LOGINJuneI lift my head slightly from his chest, my hands still resting against him, still holding onto him without thinking about it. The word is still echoing in my mind, soft but persistent, like it is asking to be understood.I look at him.“What is mate?” I ask.The question feels simple when I say it, but I know it is not. Not with the way he says it. Not with the way it makes something inside me respond without permission.He looks at me for a second, his gaze still a little rough around the edges, still carrying that wildness that has not completely settled yet. But there is something else there too now. Something softer. Something that is only for me.“You,” he says.His voice is quieter this time, not as coarse, but still carrying that raw edge.“You is mate.”I blink at him.Because that does not make sense.And somehow… it does.I don’t understand how he manages to say things in the simplest way possible, and still make them feel like they carry more meaning than a long explan
June The word mate lands in my ears, and for a split second, everything else fades.I don’t react.Not on the outside.My face stays exactly the same, calm and unreadable, the way I have trained it to be for years. No widened eyes. No sharp inhale. No flicker of confusion. Nothing that gives away the way that single word echoes in my head.Mate.My eyes stay on Caleb.His entire body is rigid, muscles locked tight, anger rolling off him in waves so intense that it almost feels like something you can see. His chest rises and falls hard, each breath carrying a low, dangerous sound. His grip around Kylie’s neck is firm, lifting her off the floor like she weighs nothing. Her hands claw weakly at his wrist, her face turning red, then pale.I should feel something else.Shock. Anger. Questions.What didn’t he tell me?What else is he hiding?But none of that comes.Because the moment that word leaves his mouth, something inside me settles.Like it fits.Like it has always been there, waiti
June Everyone is enjoying the dinner. The hall is filled with voices, laughter, movement. Plates clink softly, chairs scrape, conversations overlap in a way that makes the whole place feel full in a way I am not used to. It is warm. Lively. And yet, there is no sign of Caleb. My eyes keep drifting toward the entrance without me realizing it, like I expect him to walk in at any second. Each time, it is someone else. Aurora stays with me for a while, talking easily, filling the silence without making it feel forced. Then she gets pulled into another group, offering me a quick smile before she leaves. I am alone again. Misha is not far, but she is busy, laughing with some guy from the senior group of trainees, her face bright in a way that tells me she is finally relaxing. Kylie is nowhere to be seen. I do not know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but I decide not to waste my thoughts on it. Suddenly, a plate of snacks appears in front of me, sliding onto the table. I l
JuneThe dining hall looks nothing like it usually does.For a second, I pause at the entrance, taking it in.The long rows of plain tables are gone, replaced with neatly arranged round tables covered in clean white cloth. Soft lights hang overhead, warmer than the usual harsh brightness, giving the whole place a different kind of feel. Along one side of the hall, a long buffet table stretches across, filled with food that actually looks like someone put effort into it. There are trays of different dishes, bowls of salads, platters of desserts, and drinks set up in a way that makes it feel more like a celebration than just another meal.The smell alone tells me this is not ordinary.Misha was not exaggerating.Not even a little.“This is what I was talking about,” she whispers beside me, her voice carrying a mix of excitement and nerves.I nod once, my gaze still moving across the room, taking in the small details. The way people are already gathered in clusters, talking in lower voic
June I sit on the edge of my bed, my fingers moving absentmindedly over the fabric of my shirt. The room is quiet, almost too quiet, and my backpack rests beside me, already packed with the few clothes and things I own. Everything is ready. Just in case. If I have to leave tonight, I do not want to waste time gathering pieces of a life that has never really been rooted anywhere. It is easier this way. Quick. Clean. I glance at the bag for a second, then look away. My thoughts drift beyond these walls, to the life waiting outside. It will be the same as it always has been. Moving from place to place. Figuring things out as I go. Nothing permanent. Nothing that asks me to stay. It does not scare me. It never has. But then another thought slips in, softer this time. Elise. I have not checked on her in days. A small frown pulls at my brows as I think about it. I should go see her. That will be the first thing I do. After that… I will decide where to go next. I pause, my finger
June The half of the day passes like it always does, measured in drills, instructions, and the constant awareness that today is not like other days. There is something heavier sitting under everything. A tension that no one says out loud but everyone feels anyway. By the end of today, some recruits will be sent back. No second chances. No long explanations. Just gone. I can see it in the way people move. The way they talk a little less. The way they keep checking the instructors’ faces like answers might appear there if they stare long enough. Misha is one of them. She tries to act like she does not care about anything, like training is just something she is tolerating rather than something she is fighting for. But I see the difference in her today. The way her shoulders stay a little too tight. The way her eyes flick toward the instructors more often than usual. It is not fear exactly. It is pressure. Kylie, of course, notices it too. Kylie always notices everything in the wo
AuroraA hiss slips out of me before I can swallow it back. The sound feels small in the room, but my side burns where something cold presses against the wound. It is a sharp, stinging cold that turns into heat a second later. My fingers curl into the thin bedding beneath me. The fabric is rough an
LucasWhat happens next barely exists as time. It is there and gone, like light cutting across my eyes so fast my brain lags behind it.James moves.The next second his hand turn into a claw.Arthur jerks, breath ripping out of him as James’s arm drives forward. I register the sound before I regist
AuroraLucas’s face freezes in a way I have never seen before. Not anger. Not calculation. Just pure surprise, wide-eyed and unguarded, like his thoughts tripped over each other and fell down the stairs.I laugh before I can stop myself. It slips out warm and unguarded, and that seems to shake him
AuroraWe walk again after, our steps falling into an easy rhythm like they have always known how to find each other. The night air feels softer now, cooler against my cheeks. My fingers stay laced with his, and every so often his thumb traces a quiet circle against my knuckle. Not asking. Just the







