KELANI POV I wondered if my coming to the cafeteria would ever end well. The first time I came, a monster had attacked us, and now it was Lia. She was insane. Her eyes flashed with dangerous intent, and her hair bellowed around her as she kept muttering spells upon spells, but Riley countered her each time. The cafeteria, which was once in order with tables and chairs neatly arranged, was now in disorder; some were even broken, foods were scattered around, and I saw some students had food in their hair. But that didn't stop them from filming all that was happening. "Both of you should stop," I said, trying to get in between them, but I was shoved aside and slammed hard into one of the tables. "Kelani!" Riley exclaimed, my fall catching her off-guard, and that made Lia have the opportunity to grasp a fist full of Riley's hair, tugging. "You can't take me down, bitch. I've been learning how to fight even before you ever had the thought to. I am a pure witch, and I am the queen of
KELANI POV "Arg, Kelani!" A scream, more like a wail, jolted me awake. I rolled off my bed, tumbling to the floor and slamming my butt on the carpeted ground. "Fuck Riley," I groaned, gripping the edge of the bed and using it to stand on my feet. "You should learn how to fucking keep quiet at times." "Kelani," Riley called again. Frowning, I gazed at her to see she was in front of the floor-length mirror, peering at it intently. I didn't know exactly what she was looking at, but I wanted to know why she had screamed my name in that manner. "What's going on?" I asked her. "Did she die?" I heard Lia's voice from outside. Riley must have awoken everyone in the building because her scream had been deafening. Using a cloth to wrap her face, she matched to the door, "You wish, bitch," Then she slammed the door shut, clicking the lock and sliding down slowly. "I'm doomed," She sobbed. "What's going on?" I asked again. "I might be able to help you if you tell me." Riley shook her
KELANI POV Riley and I walked around for a while before she returned to her partner. I went back to the infirmary, but the room was empty. I had expected to see Vesper on the bed, resting, but it was empty. Although his scent, which signified he had only left a few minutes ago, saturated the room, I saw a note that was attached to the bedside table. Walking towards it, I snatched the paper. "The field, by noon," I read out, and I gazed at the watch on my wrist. "Shoot!" I exclaimed. It was only a few minutes to 12, and I doubted I could reach the field on time. I sprinted out of the room and towards the field. I met Vesper there, already sitting on the bench we had sat on yesterday. His head snapped to my side as soon as I reached him; it was as if he knew I was coming and was counting the exact time I would get to him. Panting, I gripped my knees. "You are late," Vesper stated, gazing at his watch. "This is 20 minutes past 12. I clearly stated by noon." I rolled my eyes at h
KELANI POV I couldn't think properly, and I wish Vesper could stay away from me. My heart thumped in my chest, and my palms turned clammy. Current jolt into my body where Vesper was currently holding, and I resisted the urge to shudder. "You look lost. Are you even listening to me?" he asked, his hot breath fanning my neck. No, I muttered, shaking my head once again. I couldn't endure it any longer. I took a step away from him and let out a deep breath. Even though it didn't exactly help my situation, it was better than earlier that he had been staying behind me where I couldn't think. "Are you alright?" Vesper asked. He stepped in front of me, leaning to gaze into my eyes. "I'm fine," I murmured. "I am just a little tired. I should take a break." "You did nothing; how can you be tired?" he asked. "People get exhausted mentally, you know. The fact that you killed a fire-breathing monster means I can't get exhausted, too," I said. "I never said that," Vesper retorted. "You c
VESPER POV Mate? The possibility of thinking Kelani was my mate flooded into my thoughts all at her. She being in my presence and very much closer wasn't helping either. Miles was awake, prowling, and ready to pounce on whoever it was, but the reason it was currently growling within me was something I was trying to understand. Miles never growled at Lance alone. In fact, it was almost never awake if it was in Lance's presence. Now, with Kelani being here plus Lance, it had turned into a growling mess. Of course, I was trying my best to calm its raging emotions, but I knew it could only be relaxed if I left Kelani's presence. Yet, I couldn't. If I was leaving this dratted place, she was leaving with me. Mate or not, I couldn't leave her alone in Lance's presence. "I asked, is she your mate, Vesper? Didn't you deny her earlier? Perhaps saying the same over again in her presence would now convince me you feel nothing for her." Lance said. So, that was what he was up to. He wante
KELANI POV They looked super chummy. But should that concern me, absolutely not. Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about how both of them had gotten to know each other. The restaurant was cozy, and this particular spot we were in, I preferred it to the rest of the room. Vesper had chosen it, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were his usual spot. A grandfather clock stood in the centre, demarcating the next booth from us. Our seat is only for two, which made it even better. No one would come to disturb us while eating. I saw some students drifting in and out, and likewise, some adults. They seemed excited to come here to eat. I believe this place had a positive impact on its customers. "What would you like to order?" Rose asked me, placing the menu in front of me. She seemed nice. Better than I could ever imagine. Better than Lia, who kept forcing herself on Vesper. And she believed we were together when it was the opposite. I didn't want to think about the fact that Vesper had re
KELANI POV It was ridiculous. Wearing a black cape on a black knee-length gown. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. I wonder who had given such outrageous style for initiation. Maybe it was Lia. It felt like it was something she could do. Also, I never wanted to wear it. I felt I would be the odd one out, but upon arrival, I noticed I wasn't the only one in it. Practically everyone wore it, and it was hard to tell people apart. "Hey," I turned as I felt a nudge. "Kelani, right?" "Brittany," I said. She was in the initiation too. Even Jessica, her friend, had been crying her eyes out on tryout day. Now, she was wearing a proud smile on her face. I feel I was the only one not really excited about what would happen soon because every other person was, and they moved around freely, speaking. The Fawn house- a house strictly for cheerleaders, as I heard was situated outside of the school. It was a large building that would contain hundreds of ladies with varieties of perfu
KELANI POVThe humming of machines and voices pulled me out of my slumber.My eyes were heavy, and so was the entire part of my body.The memories of the previous event flooded into me. I recalled how Lia had pushed me into the pool and how a light had saved me.I didn't know who the light was. Maybe it was it that brought me to the clinic, but I doubted light could walk or talk."Riley," I groaned, seeing her sleeping on a chair beside the bedside."Lani," Riley sighed. She was still asleep. She looked visibly tired.I wouldn't blame her. I must have scared the shit out of her. Also, she was still in the black dress she had worn the night before while I was changed into a hospital dress."Please, Kelani," Riley murmured. "Don't leave. I am sorry I couldn't save you."Her eyes tightened, and I saw a hint of tears on her right cheek.Her lower lips wobbled, but she didn't stop talking. "I'm sorry for forcing you to be part of the team. I thought that was a good way for you to be frien
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