed his palm, trying to console him. After all, he was my boyfriend.“I know how you feel… but right now, Amber needs all the attention she can give. How about we step outside?” I said to him.He took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.I turned to Rex.I didn’t know how to calm him down or speak in a way that he would understand, but I needed to try. Amber looked like she needed space, and Rex’s anxiousness was probably distracting her.“Rex…” I called out the first time, but he didn’t reply.“Rex…” I called again, stepping in front of him and stopping him from pacing by standing in his way.“What!” he groaned at me, and I swallowed to moisten my already dried throa
The walk back to our room after Maltilda left was a little bit awkward. Amber held my hands so tightly while I walked behind her calmly. I wanted to say something… anything to break the silence, but I couldn’t find the perfect words. “I uhm…” “Lily…” We both spoke at once. She stopped and turned to me. “You can talk first,” I said to her, my eyes tracing her face. “Actually… I just want to say that I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was just upset and I couldn’t control myself. It was just overwhelming for me. You are an adult and you should be free to do whatever you want. I am not going to treat you like this is some prison… I promise.” Her voice was low, her eyes meeting mine. She was fighting tears , I could see it and my heart softened. “I am sorry for raising my voice and not telling you about me and Sebastian… I am sorry.” “Oh honey… it’s fine. And Lily… you can tell me anything. I am your mother, and I know we really don’t have that relationship, but….”
“Shit! It’s dark already… I promised Amber I would be back by nightfall.”I said, rushing to finish the meal Maltilda had prepared for me while we talked about boys. The boys were just Sebastian and Rex. She wanted to know what I thought about them.Of course, I told her the obvious. Sebastian was a sweetheart. He was nice to me and, even though he might come off as flirty, he was really charming.Rex… I had nothing to say apart from the fact that he was a jerk, and I just felt so uncertain about him.I also told her about us pairing together for Centervile, and after giving a million lessons on how I couldn’t blow things up in Centervile, she ended the lecture with—“I wonder why fate is always bringing you two together. Could you at least try to be friends with him?”I refused immediately. I wanted us to remain whatever we were.“We can’t be friends, Aunty… I do not want to be his friend.”I had said that to her, and that was when I realized it was already late and I needed to go ba
Nightfall was already approaching, and Lily was still nowhere to be found. She had promised to return before nightfall. Amber was seated outside, waiting for her. “Should I go over to the house?” Amber said, pacing around the front yard. She had been counting down to when Lily would walk in. Amber couldn’t stop thinking about their conversation. Her eyes wandered around the front garden, waiting to see her daughter returning home. Amber was beginning to panic now. What if something had happened to her? Or what if she had done something to herself? She was really in a bad state when she left. A pang of guilt gripped her. She felt ashamed of herself for putting her hands on Lily. After the first altercation that had made her hit her once, she had vowed never to hit her again, but she couldn’t control her emotions. Rushing to the in-house bar to pour herself a drink, her foot hit a stool by the corner. “Ouchhh….” she winced and grabbed the stool, tossing it to a corner with one







