~ RAINA ~I never should have agreed to this crap. Fake dating Blade was supposed to be easy. A simple arrangement. No emotions, no expectations—just a mutual agreement to keep up appearances. He needed to make Lyric jealous, and I… Well, I wasn’t sure what I was getting out of it anymore. It was initially for the sake of research, but I had barely done any research here. It was all just war, war, war. . At first, it was fun. Blade had a way of making things exciting, always pulling me into his world of effortless confidence and easy charm. I told myself it didn’t matter that he was still hopelessly in love with Lyric. That his eyes always followed her when she was in the room. That I was just a placeholder in whatever game he was playing. But then, somewhere along the way, I started wanting more. I realized it today when I saw the way he looked at her, even when she was barely holding herself together. We were at the training grounds when he spotted her. Lyric stood off to
“They are here!” A guard announced.I didn’t have time to panic.My vision had given me an advantage, but that advantage would mean nothing if I didn’t act now. The enemy was coming, and they were coming fast.I stood straight ignoring the way my body still trembled from the strain of seeing through time. I forced my voice to be steady, authoritative. I was Luna. They needed to hear confidence, not fear.“Jordan ,” I said, my tone fierce. “Gather everyone. Now.”He hesitated for a while before nodding and rushing off to sound the alarm.Minutes later, the war room filled with warriors, guards, and pack leaders. Their eyes were wide, their bodies tense. They knew something was coming.I took my place at the center of the room, armed with full armor and a gun for myself. .“The enemy is on their way,” I announced. “They’ve taken Alpha Brian as a distraction, hoping we’d be too broken to fight back. But we will fight back. And we will win.”A murmur ran through the crowd as they digested
~ LYRIC ~I woke to the sound of gunfire.The sharp, jarring cracks destroyed the peaceful silence of the night, sending a jolt of terror through me. I sat up so fast that the blankets wrapped around my legs scratched my skin, my heart thundering in my chest.Beside me, Brian was already moving. Clearly, someone had experience in years of war and survival that had trained him well because he didn’t hesitate, he didn’t freeze, he didn’t seem fazed. He grabbed his armor and weapons from the bedside, his body tense with readiness.“What’s happening?” I breathed, throwing off the cover and getting off the bed to match his speed. His eyes were already scanning the darkened room, his jaw clenched. “We’re under attack.”Another round of gunfire exploded outside, followed by the distant shouts of warriors and the sickening sounds of metal meeting flesh.My stomach twisted. I was growing tired of this whole war nonsense and just couldn't wait for it to end . We barely had time to pull on o
~ LYRIC ~I couldn’t speak— speaking was too much. I couldn't breathe. Brian’s body lay limp in my arms, his warmth slipping away with every second that passed. My hands were soaked in his blood, trembling as I pressed them against the wound that should have never been there. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Not at all. What was all that stupid prophecy of saving him about? I had tried all I could, summoned all the power I could find, yet I couldn't heal him quickly. A violent storm of emotions built inside me—rage, grief, desperation—twisting and churning until my body couldn’t contain it anymore. I wanted to explode. Watching the love of my life grow cold and pale in front of me was a sight that stabbed my soul. "I would not let this happen!" I growled and rose up, his pool of blood dripping from me. "No! I screamed."I would not let this happen. A throat wrecking scream tore from my throat, shaking the very ground beneath me. My power exploded outward in a bright
~ LYRIC ~Two weeks had passed. It had been. Two whole weeks. Two gruesome weeks. Two weeks of Brian laying in the hospital with no medical diagnosis. No treatment possible because no identifiable problem. It had been Two weeks of ruling without him. Yes, on the bright side, the pack had completely defeated the enemy and wiped out all of them, thanks to my power (not to brag or anything), so I had been leading the pack as Luna completely, with help from Jordan. Poor Jordan was mourning the murder of his beloved. It broke my heart for him, but Anna got what she deserved. It had been two weeks of waking up alone, staring at the empty space beside me where Brian should have been.Two weeks of trying to be strong while my heart ached in ways I never thought possible.Brian was still in a coma. My mother, too.The healers said their conditions were stable—alive, breathing—but that wasn’t enough. Not for me.Every day, I carried the weight of my pack on my shoulders. I made decisions, I
~ LYRIC ~ The ray from the sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the pack house, casting golden light over the polished wood floors. I stretched my arms above my head, breathing in the sweet fresh morning air as I gazed out over the training grounds. Warriors were practicing, their movements sharp and precise, but today wasn’t about war or battles.Today was about something far more terrifying:School. Yup, you heard that right. I gotta go back to school. I had almost forgotten that the rest of the world hadn’t stopped when Brian was in a coma, when I was learning to rule, when I had been fighting to hold our pack together. But time had moved forward, and now it was time for me to return to the life I had before I became Luna.Not that I minded.I loved being Luna.I loved the power, the responsibility, the feeling of belonging to something greater than myself. The pack respected me. They trusted me. I had spent the past few weeks proving that I wasn’t just Brian’s wife—
The first day back in classes felt so unreal. The energy of the students buzzed through the air—laughter, conversations, the occasional groan about assignments—but none of it truly reached me. Not with everything that had happened. Not with everything that still weighed on my mind.Brian walked beside me, his presence a steady force, but even he felt different. Stronger. More protective.As if he could sense what was coming.And he wasn’t wrong.'Goodbye, my love.' He said through mind link, causing my cheeks to flush red. 'Goodbye, my love.' I mind linked back and giggled loud, earning side eyes from two of the girls about to enter my classroom as well. The moment I stepped into my first lecture hall, Professor Jenna’s cold gaze landed on me.Jenna… jeez. How could I forget this witch?A woman who should’ve been nothing more than an ordinary professor, but she wasn’t. She had a fixation on Brian, one she had never hidden well. Before the war, before everything, I had ignored it. Br
It was the day I had been waiting for, the day I had worked so hard to reach. My graduation day. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection as I adjusted my cap and gown. A sense of accomplishment washed over me, but it was mixed with bittersweetness. The road to this moment had been nothing like I imagined. The journey had been full of unexpected turns—love, loss, battles, and triumphs.In the early days after Brian’s coma, when I learned I was pregnant, I never thought I’d make it to this moment, let alone have my son with me by my side. The idea of balancing motherhood with my education had seemed impossible. But here I was, with my son, my husband, and my pack—ready to take the next step in life, even though I knew it wouldn’t be easy.I smiled softly at my reflection, adjusting my gown one last time. My son, only two years old now, was already napping peacefully in his crib, a reminder of how much had changed in such a short time. Brian had been there for me every s
It was the day I had been waiting for, the day I had worked so hard to reach. My graduation day. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection as I adjusted my cap and gown. A sense of accomplishment washed over me, but it was mixed with bittersweetness. The road to this moment had been nothing like I imagined. The journey had been full of unexpected turns—love, loss, battles, and triumphs.In the early days after Brian’s coma, when I learned I was pregnant, I never thought I’d make it to this moment, let alone have my son with me by my side. The idea of balancing motherhood with my education had seemed impossible. But here I was, with my son, my husband, and my pack—ready to take the next step in life, even though I knew it wouldn’t be easy.I smiled softly at my reflection, adjusting my gown one last time. My son, only two years old now, was already napping peacefully in his crib, a reminder of how much had changed in such a short time. Brian had been there for me every s
The first day back in classes felt so unreal. The energy of the students buzzed through the air—laughter, conversations, the occasional groan about assignments—but none of it truly reached me. Not with everything that had happened. Not with everything that still weighed on my mind.Brian walked beside me, his presence a steady force, but even he felt different. Stronger. More protective.As if he could sense what was coming.And he wasn’t wrong.'Goodbye, my love.' He said through mind link, causing my cheeks to flush red. 'Goodbye, my love.' I mind linked back and giggled loud, earning side eyes from two of the girls about to enter my classroom as well. The moment I stepped into my first lecture hall, Professor Jenna’s cold gaze landed on me.Jenna… jeez. How could I forget this witch?A woman who should’ve been nothing more than an ordinary professor, but she wasn’t. She had a fixation on Brian, one she had never hidden well. Before the war, before everything, I had ignored it. Br
~ LYRIC ~ The ray from the sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the pack house, casting golden light over the polished wood floors. I stretched my arms above my head, breathing in the sweet fresh morning air as I gazed out over the training grounds. Warriors were practicing, their movements sharp and precise, but today wasn’t about war or battles.Today was about something far more terrifying:School. Yup, you heard that right. I gotta go back to school. I had almost forgotten that the rest of the world hadn’t stopped when Brian was in a coma, when I was learning to rule, when I had been fighting to hold our pack together. But time had moved forward, and now it was time for me to return to the life I had before I became Luna.Not that I minded.I loved being Luna.I loved the power, the responsibility, the feeling of belonging to something greater than myself. The pack respected me. They trusted me. I had spent the past few weeks proving that I wasn’t just Brian’s wife—
~ LYRIC ~Two weeks had passed. It had been. Two whole weeks. Two gruesome weeks. Two weeks of Brian laying in the hospital with no medical diagnosis. No treatment possible because no identifiable problem. It had been Two weeks of ruling without him. Yes, on the bright side, the pack had completely defeated the enemy and wiped out all of them, thanks to my power (not to brag or anything), so I had been leading the pack as Luna completely, with help from Jordan. Poor Jordan was mourning the murder of his beloved. It broke my heart for him, but Anna got what she deserved. It had been two weeks of waking up alone, staring at the empty space beside me where Brian should have been.Two weeks of trying to be strong while my heart ached in ways I never thought possible.Brian was still in a coma. My mother, too.The healers said their conditions were stable—alive, breathing—but that wasn’t enough. Not for me.Every day, I carried the weight of my pack on my shoulders. I made decisions, I
~ LYRIC ~I couldn’t speak— speaking was too much. I couldn't breathe. Brian’s body lay limp in my arms, his warmth slipping away with every second that passed. My hands were soaked in his blood, trembling as I pressed them against the wound that should have never been there. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Not at all. What was all that stupid prophecy of saving him about? I had tried all I could, summoned all the power I could find, yet I couldn't heal him quickly. A violent storm of emotions built inside me—rage, grief, desperation—twisting and churning until my body couldn’t contain it anymore. I wanted to explode. Watching the love of my life grow cold and pale in front of me was a sight that stabbed my soul. "I would not let this happen!" I growled and rose up, his pool of blood dripping from me. "No! I screamed."I would not let this happen. A throat wrecking scream tore from my throat, shaking the very ground beneath me. My power exploded outward in a bright
~ LYRIC ~I woke to the sound of gunfire.The sharp, jarring cracks destroyed the peaceful silence of the night, sending a jolt of terror through me. I sat up so fast that the blankets wrapped around my legs scratched my skin, my heart thundering in my chest.Beside me, Brian was already moving. Clearly, someone had experience in years of war and survival that had trained him well because he didn’t hesitate, he didn’t freeze, he didn’t seem fazed. He grabbed his armor and weapons from the bedside, his body tense with readiness.“What’s happening?” I breathed, throwing off the cover and getting off the bed to match his speed. His eyes were already scanning the darkened room, his jaw clenched. “We’re under attack.”Another round of gunfire exploded outside, followed by the distant shouts of warriors and the sickening sounds of metal meeting flesh.My stomach twisted. I was growing tired of this whole war nonsense and just couldn't wait for it to end . We barely had time to pull on o
“They are here!” A guard announced.I didn’t have time to panic.My vision had given me an advantage, but that advantage would mean nothing if I didn’t act now. The enemy was coming, and they were coming fast.I stood straight ignoring the way my body still trembled from the strain of seeing through time. I forced my voice to be steady, authoritative. I was Luna. They needed to hear confidence, not fear.“Jordan ,” I said, my tone fierce. “Gather everyone. Now.”He hesitated for a while before nodding and rushing off to sound the alarm.Minutes later, the war room filled with warriors, guards, and pack leaders. Their eyes were wide, their bodies tense. They knew something was coming.I took my place at the center of the room, armed with full armor and a gun for myself. .“The enemy is on their way,” I announced. “They’ve taken Alpha Brian as a distraction, hoping we’d be too broken to fight back. But we will fight back. And we will win.”A murmur ran through the crowd as they digested
~ RAINA ~I never should have agreed to this crap. Fake dating Blade was supposed to be easy. A simple arrangement. No emotions, no expectations—just a mutual agreement to keep up appearances. He needed to make Lyric jealous, and I… Well, I wasn’t sure what I was getting out of it anymore. It was initially for the sake of research, but I had barely done any research here. It was all just war, war, war. . At first, it was fun. Blade had a way of making things exciting, always pulling me into his world of effortless confidence and easy charm. I told myself it didn’t matter that he was still hopelessly in love with Lyric. That his eyes always followed her when she was in the room. That I was just a placeholder in whatever game he was playing. But then, somewhere along the way, I started wanting more. I realized it today when I saw the way he looked at her, even when she was barely holding herself together. We were at the training grounds when he spotted her. Lyric stood off to
~ LYRIC ~I stretched my legs across the couch, letting out a satisfied sigh as I sank deeper into the cushions. The warm scent of my mother’s cinnamon tea spread through the air, blending with the soft crackling of the fireplace. It was one of those rare, peaceful nights—one where the world outside didn’t seem so chaotic, and all that mattered was the quiet comfort of home. Tone sat across from me, one arm draped over the back of the chair, his face relaxed for once. For some reason, tonight, he looked… happy. Maybe even at peace. Mom was laughing at something he said, her voice light and full of warmth. I didn’t even catch the joke, but I smiled anyway, just glad to be here with them. In the midst of the war, I could still sit and enjoy a nice family time. “This tea is perfect,” I said, wrapping my fingers around the warm mug. “Mom, I swear, you should bottle this up and sell it. You’d make a fortune.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “It’s not that big of a deal. I just use a l