Novels by Derick Wilcher

The wolfsbane moved through me like slow fire.Every heartbeat pushed the burn farther—up my neck, into my jaw, behind my eyes. My legs no longer felt entirely mine. Isaac’s arm was the only solid thing keeping me upright. I could feel the tremor running through him, the effort of holding both me and the fury that wanted to tear the greenhouse apart.Jackson McCall did not raise his voice. He never needed to.“Isaac,” he said again, patient as a man explaining something to a child. “Release the girl and step aside. We are leaving.”Isaac’s answer was quiet and absolute. “No.”One of the men in dark coats shifted his weight. The other kept his eyes on the broken door, watching the rain-slick path. Lydia remained near the wall, hands folded, expression politely interested, as if she were attending a performance she had already seen rehearsed.Jackson’s gaze moved over me the way a doctor might examine a wound that had already turned septic. “She is contaminated. The longer you keep her

The vial hovered an inch from my mouth.I turned my head. The glass kissed my cheek instead. Cold liquid smeared across my skin and the scent of concentrated wolfsbane burned my nostrils.“No,” I said.Lydia’s eyes narrowed. “Do it.”The boy holding the vial tightened his grip on my jaw. His fingers dug in hard enough to bruise. Behind him Lola struggled against the other boy’s hold, her sneakers scraping uselessly on the wet tiles.I shoved with everything I had. The vial tipped. Half the liquid spilled across the boy’s sleeve. He cursed and jerked back. The remaining drops hissed against my collarbone like acid.Pain bloomed instantly—white-hot and spreading.Lydia stepped closer. “Stubborn little thing.”The greenhouse door exploded inward.Isaac filled the frame, rain streaming from his hair, green eyes almost black with rage. The bond between us roared so loud I felt it in my teeth.He didn’t speak. He moved.The first boy never saw the punch coming. Isaac’s fist connected with h

Kate’s fingers dug into my sleeve.“You’re not going,” she said again, sharper this time. “It’s a trap. You know it’s a trap.”The text glowed on my screen like a dare. Ten minutes. Alone. The old greenhouse.I pulled my arm free. “If someone else was involved with that bottle, I need to know. The headmaster already thinks I’m lying.”“Then wait for Isaac.”“He’s dealing with his father.” The words tasted bitter. “I can’t keep hiding behind him.”Kate looked like she wanted to argue further, but the second-period bell had already rung and the corridors were emptying. She cursed under her breath, then shoved her phone into my hand.“I’m tracking you. If you’re not back in fifteen minutes I’m dragging every prefect in this school out there.”I nodded once and walked away before I could change my mind.The east wing felt farther than usual. Rain still sheeted down, turning the path behind the science buildings into dark mud. The old greenhouse crouched at the edge of the grounds, glass pan

Headmaster Voss leaned forward. The leather of his chair creaked.“That is a serious accusation,” he repeated. “Do you have proof?”My mouth went dry. “I heard them. Mia Sinclair and two others. They were laughing about it behind the hedge near the pool house. One of them said the drop would make him… compliant. I only stepped in because the glass was already in his hand.”Mrs. Langford’s laugh was soft and expensive. “Convenient. No witnesses willing to speak, I assume. Only the word of a scholarship student who has been circling my daughter’s boyfriend for weeks.”“I was not circling anyone.”“Yet here we are.” She turned to the headmaster. “I want her suspended pending a full investigation. My husband sits on the board. He will not tolerate this kind of disruption.”Voss’s eyes flicked between us. “Charlotte, is there anyone who can corroborate your account?”The silence stretched. I thought of Kate, who had been across the lawn. Of Isaac, who had thanked me at the gate in that q

The first period bell had already rung by the time Kate and I reached the corridor outside the history classroom. Students parted around us in uneven waves. Some stared openly. Others pretended to check their phones while their eyes tracked every step I took. The story from last night had grown teeth overnight. I could feel the versions circulating without hearing a single full sentence.Kate stayed close until the classroom door. She squeezed my wrist once and then slipped away toward her own class. I took a breath that did not steady me and walked inside.Mr. Harrow was already writing on the board. I found my usual seat near the window and sat. The chair scraped louder than it should have. Two rows ahead Lydia sat perfectly still with her spine straight and her hair pulled into a smooth knot. She did not turn. She did not need to. The cold that rolled off her back reached me anyway.Isaac was not in the room yet. His seat remained empty. I opened my notebook and wrote the date in c

Kate was quiet for a while. Then she said, Maybe. Or maybe storms need people who are not afraid to stand in them. You stood in one tonight. You did not drown.I closed my eyes. The memory of Isaac’s face when I told him about the drop kept replaying. The way something cold and focused had settled over him. He was going to do something. I did not know what. I only knew it would not be gentle.Kate stood and crossed the room. She crouched in front of me and waited until I looked at her.You need sleep. Real sleep. Not the kind where you lie awake replaying every second. Tomorrow we figure out the rest. Tonight you rest.She stayed until I climbed into bed and pulled the blanket up. Only then did she leave, closing the door softly behind her. I listened to her footsteps fade down the hall.Sleep did not come easily. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Mia’s hand near the glass, Lydia’s face twisted with rage, Isaac’s eyes when he ordered her to let go. I thought about the mate bond again,