VioletI sat back, doing absolutely nothing while the others discussed their plan to get the box to the other side. At this point I couldn’t give two fucks. and would see what the deal was tonight.Kylan said it himself.‘You’re here because of your brother,’He had made it clear he didn’t want me on his team, and since my fate was in his hands, I knew he wasn’t going to accept me into the Elite Team. So, I decided there was no point in breaking a sweat.I had wondered why Dylan vouched for me, and now as we sat around the table, I knew exactly why.There was one leader, Kylan, a combat specialist, Nate, a strategic specialist, Dylan—and me? I was the only healer left. They had no choice but to take me.Apparently if I were to magically make the team, this would be our team for the entire year. Dylan knew what he wanted, and had probably convinced Kylan to take advantage of every role, even if that meant putting up with me.“Violet—focus.” I blinked, startled by Dylan’s voice. It was
VioletWe had been walking for what felt like forever, but truly it had only been about twenty minutes. No one was talking, the silence was killing me, my legs were numb—and I couldn’t see anything. The only thing I could hear was the sound of our footsteps touching the leaves.The box needed to be delivered all the way across the river, and we weren’t allowed to shift unless we were in danger. There were no shortcuts, no tricks—it was just a long, boring path.Kylan and Dylan walked ahead, not giving a damn about anyone but themselves while Nate was kind enough to stay beside me. Still, I struggled to keep up with his pace. Why did I have to do this with three men with ridiculously long legs while I was, well…short.Kylan suddenly looked back at me, his eyes scanning me up and down—and I just knew some rubbish was about to leave his mouth.“Cardio, Four-eyes,” he spoke. “You can’t always rely on your wolf.”Pissed, I waited until he turned his head before mimicking his words. I had
Violet“I don’t know about you, but the only thing that will satisfy me is you accepting my rejection.”It was hard to decline his offer, but somehow I had managed to use every bit of dignity I had left to stand my ground.All that crap about taking me in these woods?It wasn’t Kylan speaking, it was the beast playing mind games—just like Lumia was doing with me.Kylan was disgusted by me, just as much as I was by him. This moment, this tension, wasn’t real—it was forced.A dark chuckle escaped Kylan’s lips as he let go of my body, and I finally released the breath I had been holding back.“We need to get moving,” he said, his tone serious again. He walked away, leaving me standing there against the tree, completely confused and frustrated.My body felt hot, heart almost beat out of my chest, yet here he was—pretending like nothing had happened.Huffing, I kicked a nearby twig and made my way back to the others. How would I survive the rest of the mission if this was what he was going
VioletI began walking, feeling three pair of eyes burning in my back—but I had already made my decision. Whatever was in that box, whatever it had to say, I would deal with it.I was afraid, petrified—but it had to be done. It was only fair.About one hour in, nothing had happened yet. So far so good.I wasn’t completely fine, though. With the others, it took about an hour for the first signs to show, and now that I was past that mark, I felt a tight feeling in my chest. I was mortified of what might come next.The others kept a close eye on me, as if all three of them were ready to jump in if I couldn’t handle it. I tried to stay relaxed, tried to breathe—but every muscle in my body was tensed, waiting for disaster."We're almost halfway," Dylan encouraged. "If we keep up this tempo, we’ll be there in no time."I nodded, my lips feeling way too dry to even form a sentence. The walk reminded me of the beginning of a bad fever. You knew it was coming, you just didn’t know when.Then,
VioletI fumbled with my hands, thinking about my biggest secret.What was my biggest secret?For a second, my mind went to Kylan—but then I realized that he wasn’t it. He was definitely a fear, and a secret, but not my biggest.The voices were talking about my glasses—the thing I had been forced to hide my entire life. They had been my biggest insecurity.A loud laugh broke the tension.It was Kylan.“No, no,” he said, the laughter only growing louder. He buried his head between his head, sighing. “No, I’m not doing this.”He held an uneasy look in his eyes, and so did Nate who shifted beside him. Although Nate had been kind, also he hadn’t opened up about anything. The only thing I knew about him were the basics. Beta dad, noble blood, bitch sister.“If you want to become captain,” Dylan spoke up. “I’m afraid you’ll have to.”Kylan chuckled. “No.”“We can be back before sunrise—but not if that box keeps talking to us,” Dylan didn’t back down.Dylan had always been a serious person.
VioletIt was his turn.However, the defeated look on his face showed that he was nowhere near ready. I could tell that speaking about whatever he was holding back was difficult for him.His jaw clenched, fists tightened, eyes were narrowed. Judging by his reaction, it had to be something far worse than Dylan’s resentment or Nate’s addiction.What could it be?We were on a roll, and I didn’t want to lose it—so I leaned over the fire and grabbed the box from Nate.“I’ll go.”Surprisingly, Kylan’s lips curled into a small, grateful smile. It was so quick that if I hadn’t been looking closely, I might’ve missed it.Compared to holding a knife to your sister’s throat, taking Lunaris multiple times a day, and whatever the hell Kylan had going on—mine didn’t seem as big.I had buried it, pretended like it wasn’t there—but it wasn’t something scandalous."My glasses," I said, tapping on the frame. “They’re not for eyesight. They’re for something else. Dylan knows about it.”“Since I was a ch
VioletThe mood changed instantly. The cheating part was somewhat acceptable, but poisoning your own brother? He might’ve taken the crown from Dylan with that one.“I didn’t mean for it to…I didn’t mean to nearly kill him. The poison was supposed to weaken him, just enough for me to win,” Kylan tried explaining himself. “But…it left him damaged. He can’t walk. Can’t shift. He can’t do anything, he’s bound to a wheelchair.”He closed his eyes after the last part, then looked down. “He was never the same after that.”I could hear the regret in his voice, and I could understand his initial reaction about not wanting to say anything at first.This confession was brutal.“My Mom knows, and she hates me for it. The only parent who ever cared for me calls me a monster, a demon—doesn’t want anything to do with me,” Kylan said. “I did it for her too. I did it for both of us, but she’s so humiliated by the child she’s raised she told me to die soon, and take it to the grave with me.”He kept lo
VioletI stood patiently, waiting for my turn at the same information desk where Nate had brought me on my first day at the academy.Today was my first day off—and I was planning to make good use of it.Adelaide was still a question I did not have all the answers to, and I had to know more about her.Who was she, what was she doing with those witches—and what was her connection to Mom?“Next!” The same woman from last time barked out, her face uninterested.“Yes, hi,” I stepped forward, placing my hands on the desk. I offered her a polite smile, one she didn’t return.“How can I help you?” she said, her voice flat.“This question might come off as really nosy—”“Keep it rolling,” the woman waved her hand impatiently. “I don’t have all day. There are people waiting.”I scoffed, caught off guard by her rudeness. “My mom used to go to this school. Her name was Claire Hastings. She had this friend, Adelaide—and I was wondering if you have some information on her, or perhaps still have a f
Violet My eyes were wide open as I stared at Aelius, my thoughts spinning out of control. He was my family—my great-grandfather? How could this even be possible? He was a Soothsayer. They weren’t even supposed to have families. “W-We are family?” I finally managed to get out, my voice trembling. Aelius nodded slowly, his expression calm. He was the first real family I had ever met face-to-face, and he had said it like it was nothing. “How?” Kylan demanded. Aelius sighed, reaching for a stick by the fire, then stirred it around. “Adelaide’s father, Aries, was my grandchild,” he said simply. “Although he skipped the eyes. Some have it, some don’t…most don’t.” I tried to piece the information together but didn’t get far. The only thing I was sure of was that Aelius had to be at least over a hundred years old—probably even more. I glanced at Kylan, who looked just as confused as I felt. None of this made sense. “If you’re related,” Kylan asked further, his brow furrowe
VioletKylan and I exchanged a glance. It wasn’t too late to run, and part of me wanted to.He had even called him the foul-mouthed crown prince. Just the thought of this man knowing everything about us, including some details we didn’t know ourselves, terrified me.It was Kylan’s plan to come here, and after the darkness I had felt, I fully stood behind his decision—but now I was unsure.All he had to do was give me the signal, and I would run out of here.“Sit,” The Soothsayer’s voice dominated the cave before Kylan could even think about it.It wasn’t much of an invite—more of an order.I lingered for a moment before deciding to join the Soothsayer at the campfire, dragging Kylan with me, and took a seat on the plaid on the ground. I kept my distance from the Soothsayer while Kylan still had his hand in mine, as if he was ready to spring into action at any moment.He had followed my lead. Even though he had convinced me to come here, he didn’t force me into anything. He let me deci
VioletKylan’s eyes were on the dark road as we drove through the quiet night. All I could see were the bright headlights of the car, but hopefully Kylan could see a bit more than that.We had snuck out just before curfew and were on our way to find the Soothsayer, hoping to get some answers.The silence gave me enough time to think.First, about the darkness I felt when I laid eyes on Chrystal, and second, about Esther and her strange behavior earlier, which had pushed Kylan to immediately fish for answers.Could I really not trust her?And if I couldn’t, what if Kylan had calculated it all wrong and she had seen that we left Starlight?Along with those thoughts, I also had to deal with guilt.Guilt toward Nate, for him not getting to choose his sister, and guilt for Trinity, who had asked me earlier where I would be tonight, and I told her I was staying with Kylan.I really wanted to tell her everything, all of it—and she had the right to know. But now that I knew Dylan was a reckle
VioletKylan squeezed my thigh in response, as if to say, good job.Esther’s face twitched for a moment, but then she quickly masked it with a smile. “So you don’t need me to expel those girls for you?” she asked.“No,” I shook my head, although that solution would make my life a whole lot easier.“Well,” Esther now tapped her desk with her ten fingers, “the suspension will last at least a week, so you will have some time to think about it.”I simply nodded, keeping my lips pressed together.“Very well,” she said, her smile growing tighter. I could tell by the look on her face that she looked anything but pleased, surprised even, that I didn’t take up her offer.As tempting as it sounded, it was much better this way. I wasn’t going to lie, Esther almost had me—but I had already thought this through. Although Chrystal tried to kill me, going after the Beta’s daughter, a noble, would not do me any good as Kylan’s mate.“Can we go now?” Kylan asked in a hurry. “Or did you want to ask any
VioletNervously, I glanced from Kylan, who sat beside me, to Esther, who stood with her back turned, staring out of the window.She had taken us to her office, only to let us sit in silence—and my anxiety shot through the roof as I thought of a thousand reasons why she might’ve wanted to see us.Did I do something wrong?Would she take back the pass for the strike now that she knew who I was with?If it was just to congratulate me on being Kylan’s mate, she could’ve done that at the door, so what was it?Was it about Adelaide?Every now and then, Esther let out a sigh, but just as I expected her to say something, we were met with silence again. Kylan already seemed to be over it, matching her sighs with his own as he sat with his arms crossed.“Have you already made up your mind about what you’re going to say?” he asked impatiently when he couldn’t take it anymore.“Kylan!” I hissed, slapping his knee.“Or can we go now?” he finished. “It’s been a long day, for both of us.”Esther tu
VioletI squeezed my eyes to take a better look as an old, short man shuffled into the hall, supported by a wooden cane. His lips stretched into a smile, his eyes locking on me.“No so fast, Sir,” a woman’s voice called out from behind him, trying to keep up with his steps. She looked like some kind of assistant.“Shut up,” the man said, waving her off as he struggled to walk toward us, his gaze never leaving mine. “I’m perfectly fine.”“Sure, why not,” I heard Kylan mutter under his breath.“Who is that?” I whispered, curious.“Principal Sterling,” Kylan answered.I blinked in surprise, my eyes darting back to the man who clearly needed a hand.Principal Sterling?It was the same man who was always on brochures and pamphlets, but I had never seen him before.“I thought he was too old to walk, and hasn’t left his chambers in ages,” I murmured. “What is he doing here?”“What do you think?” Kylan replied, releasing my hand as Principal Sterling finally reached us.This time I could take
VioletDazed, I stared at the glass window in front of me, watching as Fergus and the king were deep in conversation. Their mouths moved, but the thought of not knowing what was being said was suffocating.Fergus was alone, facing the king and his entourage, who stood behind him like an army. Usually, this was done with more people present—family, the beta, and so on—but he had brought this upon himself the second he came here without thinking it through.I glanced at Kylan, who hadn’t let go of my hand ever since he reached out to me. His grip was strong, but his expression calm.Between the two of us, I was definitely stressing the most—and the whispers coming from the students behind the closed-off glass door on both sides didn’t help. I had no desire to look, knowing it would only add to my nerves.Kylan whispered, breaking the silence. “Did Fergus bring up—”“That thing I am?” I finished, glancing up at him. “No. I could tell he wanted to, but something was holding him back.”Kyl
KylanI looked at the king, waiting for him to speak up as his expression changed about ten times within ten seconds.We both knew he was lying. He didn’t care about her being a werewolf because he knew she was from the royal bloodline, and that wouldn’t be the first in our family. Yes, she was a witch—but only half, and that was not enough to hate her the way he did—which meant all that mattered to the king was that she was half hers…Adelaide.What was it with that woman?“If you’re so determined to keep her,” The king said after a long pause, “she can stay as one of your mistresses.”This time, I froze for a moment, clenching my fists in anger. Mistresses? The audacity of him to make such a statement, especially after he had torn everything apart to make Mom his mate, all while keeping the woman he truly loved by his side.He had only tolerated Mom out of greed because he didn’t want to lose her while he could’ve taken her as his mistress instead of giving her the life she didn’t de
KylanI glanced over my shoulder as Puppy disappeared into the woods with Alpha Fergus. Then I focused ahead, walking the path on the opposite side of the woods with the king right beside me.Behind us, at a respectful distance, was his entourage, including Beta Jack—and the Lyperian guards.The king walked with his head held high, as he usually did, his steps confident, and his air suffocating. His presence always had a way of sucking the life out of everything around him, and at times—I feared people would see me as the same.Truth was, I didn’t want to be anything like that man, but ever since childhood, my entire persona had been built around him. I had always gotten the feeling that I was expected to be like him—cold, cruel, heartless—while all my other brothers at least had the chance to be their own person.Unfortunately, things were different for the son of the Lycan king’s mate, and had been even more complicated after becoming the crown prince.The only one I began feeling l