All Chapters of Between Destiny's Chains and Moonlight (Book series): Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The double doors to the canteen swung open, and the usual midday roar of voices hit me like a solid wall. Selima did not let go of my arm, she steered me through the crowd with a mission-driven focus.“Look, he’s over there,” she hissed, nodding toward the center of the room.“I see him, Selima. It’s hard to miss the sun when it’s shining,” I replied, my voice trembling as I watched Uriel sitting at a central table.He was surrounded by the ‘elites’, the athletes and the socialites whose parents owned half the city. “He’s alone at the end of the bench,” Selima observed, her eyes narrowing as she calculated our path. “Michael is just a few feet away. This is perfect. We’re going in.”“I can’t do this,” I whispered, trying to anchor my sneakers to the linoleum floor. “Look at Chloe and her group. If I walk over there, they’ll laugh me out of the building. Did you see the way she looked at my hair yesterday? Like I was something she found on the bottom of her shoe.”“Who cares about Chlo

“This is your moment, Mehanda. Say something. Anything. Even if it’s about the weather or how much you hate the cafeteria pizza. Just open your mouth and let words come out.”“I can’t believe you’re making me do this,” I moaned, feeling like my legs were turning into literal jelly. “I look like a mess. I’m sweaty from sitting in the sun, and I probably smell like the gym floor.”“You look like a girl who is about to get a ride from the hottest guy in school,” Selima countered, smoothing my hair with a quick, rough motion. “Now, chest out, and chin up. Act like you belong in that passenger seat. Be the queen of your own destiny for once!”“I’m more like the court jester of my own destiny,” I muttered. My heart thudded painfully as Uriel approached, his stride easy and confident. The sound of his sneakers on the pavement felt like a countdown to my own explosion. He glanced up, and for the briefest second, his eyes caught mine. A flicker of recognition passed through those deep blue de

Chapter 6 - Shadows in the AfterglowThe silence of the room was thick and sweet, a heavy velvet curtain that draped over the world outside. Only the soft, rhythmic sound of our breathing filled the air. I lay with my head on Uriel’s chest, tracing the hard lines of his collarbone with my fingertip. I felt different—lighter, yet somehow more ethereal. The invisible cord I had felt earlier was still there, humming with a low-frequency energy that tied my pulse to the steady thud-thud of his heart.Uriel turned, his arm tightening around my waist as he pulled the duvet higher over my shoulders. He kissed the top of my head, his lips lingering there for a long moment."You're so quiet," he whispered, his voice still raspy from the heat of before."I'm just thinking," I murmured, leaning up to look at him. His eyes were dark and soft, the fire from earlier replaced by a shimmering tenderness. "About us. About what we are now."He smiled, a slow, beautiful curve of his lips. "We’re exactly

The morning air was crisp as Selima’s car pulled into my driveway at exactly 7:30 AM. I had spent the night tossing and turning, caught between the memory of Uriel’s touch and the grainy image of that anonymous text. As I climbed into the passenger seat, Selima gave me a long, hard look."You look like you fought a war and the war won," she said, shifting into gear. "Where’s that glow I was promised?""I’m just tired, Sel. I couldn't sleep," I muttered, staring out the window. "That text... it’s like a splinter in my brain."Selima sighed, navigating the morning traffic toward the college. "Look, if it’s bothering you that much, just show it to him. Confront him. One look at his face and you’ll know if he’s lying. Don’t let some mystery person play puppet master with your head.""No," I said firmly, clutching my bag. "He was so sweet yesterday. He talked about waiting and respect. If I shove a paranoid text in his face the morning after, it’ll look like I don’t trust him. I’m going to

The evening had been perfect, or at least I had convinced myself it was, until the cool night air hit us outside the pub.The four of us were laughing as we pushed through the heavy wooden doors, Selima was leaning into Michael’s side, her face flushed with a mixture of beer and genuine happiness, Uriel’s arm lay across my shoulders, warm and grounding. But the atmosphere shifted in a heartbeat, the laughter dying in our throats as a shadow detached itself from the brick alleyway.A girl stepped into the pool of light cast by the streetlamp.She was stunning in a way that felt aggressive—tall, with eyes that seemed to glow with a sharp, predatory intelligence and hair that fell like a curtain of dark silk over her shoulders. I recognized her immediately.This was Zelly. On campus, she moved with a crowd that felt untouchable, a group of people who seemed to operate on a different frequency than the rest of us."Uriel," she said, her voice like velvet wrapped around a serrated blade.S