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60. Grade cards
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Faking the Mate Bond 61. Through his façade
[Diana’s POV]We greeted the staff together as they gave us their blessings for the championship and our future. We stood outside the academy right at the spot where all the three of us began our academic journey.It literally felt like yesterday, and even though I hated the exams and studying, the thought of graduating created an unfathomable heaviness in my chest.That was probably the last day in that academy as a student.The last day I walked freely through those hallways as if I partially owned that place.The day I looked at the academy building and said — man, what a ride!I was so stupid to have backed away from such an adventure just because Reese and his friends beat me up. I could take a thousand more blows if I get to relive those three years.Nothing could ever replace the time I had in the academy. The time I spent with Archer, Janus, the haunted balustrade, the early morning classes and late night studies a day before exams.Nothing could replace the rush this academy
Faking the Mate Bond 62. Never let go
Zephyr’s POV]All the way to the art gallery, I kept debating myself.There was a part of me who wanted to tell her everything from the beginning to the end truthfully, and then the other part who was scared to face the consequences that truth might bring.I clenched the steering wheel.I tried mind-linking Janus, but he was busy with his father and didn’t respond. He was the only person I could talk to about this because he was the only one who knew everything about me and my past.But maybe I knew his answer already. He wanted me to tell the complete truth to Diana the moment I entered this pack. Diana’s gaze on me was making this worse because the last thing I wanted was her suspicious gaze. If I don’t clear her doubts now, she might think something strange again.Me siding with the Saint? How could she even come up with something like this?I didn’t want to lie to her. Hiding the truth was a thing, and telling a white lie was another.‘What should I do?’ I asked my wolf, Drystan.
Faking the Mate Bond 63. Championship journey
[Diana’s POV] “I can’t believe this. My son is leaving for six months,” beta Arthur sobbed in his handkerchief. “What will I do all alone in the palace for six months?” “I am sure you can ignore the absence of your son for six months, as you ignored his presence for twenty-one years,” Janus said in an impassive voice. Beta Arthur cleared his nose into the handkerchief, crying fountains. “You never change! Now your words don’t even hurt,” beta Arthur said, choking on his gasps. “I am already so proud of you. Go make me more proud, son! If your mother was here today, she would have been so proud.” Beta Arthur looked at the sky. “Honey, look, our son has grown up so much. Please look over him from the stars and protect him. All these kids.” He looked at Zephyr, Vera, and me standing at some distance from them. Janus grunted, looking at the sky, “look over this poor old man, mother. I fear someday this Hidden Land will flood with his tears.” Beta Arthur clasped Janus in his arms. “W
Faking the Mate Bond 64. The last message
[Diana’s POV] I tried to remove the red curtains from the windows of the closed carriage and look outside, but Zephyr stopped me. “Archer asked us not to look outside until we pass through the portals, so we mustn’t,” Zephyr said. “As the princess of the pack, shouldn’t I know the method of entering and leaving the pack?” I questioned. “Well, I don’t have an answer to that,” Zephyr said. He was sitting in front of me while Vera sat beside me. Father said once we were in the Jupitus palace, we’d be given personal maids or butlers. Yet, I was allowed to take a personal maid if I wished. Being a woman came with its own pros and cons. They did not give male participants the luxury of having their own butlers; they had to accept the ones the championship committee provided. Our ride through the portal was smooth, which was uncommon for a carriage ride. It was rather daunting. We didn’t know what was going outside. Haunting silence enveloped our carriages for over fifteen minutes. A
Faking the Mate Bond 65. Flames of life
[Diana’s POV]If it weren’t for Zephyr and Reese who held me right on time, I would have dived right into the lake.Miya yelped as she looked at me, widening her eyes. She scrambled herself off Zared, who sat up on the ground, rubbing his back.“Oh, my! Are you ok?” Miya lifted the hem of her gown and rushed to me.I carefully opened my palms, revealing the black egg. It was warm and I could feel its temperature rise even though it wasn’t enough to burn my skin.“I think it’s fine,” I said, looking at the egg, then at Miya.She looked at the egg with apologetically knit brows and then at me.“Oh no, I was talking about you. You could have fallen into the lake,” she said. She gasped. “Oh, no! your gown! It’s torn. I am so sorry.”I looked at my dress. It was torn from the waist.“Sister, are you hurt?” Reese asked, tensing his brows.I shook my head. “I am completely fine. Don’t worry.”“We need to worry,” Zephyr said. “You can’t enter the palace in a torn dress.”Miya’s eyes filled wi
Faking the Mate Bond 66. The Pretis palace
[Diana’s POV] “It eats flames?” I asked. Miya nodded. “But not just any flames. It’s young, so we must provide it with the most nutritious and sweet flames,” she said. “Flames are sweet? Flames have taste?” “Not for us, but for them,” Miya said. “So? Where can we find this sweet flame?” I asked. “Flowers,” Miya said. “Flowers? You mean nectar?” I asked. “No. The flames you get when you burn a flower.” “Oh.” I tensed my brows slightly. “What a sweet way of making sweet flames. Burn the flower. Makes complete sense to me. But what flower is the most nutritious?” “That’s the problem here. You see phoenix as babies are very delicate and picky eaters. Every individual has their own taste, so we need to experiment and see what suits its taste. My mother’s phoenix loves eating flames of burning camellias, especially red camellias, which are rare to find.” “How did she find out what her phoenix likes?” Miya shrugged, lifting her hands. “By feeding her flames of over a hundred ty
Faking the Mate Bond 67. A death threat
[Diana’s POV]I turned around.“Zeph!” I ran to him as he dashed to me.Panting, he stopped, his hands on his knees.“I…” — pant — “thought I would” — pant — “reach here before you. But this place is” — pant — “huge. I am sorry, I am late.”“It’s ok. You are right on time. Settle down your breaths, first,” I went to the carriage and fetched a water bottle, proffering it to Zephyr. “Here, drink it.”“Thanks, princess,” Zephyr finished the entire bottle in a few gulps. Water droplets slid from the corner of his lips down his throat. His adam’s apple bobbing sensuously with every gulp. He licked his lips and exhaled, wiping his mouth on his cuff.I gaped at his lips, and suddenly I was thirsty.He looked at me, and I looked away.“Ok, now that everyone is here. Let’s go,” Archer said. He was holding a considerably big wooden box.“What’s that?” I asked.“A gift for luna Nesta from our luna. They are… close friends,” Archer said.We entered the palace. It was in the aesthetic of white, re
Faking the Mate Bond 68. Flower flames
[Diana’s POV]It took us about two days to settle down in the Pretis palace.Zephyr and I would share a room. We would stay together as per the championship rules for the female participants. They gave Reese and Janus separate rooms, but Archer forced them to share a room. Archer wasn’t taking Izel’s death threat to Reese lightly at all. He also said that it was the best opportunity for Reese and Janus to bond together since they were going to be the future alpha and future beta of the Xenon pack.After a lot of argument, there was nothing Reese and Janus could do. They had to share a room. They had no other choice.It was indeed dangerous to leave Reese alone. We were only getting to know new people every day. None of us knew what their actual intentions were, so it was only intelligent to stay alert and on guard at all times.One thing was obvious: Outers feared us.The maids of the palace would shudder and plea for forgiveness as if I would carve out their hearts for not adding ex
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Faking the Mate Bond Author's note
Faking the Mate Bond 141. Under the starry night
Faking the Mate Bond 140. Blank pages and words
Faking the Mate Bond 139. Light through darkness
Faking the Mate Bond 138. Illusion of traps
Faking the Mate Bond 137. War and aftermath
Faking the Mate Bond 136. Don't blame me
Faking the Mate Bond 135. She's gone
Faking the Mate Bond 134. Let's rewrite our stars
