× Ryker ×
Unpopular opinion, but I think Trix is doing way too much. Like, ever since that girl Dixie strolled into his life, it’s been dramaaaa upon dramaaaa.
And now that they’re married? Forget it. Drama x 2000. And the worst part? There’s literally nothing I can do to help him out when I see my best friend going through it. Absolutely nothing.
I toss another shirt into my duffel bag, the frustration growing up inside me as I fold my black tactical pants and shove them in. I’ve got to head out soon, go play undercover spy and sneak into the Nardoos' territory to get us some intel. Fun, right? But, all I can think about is leaving Trix in this mess with her . The cruelest girl I’ve ever met.
I mean, I’m no therapist, but anyone can see Dixie’s been tearing him up since day one. And Trix? He doesn’t care. Or at least he pretends not to.&nbs
× Trix דHas the Luna eaten?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even. The maid before me hesitates, her eyes flickering toward me, before she shakes her head.I'm standing in the hallway, trying not to look out of place as I talk to one of Dixie's maids. She keeps her head down, respectful, as if she knows there's tension in the air, which, fair enough, there is.“She won’t come out of her room, Alpha. Refused everything we brought up,” she murmurs.I nod, even though inside, it feels like someone’s twisting a knife.It shouldn't be bothering me this much. It really shouldn’t. I tell the maid to send up the food anyway.Maybe she'll get hungry enough and eat something later.“Just leave it by her door,” I add.She bows and leaves, and I'm left
× Trix ×I hear a loud cry and I instantly figure it's Dixie.My heart slams in my chest, like it just forgot how to beat. For a split second, I freeze, my mind spinning out of control.Then I’m start running, the adrenaline quickly kicking in, and I head towards her. I don’t even think, just pure instinct.When I reach her, she’s sitting on the ground, holding her leg, her face and body in pain.I check around for what it is and I see a dark spot on her skin. No way.Was she bitten?Before I can even say anything, she looks up at me, frowning.“Before you say ‘I told you so,’” she hisses, her voice strained, “tell me this motherf ing snake isn’t poisonous.”My stomach drops, but I kneel down beside her, examining the wound.&n
FLASHBACK × Dixie × ~ 5 hours ago- I walk into this room, and the air just shifts . It's like stepping into another world entirely…everything feels softer, calmer. Sort of.I can’t believe I haven’t found this place before, but then again and on a second thought, I’ve barely explored a quarter of the rooms in this massive building, let alone the entire pack territory. I've been so caught up in everything, with Trix, with... well, everything , that I’ve hardly taken a second to just BE .My eyes sweep across the room, taking in the details. It’s elegant, sure, but not in that over-the-top, "look at me" way. It’s very thoughtful too. Peaceful. The colors, the way the light shines in through the tall windows, the little trinkets and pieces of art placed just so they all seem to whisper, "Stay here. And rest."And then, I notice the real magic. The art. Handmade, and a closer look at it and it's obvious that it's made of paper . I blink, leaning closer to get a better look, my mind
× Dixie דWow,” I murmur, trying to process it all. “That explains a lot, actually.”He chuckles, but there’s no humor in it. “Yeah?”“Yeah,” I say softly. “I mean, even back in high school... you were always so upfront. So... intense . I used to think it was just because you were, I don’t know, an arrogant jerk.”He snorts. “I probably was.”I shake my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. “No, I get it now. You weren’t just being a jerk. You were scared. Scared of what people would think if they didn’t see you as... perfect.”Trix doesn’t say anything, but I can see the way his jaw tightens. Like I hit too close to home, but I’m not wrong.“I never wanted to be perfect,” he says after a while. “I just didn’t want to be a failure.”Real. Because, honestly, I get it. That fear of failure? That constant pressure to be more than what you are? Yeah, I know that feeling all too well.“I feel that,” I say quietly. “I’ve always felt like I was never enough. Like no matter what I did, it
= DIXIE =Sweat plastered my hair to my forehead as I pushed through the overgrown bushes. Grandma had warned me a million times about exploring this part of the woods, but boredom was a relentless beast. Besides, who knew what cool stuff I might find? Maybe a hidden cave full of pirate treasure… okay, maybe not pirate treasure, but something cool nonetheless.As I stepped into a clearing bathed in an ethereal glow, a shiver ran down my spine. The air crackled with a strange energy, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. It was like stepping into some fantastical movie scene. In the center stood a massive oak tree, its branches sprawling like gnarled fingers reaching for the twilight sky. A strange pull, almost magnetic, drew me closer.Just as I reached the base of the oak, a guttural growl echoed from the shadows beneath it. My heart hammered against my ribs as a monstrous figure jumped out from literally nowhere. It was a wolf, unlike anything I’d ever seen in a cheesy monster
= DIXIE =The pull was undeniable. Like a magnet tugging me back to a scene of an accident, I found myself drawn to the clearing again. Maybe it was the strange energy I felt there, or the memory of the terrifying yet oddly captivating battle between the two werewolves one being Trix (which I haven’t still quite wrapped my head around). Whatever it was, I couldn't ignore it.Grandma would have my head for this, I knew. She'd warned me a million times about staying away from this part of the woods, but sometimes, the quiet kid in me who always followed the rules craved a little excitement. Maybe that's why I was always a magnet for trouble, even if it meant potentially getting mauled by a giant wolf.Sneaking through the undergrowth, I kept my head down and my senses on high alert. The silence of the woods was broken only by the rustle of leaves and the occasional chirp of a bird. Suddenly, a guttural growl ripped through the stillness. I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs. A m
= TRIX =The meeting hall went quiet, and Alvera's words hung heavy in the air. Dixie had a mark on her hand that she hadn't seen herself, and it was the same symbol that the rogue pack had talked about—the mark of the Blade. It was the same mark that was on the wolves who killed my brother.The memory of that afternoon pricked my veins. I hate remembering it, I so hate remembering that accursed afternoon. Everything was going well, it was not meant to end that way with my brother’s lifeless body dangling from the ceiling fan of an abandoned classroom, but it did. And I only have the gharry scene imprinted in my head from that afternoon to ever be the last memory of me seeing my elder brother’s face.I took a deep breath.Focus on what’s happening now. What’s happening? Dixie, that green and four-eyed blonde-haired bothersome piglet! With how short she is, I wonder why she always seems to stumble into the wrong places and get the attention of everyone in the room.It happened once dur
= TRIX =The morning mist hung around the trees like a blanket, making me feel as cold inside as the air around me. Sleep had been a stranger the night before as the heavy burden of responsibility weighed on me. The rogues, the attack, the missing Tear - thoughts of them churned in my mind like a wild storm.But another face kept flickering through the chaos – Dixie. The way she looked at me defiantly in the clearing, her eyes filled with fear and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on, it really shook me. Alvera had told me that Dixie disappeared after our last unfortunate and inconvenient encounter. Part of me was relieved – at least she wasn't in immediate danger. Another part, a part I couldn't explain, felt a pang of… concern? It was a foreign sensation, one I quickly pushed down.Alvera appeared next to me, and her constant vigilance always made me feel safer. "Any sign of her?" I asked, my voice lingering in the cool morning air.She shook her head, her expression w