Lahat ng Kabanata ng How To Survive Werewolves: Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

The diner is eerily quiet, the kind of silence that presses down on me as I step inside. The lights are dimmed. The faint scent of grease and coffee linger in the air. My footsteps echo faintly against the tiles as I head to the counter, stopping just short of the counter. From the kitchen, I hear movement. There is a shuffle, the clang of dishes, and then her voice.“We’re closed,” Kate calls out, her tone firm but weary.I do not move. I just stand there, staring at the swinging door that separates us.When Kate pushes through the door, wiping her hands on a towel, her breath catches in her throat. Her eyes lock onto mine. There is a fraction of fear before resignation flickers across her face. Resignation or Acceptance. I can’t tell.“Kate.” I hear the hate in my own voice. It sounds like I want to kill her. I kind of want to.She looks exhausted. She has given up. On herself, on life. On me.I stride forward, crossing the distance between us in two long strides. My hands grip her

Her breathing is soft and even, the sound hypnotic. I lie stiff beside her with my body angled away, but my eyes? They are locked on her face. Peaceful. Unburdened. It pisses me off because I know better.Kate’s betrayal plays on repeat in my head. I see it every time I close my eyes. That bastard hunter leader throwing his arms around her, smiling as if she was making him proud. And Kate? She did not fight it. No resistance, no denial. She stood there, complicit.The rage I’d felt that day... hell, it still burns. My vision tunneled, my wolf practically tearing at the seams, demanding blood. But I did not move. Not fast enough, anyway. The gunfire cut through the chaos first.Two of my packmates dropped before I could even process what was happening. The sound of their bodies hitting the dirt, the coppery stench of blood. It’s still fresh, like it just happened yesterday. The other two... we lost them later. Their injuries were too far gone, too much for even our strongest healers.Fo

The shrill beeping of Kate’s alarm jolts me awake. I groan, my hand fumbling for the offending noise. I finally find the button and silence it. She does not even stir, still tucked into the blanket like she does not have a care in the world.I roll out of bed, rubbing a hand over my face before glancing back at her. Peaceful. Oblivious. Shaking my head, I grab a shirt from the floor and throw it on before stepping out of the room.The faint smell of coffee hit me before I reach the kitchen. Her mom stands at the counter, humming quietly as she flips through a magazine. When she sees me, her face lights up.“Jake!” she says with a warmth I have forgotten. “Oh, it’s so good to see you.”She crosses the room in a few quick steps and wraps me in a hug. I stand there awkwardly for a second, then pat her back.“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Lauder,” I say, managing a small smile.“Oh, stop it with the ‘Mrs. Lauder.’ It’s Ellie.” She pulls back with her hands on my arms as she beams up at m

I trace small patterns on Jake’s arm, my head resting on his shoulder. His hold around my middle is firm, reassuring, his body pressed against mine like an unshakable force in the chaos of my emotions.The tears have not stopped. They keep coming, each one dragging more guilt to the surface. Jake’s arms tighten around me as if he can somehow keep me together when I feel like I might shatter.I focus on the steady rise and fall of his breathing. I try to anchor myself in the warmth of his presence. As I cry, my heart aches for him too. He has suffered because of me, endured so much because of the choices I made. Each sob makes me want to apologize over and over, to take it all back, but I know I never can. The damage is already done. And yet, here he is, holding me, staying with me, despite everything.Something shifts in that moment. For the first time in months, I don’t feel completely alone. Jake’s presence helps me breathe through the pain, grounding me in the moment.Time stretc

I walk through the crowded hallways, my bag slung over one shoulder. I am still floating from this morning. My skin is buzzing with warmth, a lingering trace of Jake’s arms around me. It’s ridiculous how much I missed him, how much lighter everything feels now that things are okay again. I find myself replaying the moment in my head over and over. The way his arms tightened around me, the way his lips brushed against mine so softly. I don’t think I’ve ever woken up feeling so content.Cora practically materializes at my side, looping her arm through mine in one fluid motion.“So,” she says, her lips stretching into a knowing grin. “I need to find a dress for prom.”I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. “And this is my problem because…?”She stops dead in her tracks, gasping dramatically like I’ve just insulted her entire family lineage. A couple of freshmen glance at her in alarm before scurrying past. “Katherine Lauder, do not tell me you’re not going.”“I wasn’t even thinking