I watched a frown form on Brian's face as he squeezed the bag of his meal. He cast a deep, chill-inducing glare at Roger, then stormed off. My attention snapped back to the people around me and I only realized the crowd was cheering for Roger, encouraging me to say yes. "Have you lost your mind?" I spat. "Lyric, be calm." He said, smiling. "How dare you do something so absurd?" Suddenly, my memory flashed back to six years ago and the memory of him on one knee, proposing to Emily sent a dagger through my chest. 'This is a perfect opportunity for revenge!' Maya pointed out, awakening a new sensation in me. From the look in his eyes, I could tell that this was all a drama to embarass me. But I wasn't letting that happen. "Oh, Roger." I called in a soft tone, watching his eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a quick second till he feigned his smile again. "This is such a nice proposal, in my university student union and all." Shaking my head, I took the ring and wiggled it around,
"Intimate embrace?" I chortled, taking the phone from him to look at the picture again, and the more I observed, 'intimate' began to seem like an understatement. My arms were around Blade’s neck while his were tightly wrapped around my waist, every part of my female anatomy was tightly glued to him. One of his hands had gone below, making it seem like he was tightly cupping my buttcheek. The angle was captured perfectly to give a meaning that was otherwise from reality. My eyes widened as I stared at the picture on Brian's screen. "No, no, you have to understand that it is a misunderstanding." "Misunderstanding, uh? Then why didn't you tell me about it?" The frigid look in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine, forcing me to stand from his leg. "Brian," I called. "I promise you it's not how the media is portraying it. After Roger made me lose my job, that guy stood up for me from my boss' embarrassment and he offered comfort because I felt like all hope was lost. I was too overwhel
I scoffed, glaring at her from head to toe. I couldn’t help but admit that she looked very stunning in her curve-hugging purple dress and heels. It made a pang occur in my heart and I scoffed agin. “You must be joking”“Bout what?” she smirked. “That I’m here to claim what's mine? Why would I joke about such a thing?”“I’m going to ask you to leave.” I stood in akimbo. She laughed. “What gives you the right? You don’t own this place.” “I’m Brian’s girlfriend, so I have every right to ask you to leave this place.” I insisted, stepping closer to her. She threw her head back in laughter. “Useless pups really do have a lot of guts these days.” That sent a spark in my brain and I could feel my eyes twitching. She had just added fuel to the fire of my rage towards Brian. MAya let out a howl in my head as I grabbed a handful of her hair. “What did you just say?” I asked in a growl, my fissts clenching beside me. “Let go!” She said through gritted teeth and grabbed my arm, her face cont
"Wh-what?" I let out a breathy laugh, my heart rate escalating. "What are you talking about?" "How long did you think you were going to hide it from me?" She stepped closer and I started stepping backwards. "H-How did yo-you find out?" I stammered. "Did Tone tell you?“Why wouldn't he? He’s my boyfriend. He doesn't keep secrets from me." She stopped when I did. “I–I… I don't know why he… that bastard!” I cussed. “Why would he just tell you like that?” a frown formed on my face as I prepared myself to choke the life out of Tone, “Wh-what are you going to do now? I mean…”“I’m going to report it. It's clearly not safe to have wolves roaming freely around our campus. She added. “What?” I exclaimed. “That’s ridiculous. We just don’t change anyhow."“I don’t care. I’m going to write a research paper on it, publish it to everyone and expose all of you monsters!” she hollered.“Raina, wait, sit down, calm down, let me explain things to you." It felt like I could no longer breathe proper
Another thud against the door made my heart beat spike up. "Raina!" I screamed, "don't come in!" Wait, what the hell? In my wolf form, I could still speak like my human self. "Are you okay?" She knocked again. "What was that noise? Wh-what's going on? " She asked, breathless from fear. "Uh… I'm fine… it's fine!" I glanced around, waving my paw in front of me. I shut my eyes and tried to force myself to shift again but it felt like I hit a hard wall, so I screamed again. "Lyric! Come out!" She hit the door. "You don't sound okay, what's wrong?" "I'm good." I replied, trying to reduce my panting so my noises didn't contradict my statement. A knock sounded from the dorm door. "Who the heck is it?" She hissed and I heard her footsteps leave. My phone? Glancing around, I found the phone on the bathroom rug and rushed over to it. "Voice assistant, call Brian." I whispered to it. "Calling Brian," she said then the call beeped for a few seconds till she said, "no response." I his
I screamed and jumped over her to quickly lock the main door. "I just added to the problem. Shoot!" Why did I have to blurt things out?Whimpering, I fell to the ground, watching a passed out Bri equally sprawled in front of me. "What do I do now? I don't know who to call." All my thoughts led back to the one person that had the most solutions to my problems. Sighing in defeat, I walked back to my phone and made my voice assistant make the call. The voice assistant made a video call against my command, but the call was answered before I could change it. “Look who finally decided to call again.” Her voice instantly made me roll my eyes. “What’s with the attitude and the wolf shift? Why call me if you want to be sassy?”“Mom, I’m not here to argue.” I started, the sass in my tone refusing to hide itself. Her eyes widened. “You just spoke as yourself in your wolf form? Am I hearing things?” “You’re not. I just switched against my will in my bathroom and the—” Bri shifted, shifting m
“What do we do with Bri?” Brian asked.“I don't know.” I said, watching Bri who was tied up to the chair, her head falling backwards. Anyone would’ve assumed she was dead, if she wasn't letting out generator-like snores. “Tap her to try and wake her up.” Brian said to one of the hefty men who I now identified as guards from his pack.He nodded then walked over and tapped Bri’s shoulder. When she didn’t respond, he tapped her again. This time, her face scrunched up and she squirmed in her seat, shifting and groaning till she opened her eyes.“Uh… Anna, leave me alone!” She said, fluttering her lashes sleepy, then they widened as she took in the view of where she was. “Where am I?”“A basement at one of my stores.” Brian said. “Help!” She began to scream again.“There’s no use.No one will hear you from here.” I explained and sighed, walking up to her. “Bri, please I need you to comply with me.”“Why wouldI? My Dad would kill me if he found out that I knew about a professor-student re
"Hey, how are you?" I said to Brian over the phone. "How's it going at the pack?""Honestly, it's rough, but it's okay. I might just need to stay a few more days." He sighed. "Oh." "Why 'Oh'?" He asked. "Nothing." I shrugged. Nothing like not having him not being available on my birthday. I heard the door click, confirming that Raina was coming in. "I'll call you later, okay?" I said, sitting up straight. "Why so sudden? Is something wrong?" He wondered but Raina opened the door. "Hey, Raina!" I greeted loudly, so he could understand. "Oh, bye. I love you." He said then I ended the call, paying attention to Raina. She stopped and narrowed her eyes at me. "Are you okay? What's with the energy?" "Nothing. I'm just really happy to see you." I lied— actually, half-lied. Jumping off the bed, I scurried to meet her. "I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat at the cafeteria." "Yeah, do you mind if Tone tags alone?" I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Whatever, he can come too."
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