KylanMy eyes widened, and my head snapped up as everything around us turned silent. I appreciated Rochwall, and he had been there for me from the moment I had met him. He was a good mentor to me, and having that close bond, I understood the need to stand up for me—but this was not the way to do it.For a second, I braced myself for the king to release the beast and tear this man apart—but he didn’t. Instead, he burst out laughing, slapping Rochwall’s chest. “James, James—you’ve always been one funny guy.”I exhaled, relieved as the tension in the room disappeared. “But it’s good,” the king continued, slamming his arm over Rochwall’s shoulder. “This place is always so dull. It could use a bit of fun.”As they walked away, Rochwall glanced back at me, shooting a reassuring smile before their voices faded into the distance.~Hours passed, and in those hours, the king made sure to leave his mark everywhere. Each interaction was more awkward than the last—but now that he seemed pleased w
VioletAs we sat around the dinner table, I tried my hardest to disappear into the chair. Sitting here felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from, and all I wanted was to get away.If I glanced to my left, there was Kylan’s brother, Kayden, grinning at as if he knew everything about me—if I looked straight ahead, there was Kylan, glaring at me as if I had ruined his day.To the right was even worse. There was Chrystal, shooting me death stares. If those stares could kill, I’d be dead a hundred times over by now.With nowhere to look, I settled for Nate, who sat beside his sister. He shot me a small, reassuring smile followed by a wink.At the head of the table sat the king, who looked around with a smirk. “It’s nice to have everyone here,” his voice dominated the table. His energy was dark and intimidating, it almost felt like he was sucking all the air out of the room.Clarence and Dad mumbled something in response, clearly not really feeling this so-called gathering.Family day w
VioletThe atmosphere changed instantly, and my heart sank as Mom’s memory was brought up in such a careless way.How dared he?Did he even know her like that to bring her up?I clenched my fists under the table, trying to keep calm. How could he even say something like that?The rogue attack that took Mom and Dad was something unfortunate, but it was not inevitable. His comment felt unfair, especially because it was something beyond Dad’s control. And the way he said it, with such coldness, made me realize just how terrible he truly was.He really was a heartless piece of shit—an even bigger piece of shit than his son.The king continued chewing, completely oblivious. “I was just talking to Jack yesterday about how I miss my Starlight days.”I glanced at Jack, wondering how someone like him had ended up as the Beta of someone like the king, or even Chrystal’s dad. All throughout dinner, that man had been nothing but kind and respectful—just like Nate.A smile tugged at the corners o
Violet“My mom,” I replied. He probably thought I meant Sonya, but that didn’t matter. I’d spare him the backstory.“How long ago?”I squeezed my eyes a bit. “Like ten years ago?”“Ten years ago,” he whispered, still inspecting the glasses on my face.“Well, make sure to keep them on at all times,” he spoke, his face serious. “We wouldn’t want you to lose them.”If only he knew…I swallowed, nodding quickly. “Yes, Your Majesty.”The king didn’t give another response and simply walked past me, leaving me standing there. I let out a slow breath, feeling more than happy that he had left.Even though I tried not to focus on Kylan, it was hard not to, especially when Chrystal laughed out loud, leaning into him like he had just made the funniest joke on the planet.As if it couldn’t get any worse, Kylan wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered something into her ear, making her laugh even more.At times it seemed like he hated her, but then he did stuff like this.It was just like he
VioletI sat on Nate’s bed, nervously fumbling with my hands as I waited for him. As soon as we arrived, he had disappeared to the bathroom with the promise to be back soon.Now it had already been several minutes too many as I stared at the closed door, wondering if it was too late to run out of here.I exhaled, closing my eyes for a second.No, Violet.You want this—you want him.After calming down a bit, I let my eyes wander around his room for the first time. It had the same layout as Kylan’s, only a bit smaller, and the colors brighter and warmer. Their rooms showed a perfect contrast in their personalities.For a second, I wondered if maybe he was just as nervous as I was, hiding in the bathroom—but then I chuckled to myself.No way. Nate had quite the reputation, and he wouldn’t get nervous over this. I was probably just nothing more than a number to him.I felt an awful lump in my throat, thinking about the reason why I was doing this. At first I made myself believe that it wa
VioletBy the look on his face, I could tell he didn’t believe a single word that left my mouth—and neither did I.Would I, really?He chuckled. “Because I see the way you look at him, Violet. And it’s not the look you give to someone you’re about to reject.”I swallowed, feeling confused by my own thoughts. There was only one look I ever gave him, and that was a hateful one, right?“I get why you’d want to reject him, though,” Nate shrugged as he lowered his gaze. “He has his moments, but he’s…complicated. He’s not always a good person.”The pain in his voice was obvious. Whatever happened between the two of them had clearly left a scar because Nate was able to see something that even his own brother refused to see.Kylan was not always a good person.“What happened between the two of you?” I approached the situation with caution.Nate smiled softly, looking up to hold my gaze. “I just tried to get him to talk about his feelings, like I always do…”He drifted into thought, his jaw ti
VioletI stretched my arms, yawning as I opened my eyes, squinting at the bright morning light. Looking beside me, I noticed the bed was empty—Nate was gone.We’d stayed up late, laughing, talking, and watching movies, but it had all been worth it. I felt a calm I hadn’t felt in a long time.The clock read 7 AM, which meant I had to move quickly if I didn’t want anyone seeing me. I sat up straight, hearing a soft rumbling noise coming from the bathroom.“Nate?” I called out, my voice still groggy. The noise kept going, and there was no answer. I got up and walked to the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar.“Nate?” I said again, louder this time, but still nothing. I reached for the doorknob, and just as my hand touched it, he swung the door open, startling me.“Good morning, Vivi!” he said, standing in the doorway. He seemed to be in a good mood, but something about it felt off. Nate was always happy, but now he seemed a bit too energetic.“Hi,” I replied, watching him as he closed
VioletDetermined, I made my way over to Jane and placed down my tray, sliding into the chair on the opposite side of her. I greeted her with a polite smile which she returned.Her gaze was soft, and her green eyes warm and kind. Her brown hair was tied back in a sleek bun, showing off her beauty even more. Just by looking at her face, I could only imagine how popular she must’ve been back in her days.“No classes today?”“No, not today,” I shook my head shyly. “Do you teach here too?”Before that night at the Elite Team dinner, I had never seen her before—but no regular soul would sit here this early if they didn’t have any business at this school.Jane gave me a nod. “Yes, I’m an allround shifter specialist.” She really was admirable. That wasn’t something easy, yet the calm way she had said it made it sound like it was. Her smile widened a bit as she tilted her head. “So, how are you finding school?” she asked. “Already tired?”I shook my head. “Not really. It’s okay.”Truthfully
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