The Shards Novels & Stories

It was hard to see his wound, but it was obvious how deep it was when Nina dug her fingers into his back thigh. I felt the pain shoot up my leg at her attempt to remove his bullet and tried to suppress a yelp. It turns out we don’t only share pain when we are touching, but also the healing process. “He’s my…friend.” She snorted, but didn’t rebut what I told her. “What are you guys doing away from a pack? Shifters are almost always with a pack.” I shrugged. “Maybe we’re different.” “I said you had to tell me some things if I was gonna help out,” Nina warned as she stopped her pursuit to find the bullet.

Fèmi also responded with funny emojis. "Unfortunately, my prison here has a thousand exit doors. Of course, I should be happy to take advantage of them and escape, but I could quickly end up in solitary confinement if even the smallest percentage of my escape fails. So, thank you, I don't want to experience a traumatic escape movie." Shola sent, this time with teary-eyed emojis.

A small, encrypted data-shard was wedged into the structural joint, vibrating with a faint, violet light. I pried it loose. It was a sliver of black glass, no bigger than a fingernail, but the weight of it felt monumental. This was the unedited record of the Night of Shards—the truth that the Elders had formatted out of the pack's collective mind. I tucked the shard into the lining of my oversized sleeve, the cold glass pressing against my inner wrist. I needed to move. I needed to get back to the server basement before the drone’s docking cycle finished.

As I delved deeper into the recesses of my own mind, I realized that the shard was not a separate entity seeking to dominate me, but a manifestation of my own suppressed emotions and desires. With each passing moment in the soothing bath, I confronted the darkness within me, peeling back layers of uncertainty and fear to reveal a core of untapped power. The realization dawned on me that the shard was not an enemy to vanquish, but a part of myself that needed acknowledgment and acceptance. As I embraced this newfound perspective, a sense of clarity washed over me, cleansing my soul of doubt and insecurity. I turned to Gabe, whose eyes reflected pride and admiration, and whispered, “I’m ready.

She saw the cracks forming in his armor, the instability in his power. “Elijah,” she shouted, “can you disrupt the shard’s connection?” He hesitated, then nodded. “It’ll be risky.” “Do it.” As Elijah focused on the shard, Annabel and Damian kept the figure distracted, their attacks coordinated despite the chaos. The shard’s glow flickered, and the figure let out a roar of fury. Annabel saw her chance. She drove the blade into the shard, the energy exploding outward in a blinding burst of light. When the light faded, the figure was gone, and the shard lay shattered at their feet.

A hollow, distorted smile stretches across my peeling lips. "Perfect..." I whisper into the quiet room. I turn back to face the mirror, staring deeply into the eyes of the broken girl looking back at me. For the absolute last time, I force a trembling smile to my lips as a hot, heavy tear spills over my lashes, tracing a slow path down my pale cheek. For the last time, I bear witness to my own shattered soul. For the final time, I vocalize the bitter, agonizing truths that have taken root in my mind.

I stared at the scarred ground where Darian had stood. “It means,” I said quietly, “the Claimants won’t come as tyrants.” Ronan joined my side, jaw set. “They’ll come as solutions,” he finished. Far away, another howl rose—different from Darian’s. Then another. And another. Ashael closed its eyes. “The shards are waking,” it said. “And each bearer will believe the same lie.” I swallowed. “What lie?” Ashael met my gaze. “That they are the answer.”

The shard’s golden light blocked it, but the force sent her skidding across the floor. Cade shouted her name, voice cracking. The reflection turned toward him again. “You don’t deserve her,” it hissed. “You never did.” Cade stumbled to his feet, rage lighting his features. “Touch her again,” he snarled, “and I swear I will rip every shadow out of you.” The reflection smiled like it was amused. “Try.” The Shard’s Warning The shard in Maeve’s hand vibrated violently — not in fear, but in revelation. A line of golden light shot from it, scanning Cade and the reflection. The shard revealed something horrifying:

And now I am standing in the wreckage of that loyalty, watching her try to rewrite it. She steps forward, her eyes wide, her mouth trembling. “Fiona, you have it all wrong. It’s not what you think~” I laugh. It’s a brittle, hollow sound that feels like glass cracking in my throat. “Why do people always say that? Every damn fucking time. First Edward, now you. You always say it’s not what I think, when it’s exactly what I think. It’s exactly what it looks like. You hurt me. You hurt our friend group. You shattered something that mattered.”

"What? Do you think I'm making this up to scare you?" The warm light from above cast a slanted shadow on the edge of the table. He stared at me, and for once, didn't rush to deny anything. "You broke up with me…because of this?" I almost laughed. "Does it even matter now? Even if I were healthy, I never would have lasted long enough for you to finally turn around and look at me. I overheard your friends talking. Apparently, I wasn't even someone you'd be willing to settle for. I used to think we'd actually make it to the end."