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
VioletHearing that Alaric had been an Alpha Prince left me stunned. It was hard to imagine someone else, who had also been erased from existence, had once attended Starlight, and was in the same team as Mom.It was even harder to imagine that an Alpha Prince had a relationship with a witch.“The witch’s name was Adelaide,” Jane shared. “I don’t know if your mom ever told you about her, but the two of them were like sisters.”“Really?” I said, pretending to be shocked. By now, I had heard that a few times already so it wasn’t something new. It was the reason why I had been so interested in her in the first place.“Yes,” Jane nodded with a faint smile. “Adelaide’s mother was the high priestess of the dark witches—Addy was next in like for that title.”A dark witch? A high priestess on top of that?There was not lot I knew about Adelaide, but her being a dark witch was the least I expected. Why were dark witches even allowed within these walls?Everyone knew dark witches were more power
KylanI sat alone in the cafeteria, pushing every chair around me out of reach so no one would get the idea to sit nearby.It had been a few days since family day, and already, I was hoping the king would skip the next one, sparing me from the same mess all over again. The whole event had been too exhausting.Today was my last day off before Elite training picked up tomorrow, and I needed the rest. Unlike the last session, we would have different commanders this time—and they weren’t as soft as Rochwall.They were trained to see through every flaw, and pushed to make lives miserable—even mine. That was their job, to make everyone strong enough they wouldn’t crack under pressure.My peace was interrupted by a group of three girls at the table in front of me, giggling in an irritating way. They whispered, kicked their feet under the table like a bunch of little kids, and glanced around the cafeteria—but when I heard them murmur about Violet, the freshman healer, my interest suddenly piq
VioletSame as last time, I looked at my reflection in the mirror as I adjusted my training gear one last time. No matter how many times I looked at it, it still felt strange, like it didn’t quite belong on my body. Classes for the day were over, meaning it was time for training.I grabbed the hair tie from my wrist before pulling my hair up in a ponytail. Just as I finished, two girls from the team walked past. They shot me a small smile, then whispered something as they walked out.Today was day two of the whispers, and I didn’t know what in the world made me think that the whispers would stop. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention, and it still left me feeling uneasy.I truly had no idea Nate was that popular.Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the locker room and into the training hall. My heart made a quick jump as I remembered what I’d heard about today’s commander, Jorn. I had overheard the combat girls calling him a living nightmare, and they were tough—so I knew they we
Violet“You!”“Me?”“I’m looking at you, am I not?”“No…sir…commander,” I stumbled over my words, wanting to disappear on the spot.He raised an eyebrow. “Sir or Commander?”The room fell silent as I tried to think of my answer. Which one of the two was it?“S-Sir?” I tried.I bit my bottom lip as his gazed remained on me for a moment. “Do you not wish me a good evening?” So that was the issue.“Good evening, Sir,” I replied quickly, making a mental note not to forget to greet this man ever again.Commander Jorn let out a satisfied chuckle, then walked further, pacing back and forth in the room without saying a single word. His eyes scanned the group, like he was trying to look for more targets.“I see old faces, new faces,” he finally began speaking. “For those of you who do not know me, you will get to know me—my name is Commander Jorn.”His voice carried no warmth, nothing. “I’m not your dad, I’m not your silly commander from back home, I’m not Rochwall,” he spoke the name with a
VioletFor the past week, it felt like my entire body had been on fire. Elite training didn’t get any easier, and while the two new commanders, Alexis and Marco weren’t quite as relentless as Commander Jorn, they had it out for me too.It seemed like no matter what I did, I was always falling short, and somehow always the target.Those two were also kind enough to gift me laps as punishment—and each time, Kylan had the choice to stop it, yet he didn’t.No, he would make me take the punishment, even if it meant him staying by my side to supervise until the late hours.I was sick and tired of running every single day, and I had lost track of how many laps I had done. Nate was right when he said they would try to make the weaker ones quit because I was close to dropping out of the team.It would not only make my life easier but also everyone else’s.The rest of my classes were nothing compared to this, but between the hard training, daily punishment laps, and keeping up with the pile of
VioletI opened my backpack one last time, checking that I had everything I needed. It was 4:50 AM, and I had ten more minutes before Kylan expected me at the gates.My bag was packed with extra clothes, a water bottle, a first-aid kit, towels, and even some muscle rub because I knew he would work me to the bone.Sighing, I zipped my bag and slung it over my shoulder before heading out of my room. As I stepped out, I saw Chrystal sitting on the couch. She had turned around instantly, her gaze sharp as always as she kept her lips pressed together.I truly hated her, and I knew the feeling was likewise.We stared at each other. I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew I was meeting Kylan—then again, if she did, I was pretty sure I’d be dealing with more than just a glare right now.I mean, the bitch threatened to scratch my eyes out.We both rolled our eyes at the same time, and then I finally left the dorm.By the time I reached the gate, Kylan was already there. I glanced down at my wat