Short Stories

He didn’t back down. “This isn’t about conscience.” “Then what is it about?” He hesitated-just long enough for the truth to flicker behind his eyes before he said it. “It’s about the bond,” he whispered. “You feel it too, don’t you?” SERAPHINA’S POV For a moment, everything went still. The night. My pulse. My breath.…

I closed my eyes, breathing in the faint scent of sugar and milk from Daniel’s cereal. I could hear him clanging around upstairs. The sound of water running. He must have been brushing his teeth. He was oddly meticulous about that ritual. Ten strokes up and down. Ten strokes side to side. Five strokes in…

After that, silence stretched taut. The lamplight cut across his features, throwing shadows that made him look haunted. Then he said the last thing I expected: “There’s not going to be a wedding.” I must have misheard him. “What?” “I broke up with Celeste,” he said. His voice was quiet, but the words were clear.…

I turned slowly. Aunt Celeste stood there in the doorway, her sunglasses on, even though she was indoors now. Her red dress shimmered like fire-pretty, but not the warm kind. Her lipstick was perfect. Her hair was perfect. Everything about her was perfect. Except her smile. She didn’t have one. “Hi, Aunt Celeste,” I said,…

Her face twisted, like I’d said something awful. “I’m not in a bad mood,” she snapped. “I don’t need your pity, Daniel.” “I wasn’t-“ “I don’t!” Her voice broke this time, the words tumbling out like shattered pieces. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted. Kieran and I are getting married soon. In fact, our engagement…

His eyes softened, but only with pity. That made it worse. “You deserve better than me,” he said quietly. “Someone who won’t hurt you the way I have.” “For gods’ sake, stop acting like you’re doing this for me!” My voice cracked. “This isn’t noble, Kieran. It’s cruel.” He didn’t flinch. He just looked at…

Paxton’s gaze drifted to the swing and softened. “Your father built that himself, you know. Said it was for his little wolf. Even after you… left, he’d come here often. Stand there, just looking at it.” I blinked, caught off guard. “My father?” He nodded. “He never said a word to anyone, but I knew.…

Every chandelier shimmered with sterile perfection, every corner smelled faintly of lemon polish and wood, but underneath it all was the stench of humiliation. Three days had passed since the end of the LST. Three days since Kieran had looked at me as if I were something pitiful, an inconvenience. And then walked away. I’d…

I stood a few paces behind, feeling like an intruder watching someone else’s family reunite. When she turned back to me, her smile faltered, and something uncertain flickered in her eyes. “Come inside, dear. It’s been too long.” Yeah, well, I wouldn’t have minded if it could have been longer. Inside, the manor was both…

“You’ll forgive me if I find that hard to believe,” I said, my words barely above a whisper. “Sera-“ I turned to him. “You expect me to believe you never looked at me and saw her?” I shook my head, running over every interaction with Lucian from the day we met. “There was always something…