Chapter 25 Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Chapter 25
MIRA

Two days.

That was all it had taken for my life to split open and rearrange itself around blood, fur, and the men who now circled me like gravity. Two days since my wolf had ripped out of me beneath the storm, bones cracking one by one until I’d screamed myself hoarse and still hadn’t been able to stop it. Two days since Luca had taken me on that bed, his weight pinning me down, his body thrusting deep into me until thought disappeared and all that was left was heat and instinct and the awful relief of giving in.

Even now, when I stood still, I could feel him there — not his hands, not his mouth, but the feel of him, deep and sore and unignorable, like a bruise pressed from the inside. And two days since Jax had kissed me on the side of the road, his mouth hard and relentless, like he was punishing both of us for wanting it. I’d kissed him back. I’d grabbed his jacket and pulled him closer like I didn’t care who saw.

The shame sat heavy in my chest, thick enough to make breathing hurt, tangling with the dull, constant ache between my thighs that refused to fade.

The training clearing stretched out around us, bare and cold, the ground damp beneath my boots. The air smelled like pine sap and rotting leaves, sharp enough to sting when I inhaled. Darius had ordered this the moment he learned about my shift. Train the omega. Make her shift cleanly. Make her useful.

Useful. Like I was a blade they could hone or a thing they could point and release.

I stood in the center of the clearing, every instinct screaming at me to curl inward even as I forced my shoulders back. Luca stayed closest, too close, his presence warm and invasive, his gaze dragging over my body with open hunger he didn’t bother to hide. Zane stayed off to the side, arms crossed, watching everything with that infuriating, knowing curve to his mouth, like this was all unfolding exactly as he’d expected. Jax leaned against a tree, one boot braced against the bark, head bowed just enough that his eyes were hidden.

He hadn’t looked at me once.

The quiet stretched untill it was uncomfortable, until Luca broke it. “Focus on the shift, Mira. Call her out slowly this time.”

I swallowed and closed my eyes. The moment I turned inward, she was there, pacing, restless, pressing against my skin like she wanted out yesterday. I drew a shaky breath and let go.

Pain shot through me, bones stretching and snapping into place, skin burning as fur tore through. I dropped to all fours with a breathless gasp, the world exploding into color and scent and sound. Their smells hit me all at once, overwhelming — Luca’s warm cedar and heat, Zane’s dark earth and stone, Jax’s cold smoke edged with steel.

“Shift back,” Luca said, already stepping away.

I forced her down, fighting the panic that rose with the reversal. Bones cracked again, skin cooling too fast, leaving me shaking as I collapsed onto the grass, human and exposed. Cold bit into my bare skin immediately. Luca was there a second later, throwing a blanket around my shoulders, his hands lingering a beat too long making a blush creep up my neck.

Then Jax’s voice cut through the clearing.

“You never told us how it felt.”

It was flat. Emotionless. And somehow that made it worse.

Everything went still.

Luca turned slowly. “What?”

Jax pushed off the tree and walked toward us, unhurried, his eyes locked on Luca like nothing else existed. “To fuck her first.”

The words landed like a slap and my stomach lurched, bile burning the back of my throat.

Luca’s face drained, then flushed hot with rage. “Watch your fucking mouth.”

Jax didn’t react. He didn’t raise his voice. “You were the first one inside her. The first one to hear her beg. The first one to feel her break open.” His gaze never wavered. “And you didn’t say a word.”

The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.

Zane’s jaw flexed once. He stayed where he was, watching, weighing.

My hands tightened in the blanket until my nails bit into my palms. Warmth welled there, slick and real, but I barely registered it. My chest felt hollow, like something had been scooped out and left to echo.

Luca stepped closer until they were almost chest to chest. “You jealous?” he snarled. “Is that it? You pissed she moaned my name first?”

Jax’s eyes flicked to me for half a second then back to Luca. “I just want to know.” His voice stayed maddeningly calm. “Was she tight? Did she cry? Did she fight it before she gave in like a whore?”

The shove came hard enough to jolt my teeth. “Shut the fuck up.”

Jax didn’t stumble. He just stood there, bloodless calm wrapped around him like armor.

“You know she did,” he said quietly. “She always gives in. That’s what makes her perfect.”

Something inside me buckled.

My knees gave out and I hit the ground, the blanket slipping off my shoulders as cold air rushed in. My skin prickled painfully, exposed and shaking.

Luca shifted with a snarl, gray fur exploding outward as he launched himself at Jax.

Black fur answered. Bigger. Meaner.

They collided in a blur of teeth and claws, the sound wet and brutal. Blood sprayed across the grass. Luca’s shoulder tore open. Jax’s flank ripped wide. They rolled, growling, ripping at each other like nothing human remained.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream. I just watched.

The same way I had before.
The same way I had watched in the other life.
When they hunted me.
When they laughed.

Zane moved at last, grabbing Jax by the scruff and hauling him back. Luca shifted first, human and bleeding, chest heaving. Jax followed, blood running down his ribs, his expression unreadable.

Zane turned to me. “Inside. Now.”

I didn’t move at first, then I heard the scream that tore through the forest then.

“Help!”

It sliced straight through my chest.

Zane spun toward the trees. “Stay here.”

But my body was already moving. The blanket slipped from my fingers as I ran, branches snapping against my skin, thorns tearing at my legs. The scream came again, weaker this time.

We burst into a smaller clearing.

A figure stumbled out of the shadows, filthy and shaking, clothes shredded, hair tangled with leaves and dried blood.

“Sofia,” I breathed, my hands flying to my mouth.

Her eyes found me, glassy and unfocused. “Mira…”

Then her gaze slid past me.

To Zane.

Standing right behind me.