All Chapters of Stronger Than Pain: From Beta To Luna: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Maya’s POVI stirred slowly, with the warmth of the room sinking into my skin. The scent of faint smoke, something uniquely Conan had wrapped around me.I just let myself feel his breath, for a moment, I didn't open my eyes. The weight of his arms around my waist and the softness of his breath wrapped over my waist. Like even in sleep we refuse to be apart because my legs were still entangled with his.The space beneath the cover was warm from his body but the fire has long since died.Shifting slightly against his chest, I pressed back. He left out a sleepy groan as his grip tightened my middle. He pulled me closer. With a voice thick with sleep and something far softer, he mumbled, “I know you are awake," " Just barely.” I said, then smiled into the pillow. “You looked like you were finally at peace so I didn't want to wake you." He kissed my shoulder, trailing a line which mad

Maya's PovJayden wouldn't stop giggling as I tried tying his shoelaces. His left leg kept twitching with excitement.“Jay, I swear, if you move one more time...”“But Mommy, Henry said there’s a dragon in the garden!” he shrieked.I shot a look at the little culprit standing by the backdoor with his arms folded. Henry who stared back completely unfazed.“There’s no dragon,” I muttered, tugging the knot tight.“There was,” Henry insisted. “Last night. I heard it growling.”Jayden gasped. “I wanna see!”Good. Let them go hunt imaginary dragons. Anything to keep me from going back inside and looking him in the eye.“Outside,” I said, standing quickly. “Go.”Jayden didn’t need to be told twice. He tore through the open doors like a whirlwind, Henry following calmly behind with the kind of coolness that only came from Conan’s genes.I remained by the doorframe, arms folded, watching them chase each other across the garden. Henry climbed the low stone bench and roared. Jayden screamed and

Maya’s povHis soft breathing is the only thing grounding me. I sit at the edge of his bed, knees pulled tight to my chest, eyes wide open though they burn with exhaustion. My hands are trembling. I can still hear it,those whispers on the wind, like invisible claws brushing against my skin."She’s close.""He will choose.""The balance is shifting."I don't know what they mean, but every syllable sinks into my bones like ice. And the worst part? I don’t think they’re dreams anymore.Jayden rolls in his sleep, murmurs something about pancakes and monsters, and snuggles deeper into his blanket fortress. I touch his cheek, warm and soft. Still untouched by the rot that's seeping into my world.He’s safe, for now.I rise, quietly as I can, and tiptoe down the hall. Henry’s door creaks open before I even touch it.He’s curled in the corner of the bed, not the center, like he’s trying to disappear. The moonlight spills across his face. Pale. Too pale. His lips are trembling even in his sleep

Maya’s PovLunch was silent.Not the awkward, we-fought-last-night kind of silence. This one was heavier. Thicker. Like the air itself had agreed to keep its mouth shut. Even Jayden, normally a ball of chatter and nonsense jokes, pushed peas around his plate without a single sound effect.Henry sat beside him, drawing quietly on a piece of paper with one of those stubby red crayons he insisted on using for everything. Conan watched us from the other side of the table, chewing, eyes sharp. He noticed too.I wasn’t hungry. None of us really were. When Jayden finally spoke, it was with that sing-song innocence that never failed to set me on edge lately. “Mommy,” he said, holding up the drawing. “Look.” I took it without thinking. And froze. It was a woman. Or something like one. No face, just a void whe

Maya's Pov  The scream didn’t come from my mouth, but I felt it rip through me anyway. Behind the glass, a child wailed. His tiny fists pounded against the transparent wall, his voice cracked and desperate, screaming for someone, anyone. My body was rigid, frozen in place. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. My arms ached to hold him. My heart thundered, begging me to run, to break through and protect him. And then I saw her. At first, I thought it was my reflection, warped and distant. But no. It was her. A woman with my face… my nose, my mouth, even my hair, but not my heart. Her expression was stone. Eyes hollow. Movements sharp, calculated, almost robotic. She held a syringe. “No!” I tried to scream, but the sound stuck in my throat like thorns. My fists banged on the invisible barrier as I watched h