로그인RainThe car ride felt… weird.Not scary. Not tense like before a fight. Just awkward.Like when everyone has something to say but no one wants to say it first.Ryan decided he would, so maybe that's what made it more awkward. He was driving, focused on the road while Malcolm sat beside him, arms folded, staring ahead. And me? I was in the back seat, watching the darkness rush past the window and trying not to overthink everything.Which, obviously, I failed at.After a while, I couldn’t take the silence anymore.“I’m sorry.”My voice came out softer than I expected.Ryan didn’t turn, but I saw his eyes flick up in the mirror.“For what?”I hesitated.“For… everything. The training… not telling you - all of it.”There was a short pause, then Ryan smiled.Not his usual small, tight smile. This one was real.“You don’t need to apologize for getting stronger,” he said.I blinked.“I mean it,” he added. “If anything, you made me feel better tonight.”That surprised me.“Better?”“Yeah.”
RainRyan's eyes moved over me carefully, almost cautiously, like he was trying to solve a puzzle.Then he said quietly, “Who are you?”I blinked.For a moment, I thought he was joking.Malcolm’s arms loosened around me.“What?” I asked.Ryan took a slow step forward.His eyes stayed fixed on me.“Who are you,” he repeated, “and where the hell is the real Rain?”My stomach dropped.Malcolm looked just as confused as I felt.“Ryan,” Malcolm said carefully, “what are you talking about?”Ryan pointed toward the dead men around us.“I watched her fight. You saw it too.”His voice was calm, but there was something hard underneath it.“That was not luck. That was training. Fast thinking. Precision. Brutality when needed. Strong beta level instinct.”Malcolm chuckled, and my lips curled into a smile. He was praising me… he was finally acknowledging my hard work. I was going to thank him when his eyes returned to mine.“Rain cannot fight like that.”What? He's… being serious?I had thought h
RainEverything happened so fast, but somehow, in the middle of it, my mind became strangely clear.Maybe it was because I had already been through hell.Maybe it was because fear no longer had the same power over me after being trapped inside my own body, listening, seeing things that were not there, losing pieces of my mind while I screamed silently for help that never came.Or maybe I was simply tired of being helpless. Tired of being hunted, and feeling like life was something happening to me while I stood powerless at its edge.Ever since I woke up, anger had been sitting quietly inside me.The kind of anger that settles deep in your bones and makes you want to hit something until your chest feels lighter.That was why I started training with Malcolm every chance I got since then. I trained when my muscles hurt. I trained when my lungs burned. I trained when my hands blistered. I trained because I needed somewhere to put everything living inside me.Fear, shame, rage and my pain
RyanKade found me just as the sun was beginning to set.I was in the courtyard, speaking with Priscilla about preparations for leaving Shadowbane, when he approached with that permanently irritated look on his face, like the world itself had offended him.For once, though, his mood did not seem driven by ego.He looked serious.“There is unrest in the North,” he said bluntly.I turned to face him fully.“What kind of unrest?”“I told you before,” Kade folded his arms across his chest. “People are talking, and not quietly. The Northern packs are offended.”“About what?”His eyes slid toward Rain, who was standing a little distance away with Malcolm, laughing softly over something Lydia had said.“They think you are mocking Sapphire’s memory,” Kade said. “To them, Rain is just a look-alike you parade around as your wife. They think it is disrespectful. Some think it is obsession. Others think you are dishonoring your dead Luna by replacing her with a weaker copy.”The moment those word
RainI expected Malcolm to come in with his usual calm expression and quiet concern.I did not expect him to pull me into a hug the moment he stepped into my room.It caught me so off guard that for a second, I simply stood there stiffly in his arms. Then I slowly relaxed.Malcolm held me tightly, the way family does when they have been carrying fear for too long and are finally able to put it down.When he stepped back, his hands stayed on my shoulders.“I’m glad you’re alright,” he said, and there was real emotion in his voice. “You scared all of us.”A guilty smile tugged at my lips.“I scared myself too.”That made him laugh softly, and hearing laughter around me that did not feel cruel or forced made something in me lighten.He studied my face for a moment.“You look better.”“I feel better.”“That is good,” he said. Then his eyes narrowed slightly in thought. “Do you want anything?”I surprised him by smiling.“Yes.”His brows lifted.“What?”“I want to train.”Malcolm blinked.
RainRyan carried me back to another room like I weighed nothing.I was awake enough to know I could walk on my own, but I did not protest. My body still felt weak, and if I was being honest, there was something comforting about the way he held me. For weeks, my mind had been a prison full of fear, ugly thoughts, and strange visions that made me question everything around me. It made me push everyone away. Everyone except Malcolm. Now, with my head resting lightly against Ryan's chest, I felt strangely safe.Behind us, the house was still buzzing with tension. Priscilla rushed Hannah inside the moment she regained consciousness, and I could hear voices moving quickly through the halls, but Ryan’s focus remained on me. He did not say anything until he gently placed me on the edge of the bed.Then he knelt in front of me.For a moment, he just looked at me, as if trying to read what was left inside my heart.I looked down at my hands, suddenly shy under that stare.Then Ryan reached
Ryan The moment the kiss ended, I knew the problem had been solved. Not in the way I expected, perhaps. But solved all the same. Rain stood a few steps away from me, her breathing uneven, her eyes wide with shock. Her fingers hovered near her lips as if she could still feel the imprint of mine t
RainI did not cry when Ryan left the room.I waited until the door shut and his footsteps faded down the hallway. Only then did the silence settle around me, heavy and uncomfortable.My chest felt tight.The room still smelled faintly of medicine. Malcolm had left small bottles on the table beside
RainThe next morning came too soon.I had barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the dark trees of Nightshade pressing in, heard Ryan’s voice telling me I had no value if I failed, felt the weight of eyes on me.When I finally gave up on sleep, I sat at the edge of the bed, staring at my
RainBy the time my father finished speaking, my heart was beating so hard I could barely hear anything else.Hannah stood beside him, her chin lifted, her eyes fixed on me with a look I knew too well. Not quite a smile. Not quite pity. Something in between.I knew she was waiting for what I'd say







