Violet
“Amazing,” Esther said, making me look up to meet her eyes. “This is a junior-level skill. We don’t expect freshmen to heal more than ten.” Unsure of how to answer, I managed to give her an appreciative smile. From the corner of my eye, I caught Chrystal’s eyes shooting daggers in my direction. If it wasn’t for Esther urging everyone to take a seat again, I had no idea what she might’ve done to me. “Violet,” the woman spoke as everyone sat back down. “Please come visit me after class. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.” The rest of the class was mostly theory, and after an hour the bell rang. Students began to gather their things, but I waited, just as Esther had told me to. Chrystal who had been glaring at me for well over an hour, now stood at my table with her minions. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to stop whatever she had planned for me, I looked up to meet her gaze. “Yes?” I asked. Chrystal chuckled, rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t even talking to her,” she said to the other girls. “But I guess some people just need to be the center of attention—don’t they?” I knew better than to respond. Speaking back would only invite trouble, so I diverted my gaze, keeping my mouth shut, and waited patiently until she left the classroom. Once everyone was gone, I made my way over to Esther’s desk. “Sit,” she said warmly, gesturing to the chair, and I sat down. Esther studied me for a moment, tucking her gray hair behind her ear. Her gaze was observing and sharp as if she was trying to read me. “Your mom was…Claire Hastings from the Bloodrose Pack, correct?” she asked after a moment of silence. I nodded, unsure where this was going. “She was one of my best students,” Esther acknowledged. “I also knew your dad, Greg. He was such a strong fighter, they were always together, always eager to learn. Your Dad Fergus too, of course…or Uncle?” “Dad is alright,” I corrected her, a smile tugging at my lips. Back home people rarely spoke about my parents, they treated them like literal ghosts. It was nice to hear about them for once. “She was so good,” Esther continued, “And I’m going to give you the same opportunity I gave to her.” I blinked, confused. “What do you mean?” “Have you heard of the Elite Team?” I furrowed my brow, the name familiar. “Yes, my cousin—” I hesitated, correcting myself, “my brother, Dylan, is on that team.” Esther nodded. “Indeed, he is, and so were your parents.” The Elite Team was a special group within the academy, made up of the best students from all years. They were the face of the school, the protectors of the school and followed a separate program. “I want you to take trial classes with the Elite Team,” Esther said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. My heart skipped a beat. “W-Why?” I stuttered. “Because,” she sighed, “a freshman who can heal thirty fish in one go has a bright future ahead of her.” Her words hit me harder than I expected. I knew I had a talent, but no one ever told me I had a bright future. Not the teachers back home, not even the healer, no one. I was used to being told what I needed to work on, or what I wasn’t doing good enough. Those were the things that made me push myself harder. I wasn’t used to compliments, and hearing that I was good enough for something meant more to me than she could have ever imagined. “The Elite Team is not something out of the ordinary for a Bloodrose,” Esther added, noticing my lack of reaction. I hesitated, suddenly feeling the pressure that came with it. Protector of the school? What I lacked in many other things, I made up for in healing—but I wasn’t some extraordinary student. “I don’t know…” Esther’s expression softened. “You’re strong, Violet—too strong. You need to challenge yourself before you get bored.” I breathed, “This was only the first class—“ “And I only need a few seconds to see whether someone is good enough for the Elite Team,” Esther finished. Her eyes were full of determination—she trusted me, believed in me—and I didn’t want to let her down. Maybe there really was something. Who knew? “Okay,” I said. “I’ll do it.” “Good,” Esther smiled, relieved. “I’ll send you an email with the details.” As I got up to leave, it suddenly occurred to me that something was bothering me—something only she could help with. “By the way,” I said. “When we first met, you called me Adelaide?” The smile faded from Esther’s face. “Did I?” she cleared her throat. “Yes, you did,” I reminded her. “I saw a picture of Mom…with that girl, Adelaide, in the hall?” “They were close friends,” Esther replied quickly. “Close friends or best friends?” I wondered. “Best friends. I meant to call you Claire. I got it all mixed up. My bad.” “I see,” I chuckled, finally making sense of the situation. “Do you maybe have her number or anything, so I can get in contact with her and—” “No, she passed away many years ago.” “She passed away?” I raised a brow. “Yes… the things depression can do to a person.” “Was she depressed?” Esther didn’t answer, and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from her desk. “I’ll write you a note. You should head to your next class.” Other students were already beginning to fill the room for the next period. Esther scribbled something onto a piece of paper and handed it to me. “Here you go.” The same woman who had been so warm just seconds ago was now cold and distant. By her tone, I could tell the conversation was over, but there were so many questions I still wanted to ask. About Adelaide, and the bond she shared with Mom. Maybe it wasn’t important, but there was something about the way they hugged in that picture that pulled me in. I felt drawn to Adelaide, and I wanted to know more about her. I took the note, deciding to let it drop before heading to my next class. ~ After two more classes, history and emotional healing—it was time for my lunch break. With my tray in my hand, I looked across the crowded cafeteria. It was an unorganized mess. Everywhere I looked, students were talking, laughing, eating…kissing. I felt out of place, as usual. I spotted Nate, sitting with a group of his friends at a table near the center. Kylan wasn’t there. Nate caught my eye and waved at me to come over. I quickly turned my head, pretending I hadn’t seen him. I knew he meant well, but I had no business sitting at a table full of Lycans. We might go to school together, have classes together—but we were not the same. They disliked us, and we disliked them. It had always been like that. I settled for a table all the way in the corner, hoping nobody would bother me, then my thoughts drifted back to the Elite Team. How was I going to be part of a team when I could barely count to ten in public? I was socially awkward, not good at making friends—and now Esther expected me to be part of a team? Was I really ready for something like that? I pulled out my phone, hesitating a moment before dialing Dad, thinking telling him the good news would cheer me up. Maybe he would be proud of me for once or at least acknowledge what I had accomplished on my first day. As always, the call went straight to voicemail, but I decided not to let it get to me. He was the Alpha—perhaps he was just busy. I left him a voicemail instead. “Hey Dad, it’s me, Violet. I haven’t heard from you in a while, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m still alive. I…I miss you, and I love you. Bye.” The voicemail ended with a beep. The love I had for him was one-sided. That man had never been warm, affectionate or caring for a single day in his life—but I still loved him. He had taken me in, took care of me when he didn’t have to. Regardless of everything, I was still grateful. I sighed, playing around with the food on my tray. Dad didn’t care. My mate didn’t care. My brother didn’t care. None of those students cared. Final conclusion? My life sucked and so did Starlight Academy. The only one keeping me sane was Trinity who was not here at the moment. Suddenly, a loud tray slammed onto the table, making me flinch. My eyes widened as I looked straight ahead, coming face to face with someone familiar. "Since you were ignoring me, I figured I’d invite myself over." It was Nate.Violet“I wasn’t ignoring you, I was just…” I stopped explaining myself to Nate as he raised a brow. He wasn’t stupid. Of course he knew I was ignoring him.“Why are you hiding over here?” he asked, eating a piece of vegetable from his plate.I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m not hiding.”“When you sit at a table by yourself in a corner, behind a giant plant,” he said, pointing to the ridiculously large pot, “you’re definitely hiding.”I laughed, staring into his curious, brown eyes. There was something about Nate that made him easy to talk to. He wasn’t scary, overconfident or judgmental like the other Lycans.He was just…normal.“So, how is your first day of school going?” Nate asked, popping another vegetable into his mouth. “Already thinking about running for the gates?”“If only they would open them,” I cracked a smile.Nate grinned. “Well, from what I’m hearing, you’re not doing too bad. First day, and you’re already scheduled for a trial day with the Elite Team?”I looked at hi
Violet“What do you want?” his voice was full of irritation.I found myself struggling to maintain my focus. It was hard to do so when with his bare chest and the hard lines of his abs right in front of me, on display.“I-ı need to talk to you,” I said, forcing myself to stand my ground. Deep down, I was freaking out. This guy had humiliated me a few times too many. Who said he wasn’t going to do it again?Kylan stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. He led me past, then kicked the door close with his legs.Don’t look at his abs, don’t look at his abs. “About?”“About…”I gave myself a tour of his room, anything to distract me from this mess. The room was dark, with red accents. Against the wall was a king sized bed. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve said he was a vampire.“I don’t have all night, four-eyes,” Kylan clicked his tongue, impatiently.My lips trembled as I tried to focus on his face—but it was too difficult. I hated myself for the thought, but all I wanted
KylanIf there was one thing I refused to lose, it had to be control—and at the moment I had none.Fuck.It was all because of her.My head throbbed from the lack of sleep I managed to get last night. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was her. Four-eyes.Her bold behavior, her piercing blue eyes, that stupid look on her face when she thought she could walk into my room and reject me. Me?I panicked and did what I had to do—so I kissed her. Again.It was all to show her I had the upper hand, and she did not.Not even close.But that small kiss turned into something unforgettable, and now I wanted more. Those soft lips had only strengthened my pull toward her, and I felt disgusted. I knew what that kiss in the woods had done to me, and still…I wasn’t supposed to want her, and it wasn’t really me that wanted her—it was the beast.I knew it was the beast because I couldn’t care for anything or anyone other than my people. Growing up, the king always told me a mate was supposed
VioletI paced bank and forth in front of the classroom, my heart pounding uncontrollably. Today was my first trial day on the Elite Team.It was supposed to be a fun experience, but all I could think about was Kylan.My sweaty hands clutched my bag as I took another peak through the window. Students were already sitting inside. They looked like a combination of sophomores, juniors, and seniors—around seven in total.My eyes landed on my brother, Dylan, who was sitting with his friends, strangely enough with a smile plastered on his lips. So he did have another expression other than that cold, distant gaze. It was just not reserved for me.It was still crazy that he had yet to acknowledge me even once.Kylan wasn’t there yet, neither was Nate who was attached to his hip.I still had no idea how I would survived my first day after everything that had happened between us.Through the window, I caught a man heading to my direction, carrying a book in his hand. He was handsome, with thick
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,