Nina The kitchen was filled with the aroma of spices and the sound of sizzling as my mother and I cooked dinner together. Tyler and Enzo had retired to the other room to play a video game on the TV, and every so often the sounds of their excited voices floated through. Normally, Enzo would have co
But amidst the joy, I felt a need for solitude, a longing for a quiet moment all to myself. The mention of Tiffany kept swirling around in my mind, and I longed to talk to her. One crisp morning, I decided to take a walk, seeking the solace of the outdoors. Enzo was off with the rest of the pack d
Nina The little red bird transformed right in front of me. A moment later, a young woman with long red hair and striking green eyes stood in the clearing now, and my shock was palpable. She appeared no older than me, rubbing her arm where I had grabbed her, a mix of irritation and pain on her face
Nina After Daphne’s swift departure, I stood alone in the forest clearing, the whisper of leaves and distant birdcalls my only companions. The realization that she knew more than she was letting on about the yellow-eyed wolf weighed heavily on me. Her help could be instrumental in figuring out w
Not me, though. I didn’t want that. It wasn’t… me. “Mom,” I said softly then, blinking away the tears that threatened to come at the mention of my sister, “what if… what if I don’t want to be the princess?” My mom blinked at me, taken aback. “What do you mean?” “I mean… I don’t know if I’m cut
Nina Enzo and I huddled under the glow of our living room lamp, trying to figure out how the hell we were going to find and talk to this elusive bird shifter, Daphne. Daphne had revealed that she had been watching us for long enough to know all about the yellow-eyed wolf, and something told me t
Nina “Do you think she’s coming?” Enzo’s voice and the feeling of his strong, warm arm wrapping around my shoulders pulled me back to the present. I had been staring longingly off the front of the porch, hoping that she would come. “I don’t know,” I said, checking the time on my phone. The par
Nina “You did what?” The evening’s events had left a bittersweet taste in my mouth as I sat in front of the bedroom vanity, slowly brushing out my long, black hair. It had gotten so much longer over the past year, and now fell almost down to my butt. My bangs had grown out, though. “I told her
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