All Chapters of Bitter MOON :No More Chances.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Come Home With MeThe corner store on Mercier Street opened at seven and closed at eleven. Nell was there for every hour in between.She swept the floors until her knuckles bled. She stacked shelves until her back ached. She smiled at customers who never smiled back. Mr. Park, the owner, paid her just enough to keep her from starving and not a penny more."You're too soft," he told her one night, locking the register. "This city will eat you alive."Nell nodded and took the last five dollars in her pocket to buy a sandwich. She ate half. She gave the other half to a stray dog with ribs showing through its fur.She was eighteen. She had no parents, no home, no plan. The bus station bench was her bed. The flickering streetlight was her nightlight. She told herself it was fine. She told herself she was lucky. She told herself someone would eventually see her.Her mother had taught her once: You don't have to repay evil wit

The First CrackThe second day at Haven House was colder than the first.Nell woke before dawn. Her room was freezing, her breath coming in white puffs. She pulled the thin quilt tighter around her shoulders and looked out the window.The moon was still up. Pale. Watching.She thought about the voice in the floor. The chains. The way Lena's eyes had flickered gold.She thought about Silas writing in the dirt: Someone.She dressed quickly and went downstairs.The common room was empty.The fire had died hours ago. Cold ash sat in the hearth like tiny graves. Nell stood in the middle of the room, hugging her arms, and listened.Nothing.No footsteps. No voices. No knocking.Just the old house breathing around her.She walked to the kitchen. No one there either. A pot of cold oatmeal sat on the stove. A loaf of bread on the counter. A knife beside it.Nell cut herself a slice and ate standing up.She was on her secon

The NameNell didn't sleep after Lena left.She lay in bed with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, her palm itching and burning by turns. The name Elara kept circling through her head like a song she couldn't forget.She whispered it to herself in the dark."Elara."The word felt strange in her mouth. Familiar and foreign at the same time. Like something she'd known once and forgotten.She didn't know anyone named Elara.So why did it hurt to say?The next morning, Nell went to the library.She needed answers. Not about the basement not yet. About the name.The library was small and dusty, with shelves that hadn't been touched in years. Books on every subject : history, geography, old wolf laws, something called The Code of the Moon. Nell pulled books at random, scanning pages, looking for any mention of Elara.Nothing.She pulled more books. Still nothing.She was reaching for a book on the top shelf whe

The Pull Three days passed.Nell fell into a rhythm at Haven House. Breakfast in the common room. Mornings in the garden with Silas. Afternoons wandering the hallways. Evenings at the dining table, where Rue ignored her and Caleb avoided her eyes and Finn asked her to play board games.She always said yes to Finn.She couldn't say no to that face.But something was changing.She felt it in her bones.The mark on her palm had stopped itching. Now it just sat there a pale crescent, faintly silver in certain light. Sometimes she forgot it was there. Sometimes she caught herself staring at it for minutes at a time.She hadn't told anyone about it. Not Silas. Not Caleb. Not even Finn.The mark felt private. Secret. Hers.On the fourth morning, Nell woke before dawn.The house was silent. No footsteps. No voices. No knocking from below.She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her palm pressed against her chest. Th

The Heart That Didn't BeatThe morning after her conversation with Silas, Nell woke up hungry.Not for food.For something else. Something she couldn't name.She sat up in bed and pressed her palm to her chest. Her heart was beating. Thump. Thump. Thump. Normal. Human. Safe.But something felt wrong.She pressed harder.Thump.Thump.Nothing.Nell froze.She pressed again. Harder. Her palm flat against her ribs.Nothing.No thump. No beat. Just silence."That's not possible," she whispered.She pressed her fingers to her neck. Felt her skin. Her tendons. The warmth of her own flesh.No pulse.She scrambled out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Locked the door. Stared at herself in the cracked mirror above the sink.Her reflection stared back. Brown hair. Dark circles. Pale skin.Normal.She pressed two fingers to her neck again.Nothing.She pressed her ear to her own chest.Silence.Nell's hands shook. Her breath came fast a