SERAPHINA’S POVArtemis hasn't been to school since I confronted him, and he's apparently not taking visitors anymore. I try to reach him, but I can no longer ignore the message he's sending me loud and clear: He doesn't want to see me. I've set aside every horrific experience I've had over the past few days in an attempt to get through to him. When I fail, I lean back into my own stew of pain and guilt, wallowing in a self-pity so strong it reeks from miles away.My back still aches from the awakening. The burn marks are permanently etched into my skin, forming a tattoo-like pattern that sprawls artistically across my back, spiraling and then stopping just short of reaching my mid-back. It's as if they're mocking me, taunting me for daring to explore who I really am. Well, I've given up on that quest.I haven't touched the book since it singed and possessed my skin. I'm too frightened that this might be just the beginning of the physical pain I'll have to endure, forcing me to
ARTEMIS’ POVI've lost track of time, staring at the walls and ceilings. I've been forcing all the painful thoughts aside, deciding to feel nothing and think of nothing, numbing everything with wine and alcohol. It's not as effective as I'd like, but it's something. Maybe with time, it will get easier to drown all thoughts of her away, to resign myself to emotionless freedom and be my old self again.With time, I won't have to pathetically mope around like a wounded pup over a girl. Sera... She's the only thing that's ever made me feel something other than repulsion. She ignited an unquenchable fire inside me, alongside emotions I never thought possible. But that's history now.I take a final swig from the tall bottle of whiskey. I've heard of its effectiveness in humans, but it only tickles my gut a bit, and the burn isn't so bad. My head spins, but only slightly. Yet, I can feel the thoughts in my head arranging themselves accordingly, pushing everything regarding her to a cor
SERAPHINA’S POV"What do you mean you can get me that chance?" I ask, genuinely puzzled.His face lights up with mischief. Raising an eyebrow and winking at me, he pulls his phone from his pocket."Give me a minute," he says, rising to walk away and make a call.Left alone, I'm swallowed by my thoughts, my guilt, and my sadness—reliving the moments and words I regret. I need to forgive myself, to face my flaws and look beyond them.Perhaps then, I can overcome this load of emotions. I want to be friends with Artemis again, and a big part of me still yearns to discover more about myself, regardless of whatever dangers lurk ahead.My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling me back to the present. Olivia's name flashes on the screen."Hey, Olive," I greet her, the phone pressed against my ear.I'm about to thank her for the walk suggestion, to let her know about my encounter with Jasper and how much lighter I feel, when her ragged breathing interrupts me."Olivia, is something wrong?"I hear
SERAPHINA’S POVNothing tastes sweeter than his lips right now. Nothing feels as good as the way he holds me tightly, pressing me firmly to his chest, and kissing my lips lightly yet passionately. He pours all the feelings he can’t put into words into the kiss—feelings I also feel and reciprocate, even without saying them out loud.I like you.It’s like a revelation I’ve denied time and time again, but it’s too real, too intense, and too in-my-face to refute anymore. I realize the subtle signs I’ve ignored have been pointing towards this, passing them off as anything else because all of this is new to me. Wanting someone so badly that it actually hurts.I like Artemis Sinclair, and maybe I like him a bit too much.While I lose myself in him, drowning in the pleasures of being in his arms, her face pops up in my mind like an annoying wake-up call, forcing my daydreaming to come to an end. Kamila. She’s the orchestrator of the scheme, solely to rekindle her bond with the boy I lik
KAMILA'S POVI feel a painful tugging in my soul as I put the finishing touches on my blood-red nail polish, carefully filling out the edges with the liquid. It hits hard and fast, ripping my heart out, shredding a part of me to pieces like shockwaves reverberating through my body. Clutching my chest, I scream in agony, tumbling off my bed onto the hard floor, stunned.My wolf, feeling it as acutely as I do, wails and shrinks into a ball on the inside. I've felt this before—every single time he gave a piece of himself to Sharon from art class or Rebecca from cultural history class. But this time it's different, more painful, as if the energy is being sucked out of me. I lie on the hard floor in cold sweat until the pain finally seizes.Breathing again, I can faintly sense our bond, as thin as a thread tying him and me together. Once it lets up, I remain on the floor, staring at the ceiling, silently piecing everything together. He's with the human girl.I just know it; I can fee
KAMILA’S POVIt's not fair that only Artemis has the liberty to disregard our bond, treating it as nothing more than an annoying shackle that binds him to me. It's not fair that he gets to bask in the love of another, feeling the warmth of affection every single day while I loiter in his shadows, like a villain haunting him. I crave love, too. I yearn to be adored, to be touched as though I'm something other than a mere inconvenience, an annoying pimple on one’s back that doesn’t want to be popped. I want to be desired, held close, cherished, treated as if I'm too precious to be tainted by the harsh realities of our world.So, in that moment, I let myself drown in Ace, who isn't my mate. I immerse myself in his touch, his embrace, his kisses, pushing aside all the things that, under different circumstances, should matter immensely. I let go of every burden, allowing myself to float in this fleeting distraction.I initiated the kiss, but he deepens it, pulling on my lips with a pas
KAMILA’S POV"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me anymore. I'm the villain in your story, remember?" I say, my voice icy as I glare at him. Yet all I really want is to draw closer to him and reconcile. I long for his embrace, for the closeness we once had, to put all this madness behind us."I can hardly ignore you for so long. You're my mate, after all," he replies with a strained smile. I can tell he's got something heavy on his mind, something that warrants a long-ass conversation. Although it gives me an uneasy feeling, I can't turn him away. I step forward, pulling my door open and stepping aside to let him enter. He takes in my room—the ample space, the canopy bed on one end, the pastel purple walls, and the deep purple rug."It's been ages since I've been in here," he comments casually. I don't say anything, but the sentiment is true. It's been far too long since he deemed me relevant enough to visit my room—a realization I've come to accept while finding solace in
SERAPHINA’S POV“Can you tilt your head a little to the right for me?” Juliet’s words are slightly muffled by the pins held between her lips.I comply, angling my head to the right in this awkward position. Juliet moves in again, pinching the golden fabric taut against my body before securing it with pins.So much has changed since Saturday.Since Artemis and I got together.Olivia mentions that I seem softer now, that my smiles come more easily than when I first arrived at this school. How could they not? Back then, I had to be on guard constantly. The school couldn’t understand or accept why a human like me would be among them. After all, in their eyes, humans are far below them in the grand hierarchy of beings.I had to fight my way through the dirt, made a few friends along the way, and through all the chaos and danger, the dynamic between Artemis and me evolved. Finally, I got acknowledged.Now here I am, in a sort of relationship with the once-spoiled Alpha prince who hunte