VESPER POVClosing the door behind me, I laced up my running shoes and stepped out of the room. Exiting through the large gate that protected the entire building where I lived, I rounded the corner and breathed out slowly, listening to the rhythmic thud of my footsteps on the pavement.It was my second run of the day, the only interruption being a brief visit to the infirmary after Headmaster Kendrick emphasized the importance of everyone being present.I was reluctant to be in the infirmary, yet I couldn't defy his order, knowing he watched me closely. I was at the top of his watchlist, and any mistake might result in expulsion.If I left, I had nowhere else to go; returning to the packhouse was out of the question, and Mystic Academy had become my home. The only place I knew as a home.Clasping my chest as my heart thumped painfully, it felt different from its usual rhythm, and the intensified tingling sensation added to my discomfort.I yearned to clear my thoughts, trying everyth
VESPERI arrived home after a while, and the journey back was even longer than the one outside. Maybe it felt that way because I had used up all my strength, relying solely on my will to get home.Sighing, I pushed open the gate and stepped in. I hadn't locked it after leaving, but the surroundings were well-protected from intruders and wandering creatures.I wasn't staying in the dormitory like many of the students were. Even though it had been made compulsory for females as it was believed they were fragile and wouldn't be able to defend themselves when faced with danger, the male students had been given their freedom.However, not all male students enjoyed this privilege. It was reserved for those holding higher positions like team captains, co-captains, and even members of the founding family.This freedom was a matter of choice. Some eligible boys preferred dormitories for reasons unknown to me.Striding toward my apartment, situated beside two others, I breathed out, slid the ke
KELANI POVStill clutching the envelope tightly in my hand, I let out a breath, scanning my surroundings. I gazed back at the contents. I couldn't count how many times I had read it, but each time left me confused."I'm watching you," I muttered. What could it mean? Perhaps it explained the tingling sensation I often felt at the back of my neck—the feeling of being watched and followed—a sense that something terrible was about to disrupt the school's activities.Letting out a slow, deep breath, I couldn't tell who had sent it. Whoever did so had definitely run before I came out of the room.Or maybe it was a prank, I mused, stepping back inside. Riley must have left it to scare me since I refused to join the cheerleaders. But she hadn't looked upset, and she didn't seem like the type to do something like that. Riley was unpredictable most of the time."I need to find out who did this," I said to myself. If it was Riley, I needed to know. Dwelling on who might have done it wouldn't pro
KELANI POV "So, do you think Lia would actually be honest with the result? She might manipulate it to make it seem like I failed," I said. Despite telling Riley I wasn't keen on joining the cheer team, I couldn't help but be curious. I wanted to be sure Lia wouldn't resort to unfair tactics, but her mean demeanor made it challenging to trust her. I sensed she would choose anyone over me, a preference I shared because I wasn't eager to be on the same team as her. If anything, I would have preferred she picked Brittany. It seemed like she must have tried her best. "Of course," Riley assured. "If there's one thing you should understand about Lia, she's competitive and all, but she's devoted to the team. She'll go to great lengths to help us win regionals, even if it means letting her rival join her cherished squad." "Rival," I mumbled. "Yeah, that's the keyword," Riley emphasized. I didn't exactly understand why we were rivals. Was it because of Vesper? It seemed insane and foolish
VESPER POV I arrived home after some time. It wasn't my initial intention. I had hoped to stay a bit longer to assess the situation, but Kelani's presence made it challenging to remain there. Her presence, coupled with her captivating scent and the sensation of her soft body pressing against mine, made it difficult. It seemed as if she had emitted pheromones, seeking more attention from the boys around. Also, I sensed Miles. It had tugged at my chest and clawed, wanting to pull out of me. I knew it was all Mile's doing. It was the only one overjoyed by the thoughts of Kelani. Or maybe it was doing it on purpose to get back at me for not listening to let it go. Miles had strongly encouraged me to assert my claim on her, mark her, and make her mine. But it had taken all the willpower in me not to do so. Moreover, I wasn't repulsed by the idea of marking Kelani at that moment; despite not actively seeking a mate or ever thought of having one, I had desired her. At that instant, it b
VESPER POV"That's VESPER THORNE.""He's so heavenly.""He's an alpha material."Rolling my eyes, I passed by two blonde she-wolves, both squealing and gazing at me dreamily. It had become a routine for me. Every day when I arrived at school, all the girls, except for one, would fawn over me.I'd even caught a few boys doing the same, although some pretended not to be fanboying. I understood it all came with the territory of popularity and being a captain, but I loathed it. I didn't enjoy starting my day with squealing girls eagerly waiting for me at the school entrances.If only I could change things by skipping school, but that wasn't an option. I was struggling in class, and the last thing I needed was to miss more school. Plus, I was there earlier than usual. I hoped to catch Coach Jensen in his office before he left, as he was usually busy. His responsibilities extended beyond the ice rink; he also worked as a tutor.A groan escaped me as I caught her scent—citrusy lavender that
VESPER POVI loved Kelani?That was the most absurd thing I've heard today. Coach Jensen insisted I had feelings for her earlier, and now, Lance accused me of loving her.The urge to toss my head back and burst into a peal of laughter filled me, but the situation itself wasn't funny. If it had been, I would have done just that."Admit it, Thorne. Are those your feelings for her?""What the heck are you talking about?!" I scowled at him.Why would he think I was ever interested in Kelani? Had she told him that? I doubted it. I hadn't seen any real interactions between him and Kelani before. Don't get me wrong; I didn't stalk her and never will, but Kelani and Lance had never spoken before.At least, not that I had seen them having a conversation."You know what I'm talking about, bro," Lance yelled back. "I never thought you would stoop that low to lie to my face. I held you in high regard.""Are you on meth?" I asked. He definitely should be on one because there was no way in hell he
VESPER POVTapping gently on the headmaster's door, I stepped inside upon hearing a low voice. Inhaling, I frowned, scanning the room as my nose caught a different scent. She was present.Kelani was here.My eyes narrowed at Kelani, who sat casually in front of the headmaster as if he were her father and she had always done this. She glanced briefly at me before turning away.Goodness! I didn't want to run into her again today. I hoped for a smooth day after the altercation with Lance, all because of her.Now, she was here. What did she want? Why was she always getting in my face?"Come, Thorne, have a seat," Headmaster Kendrick said, briefly glancing away from the book in front of him. The only vacant seat available was next to Kelani, and I wasn't keen on being near her. However, I had no choice unless I wanted to sit on the floor while listening to the headmaster. Reluctantly, I stepped forward, pulled out the chair, and sat down. Kelani glanced at the other side of the room, ba
KELANI POVOh goodness, what does he want now? I mused, straightening as I saw Vesper coming towards me.I had woken early to come to the ice cream shop in search of my phone before leaving for school. At least, if it were going to be here, I'd be the first person to see it since not many students were here after the event of yesterday.I was here because Riley had put a call through to Zain, and he said he hadn't seen any phone. He even said he didn't notice any with me but promised to help me search.I didn't want to let him go through all that trouble for my phone. Hence, I had come here before he would.I turned away as soon as Vesper reached me. He stayed for a while without saying a word to me, but I could feel his eyes on me."Kelani," he eventually said.I ignored him and continued looking under the seat, which I had been doing since I arrived. The phone wasn't even microscopic and could be seen easily, even from afar.Also, it would really stand out if it was here since the b
KELANI POV"What happened, and who's she?" I asked as soon as Zain returned. Vesper had left with the girl immediately. The ambulance came, and the activity that was taking place continued as if nothing had happened.I tried not to think about who the girl was with Vesper, but I couldn't help it. As far as I was concerned, he had no relatives from here.Riley, who was a big mouth herself, hadn't mentioned that Vesper had any relatives. Riley would have said one or two things about the Vesper family. Now, it left me confused."Are you worried that he's seeing someone else?" Zain asked me.I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Why should I be?"Zain narrowed his eyes at me, "Do you love Vesper?""That's not the point. I am just worried about the girl. I haven't seen her from around here before. You know this is the start of the session; what if we are getting attacked again?" I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to Mary.What if there was an enemy lurking around the school area, targ
KELANI POVI stared at Jake for a long time before shaking my head."You don't have to give me answers right away; I can wait," He said."I can't... You know what? I need to speak with Chase, and I'll give you a response soon," I said."Great," Jake grinned. "I should leave this with you." he handed me the book and began to walk away."Um..." I trailed off, grimacing as I stared at his retreating form. "I guess you're stuck with me." I stared at the book again before stuffing it inside my bag.I walked to the fountain near the huge gate, then back to the gym's entrance.Now that I thought of it, I didn't have anything else to do besides practice, but I had blown that by going to meet Vesper.I thought it was a reasonable thing to do. Now, I believe I was stupid to have thought that.I could return to practice and ignore the scorn looks and snide remarks from Lia, but I was too prideful to do so. I had told her off and admitted I wasn't interested in the practice, so it was best to st
KELANI POVLia blew the whistle around her neck, signaling the start of practice. We gathered in the newly renovated gymnasium. Gone were the peeling paints I remembered from the last session. Fresh coats of white paint and Mystic's signature navy blue accents now adorned the walls, revitalizing the space. The polished hardwood court shimmered, the school's logo emblazoned at center court. Once a pale blue, the bleachers now boasted a deeper hue, sectioned off with crisp white railings.Despite the renovations, the gym still felt cozy and familiar. It still felt like the first time I was here, where I was whacked in the head."Alright, Fawns! Let's get warmed up," Lia called, her voice echoing off the gym's walls."Thirty minutes," Lia announced.Although I didn't know what I would be doing the whole thirty minutes, I was sure it wasn't warm-up alone.My thoughts wandered back to what happened at the cafeteria. After the announcement was made, Vesper had excused himself. Headmaster Ke
KELANI POVIt was recess, which I was grateful for. The lecture was annoyingly long, and Chase didn't even make it easy. I didn't understand why he was hellbent on trying to make us bring out our wolves.If one had a wolf they could communicate with, it was fine, right? But he had tried to make me switch to Kelly, which I had been unable to.I had gotten my ass whooped three times today, and I was glad to be in the cafeteria to mull over my inability to bring out my wolf rather than do so in the classroom where he could watch me."All I see is back, sexy, well-accentuated backside in that leather pant, and oh, how perfect his legs look," Riley groaned.I thought all that she was saying was from the book she was reading as it was on the table, but from the hushed silence in the room, I didn't think it was.I turned to where students were lined in front of the food table to see Jake. He stood in the room's center, and all eyes were on him. When I said all eyes, I meant all the eyes in t
KELANI POV A MONTH AFTER "And it's called black magic, black magic, yeah!" I groaned, grasping the pillow and using it to cover my ears, but it was barely doing its work. Riley's voice could pierce through even the hardest stone; sometimes, I wonder how she did it. It wasn't because she was singing while I was trying my best to sleep, it was due to the fact that the song had been on repeat for about three hours now. I wondered if she had just come across Little Mix. Hence, she decided to stream all the musics they had, or maybe she was just doing it to annoy me. "You sound like a broken record, Riley. I am trying to sleep," my voice was muffled by the pillow. "Wake up, Lani! It's a new session, the start of a beautiful morning, and I can see the sun peaking out from the sky. Oh, do you know we are going to know who gets shortlisted today in the battle of the strongest? I can't wait to find out who the alpha of the academy will be!" Well, I wasn't looking forward to it. I had ha
KELANI POVRiley and I stayed in the position much longer before Zain cleared his throat, breaking us apart.He was standing by the door with his hands tucked inside his pocket."I'm genuinely surprised at your quick recovery," He said, nodding towards Riley. "Now, I presumed help isn't much needed, is it?"Riley shrugged, "I'm a witch, and just like you werewolves heal after an injury, we do too.""Never knew that," It was Zain's turn to shrug.He probably knew but didn't care for much details."Now you do," Riley said, then added, "When you said help, who is coming? The police or staff from the infirmary?" She asked.Now, thinking about it, I hadn't asked him who the 'Helps' exactly were.I doubted it was any of the staff from the infirmary. It was possibly the police he had called. And to be honest, there wasn't much any of them would have done in this situation."Mrs Periwinkle and Coach Jensen," Zain said, "They should be arriving anytime soon.""They responded?!" Riley question.
KELANI POVOh, My Goodness."Somebody, anybody, help me!" I cried again, for the second time, my eyes moving around the room to see no one had made a move."I did this, I did this," I chanted over again, my hands trembling as I held her closer. I hurt Riley. I had hurt the only person who cared about me.But then again, I was only trying to defend myself. I wondered if that counted.Biting my lower lip as it trembled, I sniffled and then blinked back, the tears brewing in my eyes away. But the more I blinked, the more tears that gathered."Kelani," I felt a pull on my shoulder, but I didn't let Riley go. I couldn't let her go.She was bleeding, and by the look of things, if no one came to save her soon, she was going to die."Kelani," I heard Vesper's voice again.I turned to stare at him and saw his brows were creased with worries. Shaking my head, I let out a throaty sob."I need help!" I snapped, swiping at the tears pouring down my cheeks. "Why are you people doing nothing? Riley
KELANI POV My wolf. Kelly. I had a wolf, just like everyone else. I had a freaking wolf. Excitement unfurled inside of me at the thought. I had thought I was wolfless. A werewolf wouldn't be one without its werewolf identity. I had assumed I was different because I could barely channel any real powers within me. Now, I felt it. With Kelly prowling inside of me, I felt her energy surging inside of me as well. "I'll help you defeat her," Kelly said. "No," I whispered, shaking my head as I approached Riley. She had slammed Lia into a box several times, almost making her go unconscious. But then Lia was as resilient as Riley. They both had strength and great stamina. They could endure a lot of things that many werewolves wouldn't be able to endure. Well, the weaker werewolves, though. Riley tossed her head back and cackled, the air cackling with energy as she did. The wind drifted into the room from nowhere. I couldn't see any windows in sight nor cracks in the wall to indicate