STARLETTEI slowly opened my eyes and turned to look at the other side of the bed, hoping to see Maximus there, but he wasn’t. After our altercation last night, he stormed out of the room, and I had stayed up late, waiting for his return, but he never did. I wondered where he went to. Perhaps he was with Lauren. The thought of that caused anger to rise up in my chest, and I quickly shook my head to get it off. He wasn’t worth my emotions—so I made myself believe.Not long after I woke up, Bella came in, her usual bright smile shining on her face.“Good morning.” She beamed as she approached me.I mirrowed her smile. “Good morning, Bella.”Her smile faded when she sat beside me on the bed.“What?” I asked when I noticed her change in contortion. “I am sorry for telling the Alpha that you were with Lucius when he asked about you.” She said remorsefully.I didn’t even know that she told Maximus that. But I wasn’t mad about it. Not at all. I knew she had no choice but to be truthful when
STARLETTEI quietly walked out of my hiding place like a thief sneaking out of a rat hole. I stood there and stared at them blankly, not knowing what to say. “What are you doing here?” Came the Alpha’s question. “Just…” I darted my gaze at the shelf behind us before looking back at him. “I was bored, so I decided to get a book to read.”Without saying a word in response, he walked past me and headed towards one of the book shelves. “Hey, Starlette.” Kade said, and I snapped my attention at him. “Hi.” I breathed awkwardly. “Uhm,” he said, swiping his palm across the back of his neck. “Don’t mind what he said. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”He didn’t need to try to soothe me with his words. I was used to getting hurt by the Alpha’s words anyway. “Sure.” I nodded, smiling awkwardly. I took another glance at Maximus, whose attention was now fixated on a particular book. Blowing out a sharp breath, I trotted out of the library. My mind was a mess, and I wasn’t looking at where I was
STARLETTEThe following morning, Tom and I met for training again, and I channelled all the rage burning within me into the training. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I kept chanting in my mind with each attack I blocked. “You have gotten better and fierce.” Tom commented, amazement evident in his voice. “All thanks to him.” I blurted before I could even stop myself. “Who? The Alpha?” He guessed. “Can you believe he hasn’t been sleeping in our room? Not that I care, but—“ I trailed off immediately when I realised I was divulging too much information.“Never mind.” I continued, exhaling sharply. “It’s okay.” Tom managed to hit my waist, and I groaned in pain. “It’s a safe space. You can talk to me.”I didn’t know who Tom really was or if I could trust him. But I needed listening ears before I went out of my fucking mind. I needed to rant! So, without giving it much thought, I went ahead. “Not that I care, but why would an Alpha abandon his own room to sleep in a woman’s room?
STARLETTE“How did you know about all these?” Maximus asked, narrowing his eyes. “I read a lot. I read it in a book a long time ago.” I told him. He folded his arms across his chest. “What book? Tell me more.” “I can’t recall the exact book. And I’m afraid that’s all I know.”“I’m also afraid you’ll have to think hard to remember where you read that from. We need more information.” That sounded more like a threat than a request. “I didn’t pay much attention while reading it. It was a very old book. A witch grimore.” I answered truthfully.The frown on his face deepened. “You really can’t remember anything else? How do I get to the witch? Where are the so-called invisibles located?”I shook my head. “It wasn’t stated in the book.” “No hint at all?”“I think we already have the information we need. Hopefully, if the salt trick works, we’d be able to capture and question them directly.” Tom chimed in. The Alpha King sighed. “I wonder if the witches are trying to start a war or if o
STARLETTEWithin seconds, the maid's yard was almost empty. I knew I had to make a run for it, but I couldn’t leave Bella there. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to her.“How do I get this rope off?” I panicked as I tried to look for the knot to loosen.“Starlette. There’s no time; just go. Save yourself.” She said weakly. The fear in her voice was evident, and I wasn’t leaving her alone. “I’m not leaving you here.”I found the knot and quickly untied her. I wrapped her arm around my shoulders to support her, as she was too weak to walk on her own. “Where is your room?” I asked her. She pointed at a particular door, and we headed towards the room, but when we got there, the room was locked. “Linda, Sarah, please open the door.” She called on her roommates, but there was no response. “Please!” I pleaded, banging on the door. I could hear the rouges drawing near, and fear saturated my whole being. If we didn’t find a place to hide, we’d be dead in minute
STARLETTEThe next time I opened my eyes, I was in Maximus’s arms, laying on his laps. Startled, I gasped and tried to jump off him, but he held me in place. “Shhhh.” He said. “You're still weak.”The knife the rogue used to stab me must have been laced with a concentrated amount of wolfsbane, which was what weakened me to the extent of passing out.“Where‘s Bella?” I quickly asked when she crossed my mind.“Bella is fine.”“The rogues didn’t attack her?” I asked.“They didn’t.” He assured me, and I sighed in relief.I was relieved about Bella, but still tensed because I was in his arms. I hated him, but what I hated the most was how my body reacted to him. I hated that this devil had to be my mate.But, thinking about it, he wasn’t that much of a devil. My life had already flashed before my eyes, but he saved me. Not only did he save me, he chose to save me instead of Lauren. I still hated him regardless, but I was grateful. “What are you thinking about?” His words cut through my
MAXIMUS I didn’t know how much Starlette meant to me until I almost lost her today. I had always known that I cared about her; she was fated for me anyway. I just hated that she had to be an omega. I thought she wasn’t fit to be Luna and wouldn’t add any value to me. Lauren, on the other hand, was smart and strong. But lately, she seemed to irk me, and I was growing into Starlette. And also lately, Starlette was starting to prove to me that she was smarter than I thought.We got to Pack Square, where we entrapped one of the invisibles by pouring a trail of salt around him, as Starlette had told us. I was surprised that it really did work. He stood there in the circle, the fearless look on his face slightly worrisome. I had expected him to be on his knees, begging for mercy; that way, it would be easier to get information from him in exchange for his life. But that wasn’t the case. I knew at once that he would be a tough one. “Take him to the dungeon; I’ll question him there.” I in
STARLETTE I didn’t even know when I held him. I didn’t want him to go. Tingles jolted through my body in his presence—a satisfactory feeling I wasn’t quite ready to let go of. “Starlette.” He mumbled. “I have to go.” Of, course. I was the only one affected by the mate bond. He didn’t feel the same way. My cheeks burned in embarrassment at that realization. Starlette. What were you thinking? I mentally scolded myself. I cleared my throat. “Iris surfaced for a second. She wanted you to stay. Not me.” He raised a brow. “Iris?” “Yes, that’s my wolf’s name.” “Oh..” He nodded. “My wolf’s name is Nile. And…” He suddenly joined me in bed, laying next to me. “Nile also wants to stay with his mate. So I guess I’ll stay. For their sake.” I gulped down a huge chunk of saliva and nodded. “For their sake.” “We should allow them to run in the woods sometime.” He suggested. “You would trust us to run in the woods?” I asked, surprised. “You can't get away from me. I am so much faster and s
VIOLETThree hours of detention seemed like an eternity. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly hate this school more, I found myself trapped in yet another unbearable situation. I needed to get out of here, but that was just wishful thinking. My father wouldn’t let me leave until he accomplished whatever mysterious goal had led him to send me here in the first place.After we left the principal’s office, I quickly pulled out my phone and sent Zara a text, letting her know I wouldn’t be able to make it to practice. With a sigh, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and made my way to the library, where the other three were already seated around a single table.Axel sat directly across from me, making it nearly impossible not to look at him. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and for a long while, no one spoke until Emily broke the silence.“Axel,” she called, staring at him. “I’m sorry about the… inconvenience.”Axel didn’t even bother to lift his head, let alone respond to her,
. VIOLETAxel’s eyes blazed with fury as he lunged toward the boy and pushed him hard on the chest until he stumbled backward.“You are so dead!” the boy yelled, aiming to push Axel in return, but he dodged. Swinging around, Axel hooked his leg around the boy’s and knocked him to the floor.Just when Axel was about to jump on him, the boy sprang up and charged at Axel, wrapping his arm around his waist and pushing him down with him. But Axel was quick to react, rolling over until he was on top.“Wow!” A loud clap suddenly echoed, and I turned to see the trainer slowly walking into the middle of the circle that had already been formed by students. “That was a great demonstration of what you were taught. Excellent!”The crowd erupted in cheers, but it was obvious that Axel and whoever the boy was weren’t having it as they continued glaring at each other.“Enough!” the professor growled, gesturing for silence. The noise quickly died down, and he continued, “But that behavior isn’t allow
AXEL“Axel?” Aunt Amelia crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side.“Uhm…” I scratched the back of my head, thinking of what to say. “I— Uhm— was just serving justice.”“Elaborate,” Uncle Lucius chimed in.“Why are you guys here?” I quickly changed the subject.“Hmm-hmm.” Aunt Amelia shook her head. “You can’t do that here. Don’t change the subject.” She turned her attention to Mason. “Mason? I believe you’re a good boy, and you’ll talk.”Mason and I made eye contact, and we burst out laughing, knowing that Mason was way more stubborn than I was.“The thing is—Uhmm—” I scratched the bridge of my nose, deciding to tell them what happened. “Those boys did something terrible. They terribly assaulted one of my classmates, and because Emily was involved—”“Emily?” She cut me off, raising a brow. “The Eastern Princess?”“Yes.” I nodded before continuing. “Because she was involved, they were only suspended when they should have been expelled.”“Who’s this girl that was
AXELMason met me at the school gate, and after catching up on everything that had been happening in our lives and discussing my plans for those boys, we proceeded toward the school gate. Of course, the guards there stopped us from leaving."I was also suspended for one week and asked to go back home. And I’d like to leave with my friend here," I told them, hooking my arm around Mason’s shoulders."We were informed," one of them said, unmoving. "There are only three students who were asked to leave today with their parents. And you aren’t one of them.""There is something I must do. Can you just let us pass? We will be back before you know it," I pressed."Control their minds already. Why are you wasting time when there’s an easy way out?" Mason mind-linked me, his voice impatient."I like playing games, you know," I replied. But I had to do what I needed to do now before the boys’ parents started taking them out of the school. They were around already.Straightening my shoulders, I c
AXELWhen I arrived at the library, I spotted Emily browsing the tall shelves, her fingers trailing across the spines of the books.“Emily!” I called out, my voice booming as I strode toward her.“Oh, Axel,” she said, turning to face me with a wide, almost mischievous smile.“What did you do in Violet’s dorm room?” I growled, keeping my voice low but firm.“Oops,” she gasped dramatically, her hand flying to her chest as if she were truly shocked. “I got caught?”“Don’t play games with me, Emily. What did you do there?” I demanded, my patience wearing thin.“Axel.” Her expression suddenly turned serious. “What is it about her? She’s not prettier than me. Why do you seem to be so interested in her?”I raised my brow. “And who told you I was interested in her?”Confusion crossed her face. “I thought you were—”“What if I was?” I cut her off quickly.“I am just jealous,” she admitted. “When we were together, you never defined our relationship. It never even went public. You just kept me h
AXEL“What was she doing there?” I asked Daisy as I began descending the stairs to leave the arena.“I don’t know. I walked in, and her scent was everywhere,” she replied.“Alright. Do something to mask the scent before Violet gets back. I don’t want her panicking. I’ll deal with Emily myself,” I told Daisy before cutting off the mind-link.“Axel!” Indie called from behind, hurrying after me. “What happened? Where are you rushing off to?”I had almost forgotten I didn’t come here alone. Turning back, I stepped closer to her, planting an apologetic kiss on her cheek. “I’m sorry, Indie, but I have to go. Something’s come up.”“What’s going on?” she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.“Bye,” I promptly said, intentionally ignoring her question, before turning around and whisking out of the arena.It seemed Emily wasn’t satisfied with getting away unscathed after what she did to Violet. Unlike the boys she hired, who I had ensured endured excruciating pain, Emily had walked away witho
AXELRage burned through me after Violet told me those things. Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with her, she tossed all my efforts away and demanded I stay away from her. That’s exactly what I would do. I’d ignore her until her eighteenth birthday, when she sees her wolf and the mate bond fully develops. Then, the tables would turn, and she’d beg to be with me. I wouldn’t take it easy on her.Staying away from lacrosse was like depriving my lungs of air. And now, thanks to Violet, I was stuck with another one-week suspension. I didn’t regret protecting her. I would do it over and over again, but that didn’t make her any less infuriating.Since I couldn’t play, I decided to at least watch practice. I hoped watching would ease the maddening itch to get back on the field. Indie accompanied me to the arena, and the moment we got there, my gaze met Violet’s, but I quickly looked away.“Okay, spill it,” Indie said as she plopped down on one of the stadium seats. “What’s going on
VIOLETThe injustice I faced wouldn’t stop gnawing at me. I hated it so much that the mere sight of Emily made me have super dark thoughts. Right now, we were in the training room, waiting for the next class to begin—combat. All I could think about was storming toward her and plucking her eyes out.“Hello, students,” the combat professor, Professor Ronald, called out as he strode through the massive doors of the training room.“Good morning, Professor Ronald,” the students echoed.“Apologies for being a bit late. I had an emergency to attend to,” he said, coming to a stop in the center of the circle we’d already formed. “Today’s lesson is on defense strategies. You have two minutes to pick a partner.”The students scrambled around, picking each other as partners. I scanned the room, instinctively searching for Axel. When I found him, my heart skipped a beat. He stood on the far side of the circle, a girl clinging to him as if her life depended on it.“Looks like it’s just us two witho
VIOLETLater that evening, we were summoned to a meeting in the principal’s office. Axel, Emily, the three boys, and I sat silently in front of Alpha Richard, the principal. The absence of parental involvement in such a serious matter made me suspect that Emily was really going to get away with this. But I kept my cool, hoping I was wrong.“So, explain in detail what happened,” Alpha Richard started, his gaze scanning between all of us.Emily was suddenly mute, as were the boys who had tried to assault me.Alpha Richard’s gaze settled on me. “Violet, you reported this. Go ahead and explain.”Shrugging, I recounted everything that happened without leaving anything out. When I finished, Alpha Richard sighed heavily, rubbing his temple as though the weight of the situation physically burdened him. He then turned to Emily.“Emily, is that true?” he asked her.She vigorously shook her head. “I swear, she is lying. I didn’t ask them to do that. Violet told me she wanted a breath of fresh ai