LOGINThank you so much for reading this story!
LucasAurora wakes up like the world just tilted under her. One sharp inhale, one jerk forward, and she is sitting upright in the bed, her eyes scanning the room like something chased her all the way out of sleep.Her hair is a mess of waves around her face. I can tell she does not even feel them, because her eyes are moving too fast. Searching. Counting shadows. Counting the places where someone could be standing. Her brain is still half in the dream, half in whatever memory dragged her awake.Then her gaze hits mine.Everything inside her shifts.Her next breath is not panic. It is relief that cracks and spills out of her so quickly her shoulders tremble with it. She is on her feet before the mattress even finishes its soft exhale from losing her weight.Her eyes widen, shining in the dim light. "Lucas." My name hits the air with a tremble. She crosses the space between us so fast the mattress barely has time to sigh. She throws herself at me, arms winding tight around my body, her
LucasI close the door behind me, slow enough that the lock does not click loud enough to stir her. The sound lands soft in the hallway. A small, almost invisible noise. But my wolf still flicks his ears inside me like he is waiting for something to jump out of the shadows and drag her away the moment I step two feet from her.He hates that I am outside the room. I can feel the tension like a hand pressed between my shoulder blades.I lean against the wall for a second. My eyes close, but not to rest. Just to sort through what is mine and what is hers, because her memories are still sitting in my mind like they have taken a seat and refuse to move. I can still feel the imprint of what she witnessed.No one comes out untouched from witnessing something like that. Not someone like her, who grew up inside walls that kept out more than danger. Walls that kept out the truth of what this world can do.I push myself off the wall and take a slow breath. My hearing stretches without me telling
LucasMy wolf is pacing inside my skin again. Not pacing in circles. Pacing like he is measuring the distance between Aurora and danger, even though she is already in my arms. He keeps brushing against my consciousness, refusing to sink back. Not when she is trembling. Not when her scent carries fear and anxiety.And I agree with him.Whatever happened out there was bad enough to bring her to us after so long. Bad enough that Jake has already called Anastasia. If anyone knows what the rebels are doing, it is her. Alexei is still at the infirmary, checking the wolf Aurora dragged here. The injured one who looked more dead than breathing. I can hear Alexei’s voice even from here, clipped and sharp, giving orders to the doctors. I can map the movements in that room without seeing them. The slide of metal trays. The wet sound of cleaning wounds. The shift of paws against the floor.Too much noise. Too many minds brushing the edge of mine. It is like standing in a crowded train station du
Lucas My wolf starts pacing again. He does it in a tight circle, claws scraping inside me like he is trying to get free. He does not usually get this worked up unless it is about her. Aurora. He feels her in a way I cannot. Sometimes I hate how easily he tunes into her. He reacts to her emotions before I even register the faintest shift in the air. It is one of the reasons I find myself wishing the bond was complete. Maybe then I would not feel like I am always a few steps behind him when it comes to her. A low pulse forms behind my ribs. Not pain. Something sharper. Something that feels like my body is trying to warn me of something I cannot see yet. Alexei gets a mindlink from the border, and he informs that a girl is approaching our territory. He says girl, but my chest answers before my brain does. It is her. I feel it as clearly as I feel the next breath I take. My entire body reacts to it. There is a shift in the air around me. The chaos in my head draws back, just a little.
AuroraI can hear Ryan breathing behind me. Or trying to. Each breath comes out rough and thin, like something is scraping inside his chest. The sound is harsh in the quiet of the car, and it mixes with the wet rush of blood leaving his body. It hits my ears in broken waves. I try to ignore it because if I let myself focus on it, even for a second, I will not be able to complete the task at hand, that is, to take Ryan to Lucas's house.My grip tightens on the wheel. My fingers press into the leather until they hurt. I block out everything else. The engine. The wind against the glass. The distant blur of trees. I focus only on the soft tap of my index finger hitting the wheel again and again.That tiny rhythm keeps me from losing focus.The road curves and I press the gas harder. The tires push against the dirt. I feel every bump under the car and I force myself not to look in the rearview mirror. Not yet. I keep my eyes locked straight ahead, even though the part of me that cares too
AuroraI hop onto the bonnet of the car, the metal warm under my palms. The sun hits my face, so I lift an arm and let my hand block the light. Ryan stands a few feet away, looking like he belongs in this wild stretch of green even though he was raised in concrete and iron hallways."So, tell me about yourself." My voice sounds casual. "Is James a good father?"His smile appears instantly. Effortless. It lights up his whole face, softening the angles that usually make him look older than he is."The best," he says.The certainty in his tone hits me in a place I do not like to pay attention to. A small pang of jealousy nudges inside my chest, sharp and quick, because it says everything about his relationship with his father."A little strict," he adds. Then rolls his eyes at himself. "Okay. Not little. More than little strict. But still the best."He runs his hand through his hair, messing it up in a way that makes him look younger, almost boyish. Like the version of him that existed b







