Chapter 103 Full moon warning
Chapter 103 Full moon warning
Raiden held Twila tightly, his heart pressing against her chest.
Twila buried her dirty face in his black shirt, gripping his shoulders like a lifeline, she wanted to feel safe, she longed to melt into his arms and forget the world outside.
But as she closed her eyes, another face suddenly appeared in her mind.
She saw sharp golden eyes, pale skin, and a soft, genuine smile.
“Oh god,” Twila whimpered softly, pulling away from Raiden's chest.
She felt sick and overwhelmingly guilty, here she was, in the arms of the boy who gave up everything for her, yet her thoughts drifted to the vampire.
“What is it, Psycho?” Raiden asked quickly, cupping her cheeks with panic in his eyes. “Did Orion hurt you? Where does it hurt?”
“He didn't hurt me, Raiden,” Twila choked out, hot tears spilling over his thumbs. “I'm not bleeding, I'm just so exhausted.”
Neon stood a few feet away, watching them quietly, he stuffed his hands deep into his hoodie, his eyes filled with pity for his sister.
“Let’s go inside, Twila,” Neon said softly. “You need to sit down before you pass out.”
Raiden didn’t ask, he scooped Twila up into his arms and carried her across the grass.
They walked back into the castle in silence, heading straight for the girls' dormitory.
Raiden carried her into her room and set her gently on the edge of the bed, Neon followed closely behind, closing the door quietly.
“I’m going to get you some water,” Neon whispered, noting Twila's red, puffy eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
Neon slipped out of the room, leaving Twila alone with the Storm King.
Raiden knelt on the floor in front of her knees, taking her small, shaking hands into his.
“Talk to me, Twila,” Raiden pleaded, his voice dropping to a desperate whisper. “You’re pulling away from me, I can feel you slipping through my fingers and it’s driving me insane.”
Twila looked down at him, her heart gave a painful squeeze.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Raiden,” she sobbed, her chest heaving. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me and you saved my life.”
“Then why are you looking at me like you’re saying goodbye?” Raiden asked, tears filling his eyes. “Just tell me the truth, Twila.”
Twila swallowed hard, glancing at the ring on her finger.
“The ring is working, Raiden,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “It blocks the dark magic, the bond isn’t forcing me to feel anything.”
Raiden nodded slowly, letting out a shaky breath.
“That’s a good thing, Twila,” he said softly. “It means you’re free.”
“No, it isn’t, Raiden,” Twila cried, pulling her hands from his grip to cover her face. “The magic is gone, but I still think about him, I still want to be around him.”
The entire room fell silent.
Raiden froze.
“What did you just say?” he asked, his voice hollow.
Twila dropped her hands and looked straight into his eyes, delivering the hardest truth she had ever spoken.
“I like him, Raiden,” she choked out, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. “I didn’t want to, I tried to hate him for what he did, but when we went to the human city, he was kind, he was gentle and I actually had fun with him.”
Raiden slowly stood up from the floor, his shoulders slumping forward.
“You like him,” he repeated, staring blankly at the wall.
“I love you, Raiden!” Twila yelled, jumping from the bed to grab his arm. “I love you so much it hurts! But my heart is tearing in half, I don’t want to lose you, but I can’t stop thinking about Niles!”
Raiden looked down at her hand gripping his shirt.
“I’m the Storm King, Twila,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I fight monsters and I fought my own Grandmaster for you.”
Raiden gently pulled her hand off his shirt.
“But I can’t fight a war against your heart,” he said, a tear falling down his face. “If you have feelings for him, then I’ve already lost.”
“You didn’t lose me!” Twila sobbed, trying to grab him again.
“Yes, I did,” Raiden said with a sad smile. “A real Queen doesn’t have to choose between two Kings, If you really loved me, the vampire wouldn’t even be an option.”
“Please don’t walk away from me,” Twila begged, falling to her knees.
“I promised I’d give him thirty days to try and win you,” Raiden said, wiping his cheek. “I’m a man of my word, Twila, I’m going to step back and let you figure out what you want.”
He turned and walked toward the door.
“Raiden, please!” Twila cried out.
Raiden didn’t look back, he opened the door and closed it softly behind him.
Twila collapsed onto the floor, curling into a ball as she cried so hard she could barely breathe, she had just broken the heart of the boy who saved her, all because she couldn’t let go of the vampire.
The next morning, Twila felt terrible.
Her eyes were red and swollen, she hadn’t slept at all, she put on a baggy hoodie and walked slowly out of her bedroom, keeping her head down.
She turned to lock her door.
“You look like you didn’t sleep at all.”
Twila jumped and spun around quickly.
Niles leaned casually against the wall beside his door, holding two steaming paper cups of coffee, he wore a sweater and looked calm and handsome.
“What are you doing out here, Niles?” Twila asked, her voice raspy and exhausted.
“I live across the hall, beautiful,” Niles said with a warm smile. “And I brought you coffee. Two sugars, extra cream, just how you like it.”
He held out the cup.
Twila stared at the coffee, considering rejecting it or telling him to go away, but her heart did a happy flip.
She reached out and took the cup from his hand.
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking down.
“You were crying all night,” Niles said quietly, his eyes showing real concern. “I could hear your heartbeat through the door, did something happen with Raiden?”
Twila swallowed hard and looked up into his eyes.
“I told him the truth, Niles,” she confessed, her voice trembling. “I told him that I’m starting to actually like you.”
Niles stopped breathing, the cup almost slipped from his fingers.
“You told him that?” he asked, stepping closer, his face showing shock. “Without the magic?”
“I’m wearing the ring, Niles,” Twila said, lifting her hand to show him. “I didn’t lie to him, I do like you and it’s tearing my life apart.”
He closed the distance between them. Instead of trying to kiss her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, offering a comforting hug.
“I’m sorry you’re hurting, Twila,” Niles whispered into her hair. “I promise I’ll make it worth it, I’ll treat you perfectly so you won’t have to cry again.”
Twila closed her eyes, resting against him, she didn’t pull away, she hugged him back, feeling safe in his arms.
Ten minutes later, Twila walked into the Kings Lounge with her coffee, the entire Squad was already there.
Cassian sat on the sofa, looking better today. Island rested her head on his shoulder, Levi and Nyx playfully argued over a textbook, while Amorette and Neon sat close on the rug, talking quietly and blushing.
But Raiden wasn’t there, his usual armchair was empty.
Twila felt a sharp sting in her chest.
"Where is Raiden?" she asked, trying to sound normal.
The room fell silent, Island looked up, her eyes emotionless.
"He packed a bag this morning," Island said flatly, not smiling. "He said he needed space away from the dorms so he went to stay in the training barracks."
Twila’s stomach dropped, Raiden actually moved out of his own room just to avoid seeing her.
"Guys, we have a bigger problem right now," Delaney interrupted from the corner, focusing intensely on his laptop screen.
"What is it, Delaney?" Cassian asked, sitting up straight. "Did Orion show up on the cameras?"
"No," Delaney frowned, turning his laptop around for everyone to see. "I just ran a full blood-magic scan on Twila’s magical signature from the garden fight last night."
Twila walked over to the desk, looking at the silver charts on the screen.
"Kylen told me using the Lunar wolf magic would make the mate bond stronger," Twila whispered, feeling terrified. "Is the bond getting worse?"
"The bond isn’t getting worse, Twila," Delaney said, panicking as he looked at her. "Your magic is completely changing its entire biological structure."
"Speak English, computer boy," Nyx said, walking to the desk. "What does that mean?"
"It means Kylen was right," Delaney said, pointing at the screen. "You aren’t just a Void anymore, your body is forcefully transforming into a full Lunar Wolf and according to this ancient data..."
Delaney took a deep breath and looked around the room.
"The first full moon is exactly two days away," Delaney revealed. "When the moon hits its peak, Twila is going to transform into a wolf and if her fated mate isn't there to anchor her mind during the shift... the pain will kill her."