LOGINSorry for the long wait. The work schedule has been a mess! Hopefully, more frequent updates will happen soon! thanks!
[Astoria’s POV]The sound of the wood splintering under a massive force was deafening enough to keep my senses from shutting down completely. My attacker’s head snapped toward the noise, his grip slackening just enough for me to gasp in a ragged breath.A blur of movement crossed the room, but I knew who it was even though my vision was still blurry.Vladimir.He wrenched the man out away from him, which had me crumbling on the floor like a ragdoll, gasping for breath.Vladimir hit the man with enough force to send both of them crashing to the floor, the impact shaking the furniture around us. I couldn’t keep track of them for a few moments as I tried to get hold of coughing as air rushed painfully back into my lungs, my entire body trembling.However, when I looked at them, every movement seemed as if I was watching a video on fast-forward.Without hesitation, Vladimir pinned the man down with brutal efficiency, his movements sharp, controlled, every strike deliberate and precise. Th
Astoria’s POV]My breath stilled. I felt as if I was transported back to the forest when the rogue first attacked me.Another low and prolonged growl reverberated through the living room.That wrenched me to the reality.I stayed rooted on my spot, unable to think. My mind refused to process what my eyes were seeing, clinging desperately to logic, to reason. It had to be something else. I solely wanted to believe that it was a trick of light, or my flatmates playing tricks. This could not be hapening, not when I left the place and the world.Why now? After months?Yet another growl, low but icy made me inhale sharply.The sound went straight through me, settling somewhere deep in my bones, cold and unmistakable.Was this the same rogue? Or was it someone else? Some other wolf?The red eyes started getting closer.“No…” I whispered, the word barely leaving my lips. My heart was rabbeting in my chest. At this moment, I wished I wouldn’t have let Vladimir go. He would…he would protect me
[Astoria’s POV]The following weeks blurred for me as I practically holed myself in my room. and applied to jobs endlessly, refreshing my inbox more times than I could count every half an hour, only to be met with same advert emails, silence, or rejection.Each day felt like a ticking clock. I had no friend to lean on, no family to go back to, and if things went this way, I would probably have no place to sleep or a stable phone connection by the next month.My flatmates didn’t care, and I was glad and too proud to ask them for help.However, one evening as I was thinking of whether I should just have some Saltines for dinner and call it a day, I heard a notification.An email stating I was selected for a remote position.It wasn’t ideal, but it paid well enough, and most importantly, I couldn’t afford to be picky.I instantly replied, and an interview was scheduled the next day.In that moment, I was hopeful about my future. At least, I won’t have to worry about the bills.That didn’
[Astoria’s POV]I should have been relieved to have left the estate, to come back to the hubbub of city life, away from a world that now seemed fictional.On the surface, nothing was different. The traffic still roared like an endless beast, people still rushed past without looking at one another, and the air still carried that familiar heaviness of smoke, oil, and dreariness.Yet as I stood at the curb with my suitcase, waiting for the signal to turn green, I felt as if I did not belong to this part of society anymore.My gaze swept across the road, the dingy shops, the quaint cafes, and the tall buildings, which somehow made me feel suffocated. After being used to the openness and the vastness of the Blackstone estate, this felt—“Get a grip,” I muttered under my breath, not completing the thought.Gripping the handle of my suitcase tighter, I reminded myself silently. “This is your life. This is what you know.”And yet the reminder sounded flimsy to my ears.~~~~For the first few
[Astoria’s POV]The next morning arrived far too quickly.I didn’t leave immediately, but stayed in bed for the next 10 minutes or so, wondering why I had thought that my mother would call me to her wedding out of love for me.‘She only wanted to show how much she cares for me so she can be high up in Matthew’s eyes,’ I thought unkindly. My eyes stung at the thought.The humiliation burned under my skin tenfold.I dressed quietly, choosing something simple, jeans, and a loose top. Like a device running on autopilot, I packed my stuff. I took nothing that I was gifted by the Romeros or my mother.However, it took significant effort on my end to take off the ornaments that Viktor and Vladimir had gifted me. My throat closed up as I stared at the velvet boxes that now sat neatly on the dresser.Letting out a shaky breath, I stepped out of the room and made my way downstairs.The house was quieter now, the aftermath of the wedding and my…accident still lingering in the air.I found Matthe
[Astoria’s POV]When I opened my eyes the next time, I realized that I had been somehow shifted back to my room.For a few seconds, I simply lay there, staring at the now familiar ceiling, trying to piece together how I had gotten here.Viktor’s words and Vladimir’s agreement flooded back into my mind. My stomach twisted at the memory.From the proofs, I knew I wasn’t hallucinating nor was I being convinced of something that didn’t exist, because it did. This fact made a dead weight settle in my chest.I wondered if my mother knew. Even if she did, she wouldn’t care as long as she was in the lap of luxury. The thought made my mouth taste bitter.A soft knock came at the door, and I stiffened instinctively.For a brief moment, I thought it might be Viktor again. My heart betrayed my mind by picking up its pace.“Come in,” I called out, hoping that my voice was not shaky. I sat up on the bed as the door opened.Unfortunately, it wasn’t Viktor; it was my mother.For a second, something i
[Viktor’s POV]“Rest,” I said as I forced myself to leave the room and let Vladimir take care of Astoria.There was a more important matter to handle.‘Is Astoria alright?’ My father’s voice drifted through the mindlink. I clenched my jaw, wondering if it was only him asking or if there was any con
[Astoria’s Pov]When I opened my eyes, the ceiling above didn’t look like the one I was used to seeing every morning. This one had dark wood beams and…then the lighting seemed too…dull.Why was I—The question triggered the memories.The wedding. Lena running. The forest.And then—The wolf.The me
[Astoria’s POV]I blinked. “A werewolf?”Viktor remained silent, and for the next few moments, there was this palpable, uncomfortable tension hovering between us that made me want to squirm. I almost thought he would smirk, showing how his humor could be morbid, and maybe say that he was simply jok







