LIANAThe words hit me like a sledgehammer, knocking the breath from my lungs. A strangled cry escaped my lips as tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision with their salty sting."No," I whispered, the word barely audible as my mind struggled to process the reality of Daniel's announcement. "No, this can't be happening."Zaylen wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close as I buried my face against his chest, the dam of my emotions breaking free in a torrent of grief. It felt like the world had come crashing down around me, leaving nothing but a hollow ache in its wake."Kiara," I sobbed, my voice muffled against Zaylen's shirt. Zaylen's grip tightened, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back. I felt my knees buckle, and I slumped onto the hospital bench, my legs unable to support the weight of my sorrow. While I did have a nagging bad feeling, I never wanted it to be true. I was praying so desperately for her to be okay. How could this happen?Zaylen sat beside me, hi

LIANATwo days later, I found myself sitting in Zaylen’s office, the tension in the room was threatening to strangle me.Zaylen looked up from email on his computer, concern etched into his features.“You want two weeks off work?” he asked, his voice a mix of surprise and worry.“Yes,” I replied coldly, nodding. “I need this time to adjust to everything that’s changed… with me, with Kiara.”Zaylen leaned forward, his brows furrowing. “Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay busy with work? It might help distract you.”“No, I need time to process all this,” I said firmly, meeting his gaze. I didn't think I needed to elaborate to him how my body was changing. Sleepiness came rare nowadays at night, and during the day, it downed my body with exhaustion. I had no idea how everybody else bore with it.But right now, more than that, my emotions were causing me more trouble.“I can’t just push it aside,” I added, “and pretend everything is normal when it’s not. That would equal me running awa

LIANANo! I am fine!It's just Zaylen and his gaze making me feel all vulnerable.I sucked in a deep breath.I couldn’t let myself fall weak. I had to keep my guards up. “I am telling you I am fine, and if you can’t trust me on that, then please leave,” I said firmly. Zaylen met my gaze with a mix of frustration and concern, and for a moment, we were locked in a heated stare. Finally, he sighed and relented.“Okay, fine,” he said, his tone begrudging. “Let me at least help you find a decent place to live. When are you moving out?”“Tomorrow morning,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.“What the—” He was about to lose his calm, but then he took a deep breath, visibly trying to regain his composure. “How about you stay at my place for some time until you find your new place?”I hesitated because the offer was tempting. But no, the goal was to not depend on him anymore. How could I do that if I stayed at his place?“No, thank you. I’ll be fine at the hotel,” I let out. “Lian

ZAYLENMarcus and Sophia exchanged surprised glances before Marcus furrowed his eyebrows, clearly not liking my confession. "Liana? The girl who just transformed?" he asked to be sure. I nodded confidently. "Yes, her."Sophia chuckled softly. "Are you sure, Zaylen?"I hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, I am sure."Marcus leaned forward, his expression serious. "You need to be absolutely certain about this, Zaylen. The Luna plays a critical role in our pack. We can't afford any doubts."Sophia nodded in agreement. “Yes. Be clearly positive about this and then let us know, okay? We will give you some time to figure it out.” "Besides, even if she were the Luna, how would she manage? She is like a baby fresh out of the womb in werewolf terms. How would she handle the responsibilities of leading the pack?" he pointed out.“You do have a point, Marcus, and I understand that,” I spoke up. "But Liana needs time at the moment, especially with everything that has happened.” "Of c

LIANAI turned to face Zaylen, a mix of surprise and confusion in my expression. "Zaylen, what are you doing here?"Zaylen held up a small paper bag, a familiar, warm aroma wafting from it. "I came by to drop off these blueberry muffins. I was going to leave it at the reception since you made it clear you wanted to be alone, but it seems like that's because you already have company."I felt a pang of guilt but quickly composed myself. "Oh, Zaylen, this is Colin, my friend from college," I said, gesturing to Colin. "Well, actually, he is a senior from college. He was very helpful to me back then."Colin extended a hand with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, Zaylen."Zaylen shook Colin’s hand, but his gaze remained on me, a hint of jealousy in his eyes was evident."That's great. Glad you guys are catching up.” Zaylen had a tight-lipped smile on his face. “So hey, Colin, what are you doing here? I mean, are you staying at this hotel or something?"Colin nodded. "Yeah, I am."Zaylen r