“I’m Nyssa Wilde, an elite student in year one just like you.” Nyssa introduced herself, stretching out her hand.‘She is talking to me. Why?’ Layla’s gaze flickered from the girl’s outstretched hand to her face, searching for anything like disgust or fear lurking on it. There was none. Her lips were curled into a smile, and her eyes glowed with optimism.“Um, it’s nice to meet you.” Layla replied, slowly putting her hand in hers as if it were the jaws of a shark.“It’s nice to meet you too,” Nyssa beamed, and she bristled.‘She’s being way too optimistic. Something was fishy.’ She thought, pulling her hand away like she was touching a hot iron. Why would Nyssa want to talk to her? Everyone in the school was ignoring her, so why would she approach her? Why her?Layla knew Nyssa, though not face-to-face, but she knew she was in her class and an elite student. In fact, she was the only other elite student in their year apart from Layla. And just like her, Nyssa stood out from the rest o
“No! I’m only curious about werewolf tradition and culture. Just the same way I’m curious about all the other types of supernatural,” Layla quickly explained as red rushed to her cheeks, trying to clear the misunderstanding forming. She was in a world she barely knew anything about, so the only reasonable thing to do was try to understand the people and culture of those in it. And maybe she was particularly curious about that of the werewolves, but she needed to understand what the mate bond was and why Zayne had decided she wasn’t the right candidate within twenty seconds of looking at her. It wasn’t because she was trying to get his attention. He hated her. Why would she try to get the attention of a guy who acted like her presence was unbearable? “That’s good because it would be so embarrassing. I mean, he did reject you in front of everyone on orientation day.” Nyssa teased and gave Zayne a playful smile. “Unless you really didn’t mean what you said. It would explain why you
‘This doesn’t look that bad,’ Layla thought, wiping her skirt as she hid in the bathroom stall. Who was she kidding? It looked bad. Her skirt and some part of her blazer were obviously wet, despite the rolls of toilet paper she had used to dry them. At least there was no more oat stain on it.‘Or should I go change to the other pair? No. There’s no time, and I can’t go back to my dorm without Zayne. I don’t want his trouble.’ She sighed and rubbed her hand over her face. ‘Why am I caring about what he thinks? He doesn’t care about what happened to me. He’s too busy eating and flirting with Nyssa.’She bit her both lips, trying to stifle her anger. Weren’t werewolves supposed to be protective of their mates? How could he sit there and let someone do that to her? She knew someone had tampered with the table. Tables didn’t just tip over by themselves, and she had seen the vines. Someone had deliberately done that.But Zayne didn’t care. He hadn’t even come after her after she had run out
Layla was sure the world became a little brighter and more peaceful the moment she saw Alaric sitting at his desk. He lifted his head from the book he was reading and his gaze fell on her. Her stomach fluttered as his lips curved into a charming smile.“It’s nice to see you, Layla.” He said, standing up from his seat.“It’s nice to see you too,” she replied, trying not to seem too excited as she walked to him.“How has Nox-Luminis been treating you so far?” He asked, and her smile twitched to a small frown.‘The worse. Everybody hates me and looks like they want to kill me. I feel like I’m losing my mind.’ She wanted to rant but held back her words. She couldn’t just dump all her problems on him.“Crazy, but it’s been alright,” Layla lied, trying to sound optimistic, and his smile lowered.“Are you sure? You don’t look alright.” Alaric pointed out, stepping a little bit closer and placing his hand on her cheek. “You look quite tired. Have you been sleeping and eating well? It’s the do
Layla had been avoiding asking herself that question, but she knew she had to. What if she hurt Alaric? She didn’t want to hurt him, but what if she did?She couldn’t control her power, and they were going to be working with it. What if what happened at the orientation happened again? He was the only one in the room, so what if he couldn’t stop her before she did something she was going to regret?There was a connection, a pull, between the two of them, but was it as strong as the mate bond she had with Zayne? Would it guarantee his safety?“You won’t hurt me.” Alaric said firmly, no iota of doubt in his words.“How are you sure I won’t? Maybe this is a bad idea.” Layla sighed, shaking her head. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do. Her heart wouldn’t be able to bear it if she did.“Do you trust me?” He asked softly, walking towards her.“Of course I do. You’re not the problem. It’s this… power that I have.” She whispered, rubbing her arm. Alaric stopped in front of her, b
*Bang* Layla squeaked, almost jumping out of her skin as the door of the classroom swung open. Alaric’s and her gaze moved to it and saw Zayne standing at the entrance with an annoyed scowl on his lips. “Class is over. Let’s go.” He said, taking a step forward but stopping before he could enter the class. His eyes flickered around the room, finally noticing the dark wisps dancing in the air, and his eyes darkened. “So soon?” Layla mumbled, sighing aloud. She could swear that she stepped into the class a second ago. Couldn’t he have waited just a little bit longer? “Time flies when you aren’t looking, doesn’t it?” Alaric chuckled, pulling out the choker from his pocket. A small growl slipped from Zayne’s lips as he wore it on her neck. Layla gasped at the sudden weight that seemed to return to her shoulders, and the dark wisps disappeared in an instant. She clutched her skirt, trying to ward off the sudden wave of dizziness that hit her. Her stomach clenched and gnawed, yearning
“Are you all right?” Soft baby pink eyes, with tiny flower tattoos by the corners, stared back at Layla. A man, blessed with the beauty of a lady, was standing before her; his soft features were etched with worries and concern. “Yes, I am.” She replied and stood up straight. ‘Vines! Why am I not surprised?’ She sighed as the vines that had wrapped around her legs slithered off her and disappeared. Her attention moved to her waist, spotting what had stopped her from falling flat on her face—a vine also. “You saved me?” She asked, gesturing to it, and he nodded. “Yes, the joke has gone on far enough. I’m sorry about them.” He sighed, waving his hand, and the bind on her waist disappeared. His voice was girly too, which didn’t really come as a shock. It suited his entire calm aura. ‘At least it’s nice to know that not everybody in this school enjoys watching me suffer.’ Relief flooded through her, and she gave him a small, graceful smile. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” h
They want her to fight?! Not just anything but a beast? Was Brenton crazy? Layla couldn’t fight a dog or common human, and he wanted her to fight a beast.If Brenton wanted to kill her, he should have tried a much more direct approach instead. And she thought Professor Victor was bad for trying to kill her with exhaustion. Brenton wanted her to be mauled and ripped apart to death.“May I?” Nyssa chipped, raising her hand.‘Thank you, Nyssa.’ Layla almost ran to give her a hug. Not that Nyssa fighting would mean she wouldn’t, but at least it would give her more time to find a way out of her predicament.“Of course.” Brenton gave her a bright smile and gestured for her to come forward. She walked out from her seat to him, and he pulled out a metallic armband from his pocket.“Since you’re a werewolf, you’ll need this. It’s a ixon. It will keep your clothes intact when you transform to your wolf side.” He said, handing the device to her, and she took it.“Thank you, sir,” she replied, cl
“I never thought you were such a prankster.” Zayne chuckled after a few silent seconds and pinched her nose. “You’re not mad?” Layla asked, turning her eyes back to him. “Why would I be mad? As long as I know you aren’t going to that damn place, I’m fine. And that was a really good one. You really got me.” He grinned, poking her cheek. “Whatever you do, make sure you don’t teach my sisters how to play pranks, or else you five will kill me.” “Really? Then I’m a certified prankster.” She giggled, pressing her hand to her lips. “It’s good to be back. I’ve missed you.” “Of course you did. I’m fun to be around, and I’m a very great company.” He boasted, puffing his chest. “Proud as always.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes and eyeing him from top to bottom. “You look good. I never thought I would see the day you would dress formal.” He was clad in a custom-made black suit that fitted his figure perfectly, and his hair was slicked back. It was like he walked out of the cover of a to
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come here. What if someone recognises me?’ Layla worried as she walked into the beautiful ballroom, and her gaze flitted around, taking note of the guests. The place was littered with mostly werewolves and a good amount of phoenixes, vampires, and faes royals that had decided to grace the pre-coronation party. Some couples danced to the beautiful melodies of the instrumentals while others stood by the side, having light-hearted conversation. The air was light and merry, but it still couldn’t beat the uneasy wiggling in her stomach. ‘If someone recognises me, they would definitely make a scene. It’s not everyone that supports the overthrow of the former parliamentarians, and I’m sure some are here. Imagine the confusion it will cause if one of them decides to confront me. I want to see Zayne, but I don’t want to in that kind of dramatic way. It would be better if I just left now. I can see him—’ Two vampire gentlemen walked past her, and she stiffened. The
‘This is it. Alaric is right at the other side of that door.’ Layla thought, standing in front of the large door she had appeared before that led to Alaric’s officee. She reached out to the knob, but her hand trembled, refusing to touch it.‘Ugh, why am I so nervous? It’s Alaric I’m going to see, not a monster? How hard is it to tell him I love him?’ She bit her bottom lip, pushing the thin hand of her nightdress back on her shoulders. A picture of her confessing her love to Alaric flashed through her mind, sending blood to her cheeks. She pressed her hands to her face, squeezing her eyes shut.‘I can do this. I can do this. I love you is just three simple words. Three simple words that change everything,’ she prepped herself as she placed her hand on the knob and she opened the door. She poked her head into the room, and her lips curled into a soft smile as her gaze fell on the figure slouched in his chair.‘Aww, he’s sleeping. It seems like Pyro and Eleanor were just over worried,’
"Ahh, no wonder we went with the heater. I thought they underestimated how cold it was." Layla shivered, wrapping her arms around herself the moment she stepped out of the portal. The world was a barren iceland covered with thick layers of snow. Large mountains were scattered all over, so high that they seemed to reach the grey sky and trees that were covered in snow towered above her covered the entire landscape. Apart from those, there was nothing but eerie silence, shadows, and anguish. Anguish, fear, pain, and rage hung heavy in the air like mist, and her heart clenched. And it was cold. Very, very cold. When she had gone with the elite class, there was always a special heating device with them, stopping them from turning to popsicles. But she had no special device, and her bodysuit might have been good for battle, but it did nothing to warm her up. "Here," Selene pressed a finger against her forehead, and warmth flooded through her. "Thank you," she sighed, dropping her a
“What? You’re leaving?!” Zayne gasped, gaping at Layla like she was sprouting leaves on her head instead of hair. “Why are you leaving? Where are you going to? To the human world? You can’t be thinking of going there? What about the life you have here? Are you going to give up all that?” Alaric fired questions, furrowing his brows. “What?! No! Why will I go to the human world? I have nothing there,” Layla replied, crinkling her face. “Then where are you going? Like on a vacation on something?” Zayne asked. “Not that either. I… I need to finish my mission.” She turned around, nudging to Selene, and the goddess waved at them. “I need to go to Tophet. I need to save the creatures there.” “Are you crazy? You can’t go to Tophet alone! It’s too dangerous!” Zayne exclaimed, shaking his head. “It’s something I have to do. Those creatures have been in that state for too long. I can’t allow them to continue living in anguish when I can help them. And don’t worry about me. I can take
“Alaric! Zayne!” Layla yelled, running to them as they ran to her.She threw her arms across their shoulders and pulled them into a hug.“You’re alright! I’m glad you guys are alright. I was scared when Draven brought out the eye of chaos and everyone fainted. I was afraid you guys weren’t going to wake up. I could feel our bond, and it was so weak. I was terrified.” She sniffled, snuggling into them as they held her closer.“I don’t know about him, but something that weak isn’t enough to kill me.” Zayne grinned, patting her head as she let go of them.“Weren’t you the first one to hit the ground? You were out like a candle in the wind before the light actually hit your skin and you were the last to stand up when it was over.” Alaric scoffed and rolled his eyes.“W-what? That’s… that’s not completely true.” The werewolf stuttered, narrowing his eyes at him as his face turned pink. “I was the first and last between the two of us. Just the two of us. Everyone else is still unconscious o
“That doesn’t mean anything. Boris was always the weakest among us.” Blaze scoffed, and Demeter nodded her head more than she was supposed to.“Sure, whatever you say to keep your hope high.” Layla snorted, throwing the head over her shoulder. “Round two. Make sure you make it count. It will be a disgrace if you don’t land a single blow on me before you die.”Blaze fired multiple balls of fire at her while Demeter sent blades of sharp petals. Layla lifted her hand, creating a barrier, and all their attacks disappeared the moment they touched it.She lifted her hand, forging a large shard of ice and launching it at Blaze in the blink of an eye. He screamed as it pierced through his heart, coming out at the other side. She rushed at him before he could melt the ice, and she cut off his head.“Two down, one more to go. You’re the last man standing, Demeter.” Layla taunted as his body fell to the ground and turned to ashes.Demeter’s face was paler than snow as she gaped at Layla. Her ent
‘Did… did it work?’ Layla thought, wincing as she sat up. She opened her eyes, and her lips curled to a large smile.The red light was going dimmer and dimmer, and the red clouds began to dispense, making way for the evening sky. The dorm around the arena flickered off and on for a few seconds and faded away.“It worked! It actually worked!” She cheered as she stood up and Eleanor flew to her side. “Layla! Can you see that? We did it! We did it!” She squealed, throwing her arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug.“How is everyone? Are they— what’s that?” Layla scrunched her brows as small balls of white and yellow light flew from the sky to them.“What’s what?” Eleanor asked, letting go of her and turning around.The balls of light swirled and danced around, and Layla reached out her finger to touch one of them. A recognition burned in her soul, and she wore a gentle smile.“They’re our sisters. They’re finally free, and they’re thanking us,” she whispered.“You’re welcome.
“This isn’t the time for useless jokes or gatekeeping the ttruth, Demeter.” Layla scowled, narrowing her eyes at her as she tightened her grip on her shoulder. “If you don’t tell me how to stop it, everyone will die, including you, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want that.”“You can’t stop it. No matter what you do, you can’t stop it.” Demeter grinned, shaking her head. “The eye of chaos can only be deactivated by the one who activated it.”“What?!” Layla gasped as shivers ran through her spine. “No! It can’t be. You’re lying. There has to be another way.”‘She has to be lying. The eye of chaos has to have another way to be turned off without Draven.’“There’s no other way! Everyone here is going to die. Then it will keep spreading out, draining every supernatural in its way until it has taken every bit of power in the supernatural world. Everyone will die.” She cackled, throwing her head back, and her entire body shook. “Every single one of them will pay with their lives for turning the