I least expected to wake up in a nice, comfortable bed, with the smell of porridge making its way to my nostrils and waking up my senses, alongside the rustles of trees that filled me with so much euphoria. I thought I was dreaming—that turning last night was supposed to give me some kind of weird hallucination or dream. All I ever anticipated was dirt smudging my skin and disheveled hair that smelled like the moist ground. I was supposed to be in a damp forest, covered in dried leaves, unclothed, not knowing a single thing about what I must’ve done while my conscious mind couldn’t control the urge of my werewolf form. I should’ve woken up with aching muscles, exhausted and restless, but I felt different. It was odd. Instead, I woke up lying on a soft mattress, inside a cottage that seemed too small for my size. Light filtered through the small windo

My mind hung in the air as I tried to process what they said. Just as I thought the warlock couldn’t get any worse, another creature always had to get in the way of everything. But was there any danger that might come ahead if the gemstone wasn’t retrieved?  “How powerful is the creature you’re talking about?” I asked. Wendy fidgeted her hands as I gulped in nervousness. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear it, or if I ever wanted to know about the creature. Nevertheless, this might help me figure out or precede any worst circumstances that were about to come. None of them responded and Wendy’s eyes started to flick everywhere as if too hesi

We were all gathered around the bonfire, seated on the tree trunk, as they all chattered with each other. We were still drinking some margaritas, with some of them almost drunk while most of them were already tipsy. I hadn’t drunk that much because I was just looking around and I was mindful enough to know what was going on at this moment. I was sitting beside Beatrice and to my left was Tobias, who was too occupied talking to another male beta. We were just laughing around while Beatrice made some silly jokes about their fun experiences in the village. We all knew she was intoxicated enough to not realize what she was saying. And she could’ve puked on me if it wasn’t from someone distracting her from the vomit that was daring to escape her stomach.  “I think you’ve had enough drinks for tonight,” I told her, rubbin

I woke up the next day feeling like a weight was lifted out of my chest after the conversation I had with Tobias last night. It was relieving that I wouldn’t carry that much guilt any longer and it was also quite liberating how I wouldn’t pretend anymore. Though I would admit, we were both heartbroken by the fact that, after all of the things that we’d been through, we weren’t meant for each other. I could sense the hesitation in his voice—like he was uncertain if he wanted to let me go. But we both know it was the right thing to do. After our lunch this noon, Giofré announced that he needed us in his office so we complied. I was sitting on the chair in front of him and Tobias was just standing in the corner, his attention was glued outside the window as Agatha paced back and forth in front of us. Giofré clasped his hands and placed his elbows on his desk as

We bid Tobias and Giofré goodbye as they stood on the roadside with a stoic face. Giofré didn’t quite like the idea of me leaving the bayou and before we could even approach this car a while ago, he was so hesitant to let go of my hand. But as soon as I made him realize that he should stop constantly worrying about me because I could take care of myself, he soon gave in. Now, Agatha and I were inside the car—I was in the driver’s seat and Agatha sat on the shotgun. Tightly gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, I tilted my head to the side to look at Agatha. She was staring out the windshield while her elbow was on top of the window. She bit her finger—I bet her nails were already chipped because of her constant fidgeting. When she noticed me staring at her, her brows furrowed as she brought her feet down from the dashboard. “What are you