Astrid I woke up early the next morning. As soon as I tried to move, I realized how much pain I was in. I managed to sneak my way into the bathroom without waking Tristan up. I looked into the mirror and grimaced at my reflection. There was a large purple bruise on my nose where Lilian had hit me. It was tender to the touch, and so was my scalp. I was afraid to look closely, but it seemed like my hair looked thinner. I wasn’t sure how seeing a bald spot would impact me. It was better not to check. I heard Tristan moving around shortly after that. I washed my face and put my hair up in a messy bun in an attempt to make myself look a little more presentable. When I stepped back into the bedroom, the light was on and Tristan was buttoning his shirt. He looked at me and I saw his eyes go wide as he took in the bruising on my face. He averted his gaze and took a deep breath. “I have classes today,” he said. “Would you like me to drive you to school?” “I think I’d rather go b
AstridIt was my first day of school and I was scared. Mom walked me into my classroom. We'd already met my teacher and dad felt like I shouldn’t be nervous. But growing up in the packhouse, the only other kid I ever really got to see was Eddie, and we didn't often play together. I wasn't really good at socializing with people my own age. Mom bringing me in might have been embarrassing for some people, but not for me. I was comforted knowing that she was there. Mom encouraged me to go play with some of the other kids who had arrived early while she talked to the teacher. I sat down beside a pile of blocks but didn't touch any. I was too busy staring at mom. She was smiling brightly and chatting with my teacher, but despite the bright fluorescent lights of the classroom, there was a dark shadow on the wall behind her. It looked too dark, like if I got too close, I’d get sucked inside. Then, I was holding my mom's hand and walking through the garden. It was a bright, warm summer
AstridTristan didn't text me back.I waited and waited, but there was nothing. And even when I checked my phone after a short afternoon nap, I still had no missed calls or messages. It didn't feel right, but maybe he was having a hard day with all of the attention from the incident with Lilian. People had seen him swoop in and play the hero—for me, nonetheless. That alone would definitely stir up controversy and get people talking about us in a different light.After dinner, I helped Victoria arrange the catering for the Lunar Festival. Then we went to the temple to meet with the high priestess to arrange for the ceremony. Most of the conversation was pretty straightforward. She requested certain flowers and foods that had traditional roots and asked that time be set aside for her to bless those assembled. It was honestly pretty boring. At one point, Victoria had to step out to take a call. As soon as she did, the head priestess, a short woman with brassy hair and big blue ey
TristanWork had been hectic and by the time my classes were over, I didn’t have the energy for anything else. After Astrid's attack on campus, security was increased exponentially. The students were freaked out, the staff was on edge, and it was almost impossible to get any work done in class. Honestly, I was more distracted than the students were, so I didn't mind letting them have the class to process what had happened. I wasn’t sure how much good it would do for them to discuss their concerns and ask questions about what had happened, but that’s what they seemed to want to do. Trying to talk over them wasn’t something I had the energy for. Instead, I moderated a class discussion about what happened and what it meant for us as a university moving forward. Thankfully, everyone was more concerned that it was so easy for a human to sneak onto campus, rather than my reaction to Astrid being cornered. As a group, we discussed the possibility of having ID checks at the gates and
Astrid Tristan was still missing. Eddie returned later that night and told me he wasn’t able to find Tristan at his apartment, and no one had seen him since classes ended. I cried myself to sleep that night, praying to the Moon Goddess that he’d turn up with some stupid excuse. Only, it never happened.It had now been days without a sign of him and the official search had expanded to include him. It was believed that he was very likely in danger. I was barely functioning. I couldn't sleep and I was breaking down at the drop of a hat. Wherever he was, I knew that he was hurt and it was my fault. I put him in danger and now, I couldn't even help him because I had no idea where he was. Eddie and I had spent hours walking through every street in town trying to catch a whiff of his scent or a sign of anything strange. There was nothing. Bridgewater seemed just as quiet and unimpressive as it always did. We'd been out since before the sun came up. I was a complete mess. The br
AstridVictoria could be abrasive at times. She was harsh and didn't always understand the way that other people felt. I knew that about her and usually, it didn't bother me. But now, in light of the way my wolf was responding to her, I had to re-evaluate things. I had to think more carefully about those odd interactions. I knew that nothing in the packhouse was as it seemed. Someone high-ranking killed my mother. Someone kidnapped Tristan and they were after me.Never in a million years, would I have thought that it could be Victoria but… Could Victoria's habit of dismissing my feelings be vindictive? I thought back on every time since I'd returned to Bridgewater that Victoria had been mean to me. She called me dramatic on the drive here when I talked about what I was risking by coming back. Should that have been a warning? Should I have read more into that? It seemed so minor… Then there was the formal dinner where she made that comment about mom's human blood being the r
Astrid I was even more tired than I realized, and I slept until the next morning. When I did get up, I quickly dressed, and then I groggily made my way down to the kitchen. My stomach was growling. I hadn't eaten anything in over a day. I wasn't sure what I was going to find, considering Solomon's promise yesterday about having everything replaced. What I hadn't expected was to see that he had taken my comments about pre-packaged food very seriously. Everything in the freezer, the refrigerator, and the pantry was in an individually sealed packet. But that didn't guarantee that Victoria couldn't tamper with anything. It sure made it a lot more difficult for her, though. I gratefully took a freezer pack of smoothie mix and made myself breakfast.Once I ate, I found it a lot easier to think clearly. I should have waited for Solomon, but I couldn't. That didn't mean I had to be careless about how I went about this. I knew that there was something about Victoria that I didn't know.
AstridTristan was in this house. His scent was strong, and I knew deep down, that he was still here somewhere. I should have gone for help, I should have waited for dad or Solomon, but I just couldn't. I'd been looking for him for days. There was no telling what state he was in. Bethany would be suspicious about my coming here. They would move him as soon as I left, I was sure of it. I couldn't take the risk. ‘Take me to him,’ I told my wolf. ‘Quickly.’ My body moved at her discretion. We went down a side hallway to a locked door. I twisted the knob as hard as I could, but the lock wouldn't give way. I growled in frustration, but this wasn’t going to stop me.I slammed my shoulder into the door, not caring if Bethany heard. The sound was dull and muffled. I did it again and again. I put my full body weight and strength into the wood of the door. It cracked and then flew off of the hinges. A dank, damp smell met me as I looked down a set of wooden stairs into a dark basemen