Nina The phone dropped out of Lori’s hand with a clatter, and for a moment, I felt my heart drop. As I looked at Lori, I began to fear the worst: that Jessica had died in the hospital. But when Lori uttered those words, I felt as if the world was tilting beneath my feet. “It’s Jessica,” Lori s
Nina “You turned her into a werewolf, didn’t you?” Enzo asked, his voice so low it was barely more than a whisper. My eyes flickered from Enzo, to the floor, and then to the window through which I could see Lori and Jessica, still locked in a tight hug. Jessica was grinning, her face as bright a
Nina As I watched Enzo walk away, his figure retreating down the hospital corridor, a pang of guilt gnawed at my insides. I knew that I had caused this rift between us with my impulsive decision to perform the Claiming ceremony on Jessica without consulting him. It wasn’t like me to keep secrets
“That’s wonderful,” I said, genuinely happy for them. “Congratulations.” He beamed at me and extended his hand. “Thank you,” he said. “And I wish you the best of luck with your pregnancy.” I shook his hand, a warm feeling spreading through me. “Thank you,” I replied, touched by his kind words. “
Nina “Jessica… You’re a werewolf now.” As I uttered those words, it felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of the room. I wasn’t sure how Jessica would react; to get into a major accident like she did, then wake up and find out you were no longer a human, was a huge change. Lori and I g
Nina “Oh, she’s waking up.” “Thank god. She had us scared for a moment there…” As I slowly regained consciousness, the world around me became a blur of shapes and colors and sound. Everything felt loud and bright and overwhelming. My head throbbed, and my body felt heavy, as if I had jus
Nina I must have drifted into a light slumber at some point because the sound of persistent knocking on my door pulled me from the haze of dreams. I blinked, disoriented, and glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was past two o’clock in the afternoon. I hadn’t realized I had been asleep
Nina Now that my mother had left the room, it was just me and the witch, Elara. She gazed at me with those deep emerald eyes, her expression serious. I just stared at her, my eyes wide. She had just told me that I was seemingly curse-free and that my baby was healthy, but now it seemed as th
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied