ВойтиThe light wooden door to the infirmary crashes open with a jarring force under my impatient hands, startling the few attending healers.I barely register their collective gasps of surprise and disapproval before I’m already pushing past Roman and launching myself straight into Zeke’s arms.He lets out a quiet, surprised grunt of pain and shock, his body stiff for a moment, weak from his recent coma, before his powerful arms instinctually come around me and hold me fast. His scent is back to normal, honey and rain, not the stench of silver that it was before, it hits me like a wave, and that is all the release I need. I break completely.Hot, cleansing tears spill violently down my cheeks as the healers immediately start tugging at my shoulders, muttering anxiously that they desperately need space to monitor his recovery, but Zeke’s voice cuts through their anxious protests, calm, steady, and commanding.“Give us some privacy, please.”They instantly hesitate, bowing their heads in im
The bitter wind stings my eyes, whipping my loose hair across my face as I stand by the dirt road, forcing myself to wave a farewell I don’t want to give. I force a smile that feels far too brittle, too practiced, too false for the genuine emotion tearing through me. Ethan waves both his arms wildly in the air until I am entirely out of sight, his messy curls bouncing energetically with each jump, and August clings to him, not even trying to hide her tears.At least she's more honest about her emotions than I am.My heart twists painfully in my chest. I wish just once, desperately that my life could be that simple.Human.No crushing prophecies, no malevolent shadows, no blood-soaked destinies hanging over my head. Just easy love and casual laughter and simple warmth. But I irrevocably forfeited that luxury the day I discovered what I truly am. A unique Lycan-wolf hybrid. The only Lycan princess in this entire generation, and with an evil mage after me.I sigh, the breath heavy, bef
The bed is harder than I remember, unforgiving beneath my body.It doesn't have the luxurious softness of the feather mattress back in the Luna suite at Silver Lake. The sheets smell sharply of industrial detergent and accumulated dust, not the comforting blend of pine, fresh rain, and Zeke’s unique scent that I now crave more than oxygen. I clutch the intricately folded spell paper in my hand so tightly the magic feels warm against my palm, and I close my eyes, praying with every frantic beat of my heart that I’m not making the single biggest mistake of my entire life.Please work. Please, Goddess or whoever is up there, let this work.Isla slides into my thoughts, her voice a low murmur, both soft and sharp with suspicion all at once. "Are you absolutely sure this isn’t an elaborate trap? Malakai never, ever helps another being without a self-serving purpose."“I don’t care about his purpose,” I whisper into the darkness, my eyes still clamped shut, focusing only on the rhythm of
Malakai stretches his arms lazily over his head and grunts casually, as though we’re in the middle of a casual coffee meeting instead of a dark, soul-wrenching bargain concerning life and death.Then he turns his palms upward, holding them open. “Go on, Olivia,” he says, his voice mocking my hesitation. “Take them. The goods are yours.”I stare intently at his smooth, empty hands, my body coiled, but I don’t move a muscle. I half expect him to drop a handful of snakes or razor wire.He groans, the sound deeply exaggerated for theatrical effect. “Really, princess? I haven’t bothered to put teeth in my palms. Relax.” He reaches out unexpectedly and catches my right hand firmly before I can pull it back, his grip surprisingly tender for a second. “I absolutely won’t bite. Yet.”His touch is initially cold—cold like the bottom of a deep, forgotten lake—but his skin feels impossibly soft, almost silky. For a dangerous moment, the sheer contrast between his aura and his physical touch is co
The bitter wind cuts through my thin coat the second I step off the rattling public bus. My clothes feel foreign, too thin for the night chill.I can still smell the rain that must have fallen a few hours prior and it's a bit weird considering that it's mid February, so it's supposed to be a little bit of snow, though it didn't snow in Silver lake. But none of that here either. Climate change, huh?The world smells different here, not the perpetual damp earth and pine of Silver Lake, but more contaminated. Colder. A specific blend of dust and cheap human perfume.I stop dead in front of the familiar three-story brick building, my heart pounding a panicked rhythm against my ribs. This is it. My old dorm. My old life. The last place I was simply Olivia. No visions, no prophecies, no crushing weight of a pack on my shoulders, No wolf... hybrid...lycan princess burden.The main hallway smells precisely like I remember: stale coffee, industrial detergent, and dust motes dancing in the mea
“Naomi, can you braid my hair into two long strands?” I ask, settling onto the cushioned stool before the ornate mirror, feigning a tired indifference. The light is soft, illuminating the subtle tension in the room.Leila looks up instantly from folding a meticulous stack of towels on the dresser, her loyalty shining through. “I can certainly help, Luna. I’ve had years of practice with my sisters.”I shake my head gently, maintaining the soft voice. “No, thank you, Leila. Naomi’s hands are somehow softer and gentler than yours. Or Beatrice’s.”And I need to be close to her...to see what I can sense from her energy. To see just how dark it is, and gauge what she's capable of.Beatrice snorts loudly from across the room, where she’s elbow-deep in my massive wardrobe, sorting garments for the next season. “That’s only because she’s lazy,” she mutters under her breath, tossing a velvet dress onto the bed with unnecessary force. “Her hands haven’t seen a single day’s worth of hard, hones







