“What?” Caleb and I exclaimed together. “Who's Tyler?“ I asked Caleb right after. He simply grunted with a shrug before relaxing his body. “Him apparently,” he said with a sigh.He could just tell me! I resisted snapping. My fingers continued to itch as my irritation grew. What’s with these people evading questions?Khalid had frozen mid-motion, his glare darting to Abigail. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered, pushing the white-haired man—Tyler off him with a shove. Tyler straightened, brushing imaginary dust off his rumpled clothes with a chuckle. “What? Thought I’d liven things up a bit.” Abigail rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. “Throw a party then, not a full-on brawl in the middle of the house.” I stared as I struggled to piece together what I’d just witnessed and heard. A shapeshifter? Does that mean he is not a werewolf? That explained nothing, rather, it raised a thousand more questions. Tyler’s pearly grin widened as his dark gaze flicked up to me, his e
The question caught me off guard. I hadn't really thought about it. A hum buzzed in my throat before I replied. “I'm not sure,” I admitted with a shrug. “Eat pizza? Stare at tall buildings? What do people do in New York?” “Depends on who you ask,” he tilted his head as he talked. “Some people chase dreams. Other just try to survive.” I raised an eyebrow. “And what do you do?” He tilted his head pretending to think. “Survive, mostly. But I do it with style.” I couldn’t help the laugh I let out following his response, though the humor didn’t fully mask my unease. “Seriously, though. What’s the plan here? Am I just supposed to sit around while you all… do whatever it is you do?” Khalid’s grin faltered for a moment. I tried not to guard up from the sudden change but then he quickly recovered. “We’ll figure it out as we go.” I stepped closer to him, narrowing my eyes to show my displeasure at his response. “Be honest with me, Khalid. What am I supposed to do here? Why am I here
I couldn’t believe I was actually going through with it.About half an hour ago, I’d decided I needed to see Ethan after waking from my exhausting nap. Luckily, I didn’t get any dreams from my doppelganger, so I rested well enough.But even with the rest, I woke up with the same questions running through my mind. I needed answers. I was sure Ethan wasn’t going to offer them willingly, so I planned to catch him off guard in his room.So there I was, sneaking through the longest hallway I've ever walked through, following the faintest trace of Ethan's scent to locate his bedroom.The house was eerily quiet, to the point I could hear someone breathing from a room downstairs. I was sure if someone listened closely enough, they could hear my every step. I continued anyway.Ethan's sandalwood scent pulled me closer to a black door at one end of the hallway in the second wing of the mansion. The minute I reached his door, my pulse quickened. Why? For one I hadn't really thought about what I
It hurts to consider the fact that he might be wrong about the bond. I suddenly felt him tense up. My brows knitted together as I set my gaze on him.He exhaled shakily. “I wasn’t here,” he admitted out of the blue. My eyes flickered around in surprise. “I didn’t come home with the others. I took a detour.” His voice dropped, a note of regret lacing his words. “And I regret it now.”I gasped, utterly flabbergasted.“Wait, how did you—”“Know what you were thinking?” he finished for me, finally lifting his head to meet my gaze again. His eyes were guarded but honest. “Not exactly. I can’t read your mind, but sometimes, pieces of what you’re feeling come through. Certain thoughts float with it.”My chest tightened as I stared at him, feeling both exposed and defensive. “That’s invasive,” I muttered, my cheeks flushing. “You shouldn’t do that.”“I know,” he interrupted, his voice quieter now, almost apologetic. “I try not to, but I can’t always help it. It’s not something I do on purpose.
His words left a cold trail along my skin. Something overwhelmed me but I couldn’t tell what exactly. Fear? Anticipation for a better yet dangerous life? Or something else entirely?“That’s... a lot to take in,” I muttered.“I know,” he cooed. “I don’t expect you to understand everything right away. But I still need you to understand the gravity of the life you may be living from now.”My hand moved lower to the back of his head, and he leaned into my touch. It was hard to measure the said seriousness of the situation when he felt so warm against my palm.Whatever this bond was, it was changing me in ways I couldn’t yet comprehend and to say I was scared would be an understatement. Yet being with Ethan made me feel like I could take anything on. I had never felt that before.His words felt too sincere to ignore. Had he in a way just expressed he was also hoping we could be something? Should I ask him?I hesitated for a bit as my hand gently combined through his mane. His words weighe
My heart skipped a beat. I swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond. Was she trying to interrogate me? Or was this just Abigail being Abigail? Her enigmatic tone made it impossible to tell and my experience with a certain Jealous girlfriend of a certain mate of mine foretold me to be careful."Oh. I didn’t notice," I lied smoothly. I reached to awkwardly tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear, wishing she'd just get on with the harsh part. I was at my wit's end.Abigail raised her perfectly carved brow, clearly unimpressed by my attempt to deflect. "Well, you should start noticing. It's not something he does often. Or for just anyone. I like that."She liked that? I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. My mind spun, searching for something, anything to say. But before I could, Abigail straightened, her expression softening just enough to feel less intimidating."You should get ready," she said, her tone gentler now. "Prepare yourself for the most reckless spending spr
Tyler slid into the backseat, his lanky frame curling into the space like he owned it. He didn’t bother with a seatbelt, he just slouched back with a cheeky smirk.“Alright, where are we headed?” His voice was sharp and unapologetically confident. The way he spoke was what you’d expect from a rock band frontman who knew he was always the center of attention.“You know, I was just thinking about New York, baby. It’s the city that never sleeps, but you know what? It’s actually the city that makes you regret every bad decision you ever made. And trust me, I’ve made some doozies.” he ranted on. “Do you plan on making doozies, little thing?“ He suddenly sat up and leaned in to ask me.I shook my head, not entirely sure what he meant by doozies. But I guessed it wasn't entirely a positive thing.Abigail shot him a sideways look. She was clearly not amused yet she didn’t bother making any comments. I glanced over at her, trying to decipher if she was secretly regretting this trip. Once aga
I wasn't sure what to focus on, the sheer volume of Tyler’s commentary, the lovely blue top I caught on display two shops ago, or the growing stares from strangers staring at the parade of chaos we were creating.Tyler was all smiles and flirtation, casually winking at anyone who made eye contact, not caring for gender. The rollercoaster of reactions from the men and women grew terrifying.“My my, a dark swan in this pond of filth,” he told a woman passing by, giving her a once-over and completely ignoring her unimpressed glare. “What’s your name darling? Oh, you’re just playing it cool? Alright, I respect that.”I winced, but it was hard not to smile at how oblivious he was to the awkwardness of it all. Part of me was wondering if I should feel self-conscious, but the other part of me was too busy trying not to laugh and die from the attention he was bringing to us.Eventually, we reached a store, and thankfully, Tyler’s attention shifted to the clothes. We spent our time wandering
Snickers trickled from some groups like a leaky faucet. The spectators around us perked up with thinly veiled curiosity, whispering behind their coffee mugs.“I told you it was her, she just looks different.““... thought she died in the attack.““... returning is so brave.““That's cruel, she's already an omega.“The chattering was incessant. My panic grew. I hadn't lived through any of these humiliating episodes in the months I'd been gone yet one encounter with Tess and I was here all over again. The subject of ridicule.My jaw clenched as I stared down at my thighs, my eyes shimmered with tears of frustration. I felt it. Those old stings behind my ribs, right under my lungs, right at my heart. The bruises pressed too many times.My hands curled around the rim of my mug, fingers tingling with desperation to do something. Why didn't she just leave? Why did she have to do this here?“You really should’ve stayed wherever you disappeared to,” Tess cooed. “But I guess trash always finds
I almost laughed. Almost. Because despite the comical manner in which she said it, there was some truth to it. I would have graver things to worry about. With that in mind, I shouldn't think so much about it.So in the meantime, I settled for enjoying my coffee in my favorite coffee shop like a normal teenager. With the way things were headed, I wouldn't be getting more of those moments anymore.The entrance bell above the door chimed sharply and my gaze darted to the spot out of habit. A gust of wind swept in with it, slicing the warm cinnamon air in two.And just like that, the atmosphere cracked open. Tessandra Harris. She struted in casually, wearing her pride boldly. With her usual entourage of seasonal clones in short skirts, cashmere, tights and jackets, she cut through the shop with her presence.Her gaze sliced the room like a blade looking for someone to gut while her lips were in that perfectly upturned grin that confessed to a false kindness I'd yet to witness.And then, a
Mug shots was one of the few open shops I usually visited when I could. It was smaller with less traction than the popular coffee shop at Town Central. However, it seemed like that had changed. It was peculiarly filled up.As I stepped in, I'm greeted with a wave of cinnamon warmth and curious glances. A glaring contrast from the silence and the occasional texting notifications of the bored barista.The frequently steady hiss of steamed milk and the low murmur of conversations weaving into the hum of Christmas Jazz was not the setting I pictured having a conversation with Becca.But then again, my plans to interrogate her had long been soiled by Abigail's presence.“Quite the hotspot,” said Abigail herself as she swept her gaze through the coffee shop. Many looked away as they met her eyes. Some, albeit dumb boys, threw a few suggestive glances.I tried not to shudder given I'd recognized them from school. “Oddly enough,” I breathe out.“Here,” I blurted, stepping forward to lead. I h
I opened my mouth to argue, but Ethan cut in. “Your mom is right.”I turned sharply toward him, eyes wide and surprised at his agreement. What happened to his initial support yesterday?He exhaled through his nose, clenching his blood-stained fingers. His dark gaze was piercing, locking onto mine with something scrutinizing. “Whatever happened just now, whatever you pushed yourself into, it hurt you. You don’t just bleed from using an ability unless something is pushing back.”He knew there was something more to it. But surely he could tell, I wasn’t going to stop.I forced an easy shrug, running my hand through my hair. “It wasn’t that bad,” I interjected smoothly. “I just got a little too carried away. It won’t happen again.”A lie. One I could tell Ethan didn’t believe for a second. But he didn’t argue anyway.Everyone else watched me for a moment longer as if weighing whether to push further. My dad had long settled down. He had opted to intensely stare at me like he'd always done
“Rebecca Eevecina Geratine, what a mouthful,” Tess had cackled with her friends holding the new student's schedule outside the principal's office.I'd been doing my best to get through the day being invincible but it didn't exactly turn out great. I'd still managed to have Tess dump mop water on me in the girl's bathroom.But then the new student with the odd middle name offered me a change of clothes and kept me company. But that wasn't the moral of the story. I'd seen Becca's full name.Rebecca Eevecina Geratine.My stomach twisted violently. What business did Becca of all people have with a Melbringer?Pain wracked my head, darkening my vision at the edges. My pulse roared against my eardrums, each beat thick and sluggish as if my body was shutting down.I tried to stay upright, to hold on to that last bit of clarity, but the world tipped sideways. I could feel myself seemingly floating and falling at once.But then I stopped, meeting warm hands on the way. Sandalwood permeated my
My heart stuttered in momentary panic as I recalled that moment of blind irrational rage that had my hands around Khalid's head. The voice in that moment. It felt like it took advantage of my unrest and pushed me to hurt someone.What if it repeated itself in this seemingly innocent spar? What if I blur the lines between learning defense and wanting to hurt someone?I sighed, pushing myself up so I was sitting beside her. “Maybe. It's just.” I hesitated, searching for the right words. “I don’t want to lose myself in the urge to win. I feel like there's a part of me that might take advantage of that and hurt someone,” I paused, looking right at her. “Badly.”Abigail was silent for a long moment, her eyes distant. Then, quietly, she uttered, “Khalid.“I ran my hand through my tangled hair, losing the ponytail it was in. “I never really dwelled on it before but suddenly it's right here being a problem.“She hummed again but it had a contemplative tone to it. “Well, sometimes our brains s
“Come on!” the strained words escaped my mouth as I gasped mouth wide.The air was sharp with the chilling bite of winter. It carried with it the scent of damp earth and fresh snow. The sky above was a pale slate, the sun a cold, distant thing barely peeking through the canopy of frost-bitten trees.And I was on my ass. Again.I sucked in a sharp breath hoping to relieve the impact of my back hitting the frozen ground as it was still vibrating through my bones. A plume of white mist left my lips after I exhaled once again, staring up at the skeletal branches above me.Out of the blue, a figure loomed over me, cutting through my line of sight with arms crossed and a smug grin playing at the corner of her lips. “That makes what, eight times?”Abigail. Her dark tresses were tied back in a messy bun, stray strands sticking to her sweat-dampened forehead. Unlike me, sprawled out dirty on the forest floors, she wasn’t winded. She continued standing with that effortless grace she always car
The room was silent, housing only the fading echo of her words.“I saw you at school. You were attacked by Melbringers.”The words sent a pulse of ice through my veins.“Attacked?“ I stared at her, waiting for some sort of clarification. Some piece of information that would make it make sense. Because it didn’t.Yet the situation felt oddly familiar. Something similar had been said before by her when we first met at the back of my school with Becca.“I’ve seen this before, More times than you can imagine.”A premonition? A vision? Wait, that was ridiculous. Werewolves can't have abilities to look into the future. Right? Even with the little I knew about originals, that would be out of place even for them.But then, I felt the weight of everyone’s eyes on me, felt the way my parents tensed, the way even Tyler shifted uncomfortably. I licked my lips, trying to push past the tightness in my throat.It couldn't be true right?“I don’t…” I glanced at Ethan who stared straight ahead hoping
The drive back to the Stark mansion was surreal as if the world outside the car had softened at the edges. Ethan had called snow plowing services to clear out our path and from there, it was easy driving.The storm had passed, leaving behind a stillness that felt almost reverent. The sky was a crisp blue interrupted with bits of clouds being pushed away by a desperate rising sun.There were still bits of winter gloom in the ambiance but it didn't feel so to me. I couldn’t stop smiling.It wasn’t the well-measured smile I had grown accustomed to putting on, it was real. Something delightful was bubbling up from deep within me. A first in years.My fingers danced absently over my lips, still tingling from Ethan’s kiss. My whole body hummed with the lingering warmth of him, the weight of his hands, the gentleness of his hold.I had made the choice. And now I sat here, giddy and restless, my heart fluttering like I had swallowed an entire flock of butterflies on a sugar high. Did butterfl