KylanChrystal looked at me in disbelief, her lips parting slightly as if she couldn’t process what she had just heard.Her chest rose with each breath. She shook her head, her hair swaying side to side. “No,” she said, her eyes shifting between me and Nate, looking for someone to deny it—but no one did.Certainly not Nate, since this was just as new to him.“No,” she said again, her voice filled with desperation.I knew she would react this way, and that’s why I didn’t want Puppy in the room. Chrystal was reckless, and had Puppy been here, she would’ve finished the job she failed to do last night.That’s why I had to tell her what the future would look like—so she would understand never to cross me again.I took a step closer. “Yes,” I stated. “Starting today, she is officially protected by the law of Lyperia—and you won’t bother her anymore.”She drew in a sharp breath but didn’t say anything.“She’s my mate,” I continued. “Your future queen. And you will treat her with respect.”Th
Kylan“Chrystal—” Nate tried again, and I lost count of how many times he had said her name. I held up a hand to stop him.“That’s all I have to say,” I replied, coldly.A sad chuckle escaped from her lips. “Wow,” her eyes lifted slightly. “Do you hate me that much? That you would choose a werewolf over me?”Hate?“No,” I said, staring her down. “The word hate isn’t strong enough. I despise you beyond words—always have.”Her face fell at those last words, and so did Nate’s, his gaze dropping to the floor.The truth was, I didn’t always hate her. We had some good times, once. But she needed to hear it, needed to understand that there was no going back, no room for her in my life—not now, not ever.Seeing her break, just like she had broken Puppy satisfied me. I wanted her to feel it, the weight of the consequences of hurting the one I cared about.Still satisfied, I left her dorm. As soon as I opened the door, a few girls in the hallway scrambled away, trying to make it seem like they
VioletHours had passed since this morning as I sat on Kylan’s bed, scrolling through my phone. He sat across from me, his gaze fixed on every small movement.He wasn’t even trying to hide it and was doing exactly what he had said he would do—keeping watch over my eyes.After yesterday, I understood perfectly fine that he wanted to make sure they didn’t start glowing again, but…“Can I ask you a question?” he asked after hours of silence.Eager, I put my phone down and looked at him. “Yes?”“Those eyes of yours,” he nudged his head. “How did you know you had to sleep it off again?”“I had a vision,” I admitted, the strange images from yesterday flooding back to me. “It was of Adelaide and a woman she called ‘Mom.’ Her eyes were glowing, and the woman told her she had done it to protect herself and needed to sleep it off.”Kylan tilted his head. “Possibly your grandmother?”The thought made my stomach twist, and I shifted uncomfortably. I hadn’t thought about it like that, but if it wa
Violet“Do you even know what we’re looking for?” I whispered, following Kylan through the library. It was early in the morning, and just like he insisted—we were at the library which was completely empty.“Section 4A, row 2,” he replied, not missing a beat. “I thought you were supposed to be the geek,” he looked back at me.Noticing my lack of reaction, he turned around again and let his hand trail along the shelves before pulling out several books.I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at my lips. “Your words, not mine.”Even though I had just found out I was a witch, I would’ve preferred to stay in bed a little longer. It was the weekend, after all, and all I wanted was to make the most of it before I had to return to the place I couldn’t avoid all my life.The dorm…and Chrystal.Staying at Kylan’s had been great, but if I stretched it out any longer, I was afraid I wouldn’t want to go back at all.“Come on,” Kylan nudged, leading us toward the table. Curious, I leaned over his shoulde
VioletA portal?“While Chrystal was drowning me, before I went blind—Adelaide told me not to open the portal,” I admitted, the thought coming to mind.“She instructed you to turn off your eyes,” Kylan concluded, his sharp eyes locked on mine. “That time in the car after you…did you notice anything? Voices? Dark forces?”I shrugged helplessly. “Not that I know of.”That was the unfortunate truth. Usually, I had an answer for everything—but this time, I didn’t. Yes, I was the ‘geek,’ but this feeling was new. I felt lost, clueless, and stupid because of my lack of knowledge.How could I have lived my whole life and never once questioned why I grew up so isolated or why it had been drilled into my mind to keep those glasses on my face?Why had I never asked why they wanted me to forget about the voices and the visions, as if they weren’t a part of me?Kylan closed the book with a thud. “You said you can’t ask anyone for help—”“Because they’ll just pretend like nothing’s wrong,” I inter
VioletI pushed down the lump in my throat, looking down at Kylan’s hand in mine as we walked through the academy, making our official debut as mates.The halls of Starlight were filled with whispers, curious and shocked gazes—but mostly judgmental.There wasn’t a single person who didn’t stare, and it almost felt as if the entire school had been waiting for this very moment.If it wasn’t obvious by the stares, it was obvious by the clear path they had instantly created for us.Kylan, however, didn’t seem fazed at all. His expression was calm and collected, as if this was just another ordinary day—while I could barely breathe.I hated attention.“You look like you’re about to shit yourself,” he whispered, his voice low enough that only I could hear.A nervous chuckle escaped from my lips. “It’s probably because I am,” I sang softly, not knowing where to look.Kylan smirked faintly. “Maybe try looking a bit more natural, and a bit less like I’m holding you at gunpoint.”His words remin
VioletMy gaze was fixed on the ground as Dad and…Fergus, walked in silence. After stealing me away from the king, he suggested we take a walk instead—while Kylan remained with his dad.Now we were walking through the woods, neither of us saying a word. I knew he would eventually speak because otherwise, he wouldn’t be here—but the only question was when.My thoughts went to Kylan, and not knowing where the king’s head was at the moment was driving me insane. Would he be forcing Kylan to take the ring back? To reject me immediately?Fergus finally cleared his throat, signaling he was about to speak. I raised my head to look at him as he stared straight ahead. “Who would’ve thought,” he said, his tone sounding awfully sarcastic. “The heir to Lyperia, your mate.”I noticed the deep lines on his forehead. He suddenly looked older than he was, and I knew it wasn’t age—it was stress. Fergus had always been tense, but today, it was different.“I guess so,” I said, forcing a small smile.Cou
VioletFergus growled, kicking a broken branch near his feet as he refused to answer my question.“You will pack your things and come home with me at once,” he ordered, his tone making it clear this was not up for debate—for him at least.I took a step forward, even though he was towering over me. “Or what?” I challenged.His expression shifted. For a moment, he looked startled, as if he hadn’t expected me to speak against him—but things were different now. I wasn’t the quiet, scared Violet from back home anymore.I had changed.Kylan telling me to stop feeling sorry for myself and stop crying definitely left an impact.I wasn’t going to back down or show any weakness—not anymore.Fergus’s blue eyes locked onto mine, but I refused to look away. My blood boiled with fury, a hot feeling traveled all the way through my body, and I could feel the veins near my eyes pulsing. My heart hammered in my chest as I felt the ring on my finger tighten, begging me to lose control—but it wasn’t enou
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