Chapter 3

Starting the next day, Felicity began paying me what she called “special attention.”

One morning, I pulled a pack of moon-white tissues from my bag. The packaging was moon-white, naturally, and Felicity reacted like it was the funniest thing she had ever seen.

“Oh my god, even your tissues have to be moon-white? Are you trying to turn yourself into a ritual offering from head to toe?”

During cleaning duty, I wiped down the grips on the training equipment. Felicity exchanged looks with a few boys nearby.

“Careful, everyone. The priestess has arrived. Mortals, make way.”

Every two weeks, our classroom seats rotated. One afternoon I was dragging my heavy oak desk across the room and had to stop halfway to catch my breath. Felicity immediately raised her voice.

“The priestess can’t move her desk. Any brave knight want to save her?”

The boys around her laughed like it was the greatest joke in the world.

At first, Rowan still told them to stop. But Felicity always brushed it off.

“Relax. I’m joking. Serena acts so uptight all the time. I’m helping her fit in.”

Rowan actually considered that before nodding.

“Serena can be a little uptight,” he admitted.

Felicity punched his shoulder.

“Hey, don’t lump me in with that.”

Rowan laughed.

Each time he did, something sour twisted inside my chest.

I had always known Rowan thought I was delicate, picky, and emotional. Maybe to most male wolves, liking moon-white, hating dirt, and struggling with heavy training equipment really did make me seem weak.

Eventually, I snapped.

That summer, my family spent several weeks in the southern coastal territories, and I came back noticeably tanner. It had happened before. Usually my skin lightened again after a few weeks back home, so I did not care much.

A few days after school resumed, I wore a moon-white shirt beneath my uniform jacket.

The moment Felicity saw me, she practically shouted.

“Oh my god, Serena. You got this tan and you’re still wearing moon-white? Don’t you think this looks ridiculous?”

She laughed so hard she nearly bent over.

“What kind of priestess are you now? Since when does a Moon Goddess priestess look like she just crawled out of a mine?” Her eyes swept over me. “Honestly, you look more like a little black puppy. One that rolled around in mud first.”

The boys burst into laughter.

And Rowan smiled too.

Only slightly, but he still smiled.

Humiliation hit so fast my vision blurred. While they were still laughing, I grabbed the pitcher of bloodberry juice from the table and threw it straight at Felicity.

She screamed.

Red juice drenched her uniform and soaked through her silver-gray curls. Mascara streaked down her face while foundation melted into uneven patches.

“What the hell?” she shouted, coughing. “Are you insane?”

“Oh my god,” I repeated in her exact tone. “You come to school wearing foundation and mascara every day? No wonder you’re not a priestess.” I looked her up and down. “You look more like a circus clown.”

Several boys moved between us, but Rowan reached me first. He grabbed the empty pitcher from my hand.

“Serena. Apologize.”

My eyes burned.

“Didn’t you hear what she said? She called me a dog.”

“And you insulted her back,” Rowan replied coldly. “Now apologize for throwing juice at her.”

He said it like the situation was perfectly simple.

“If you do something wrong, you own it. Stop throwing a tantrum.”

Then his tone softened slightly, like he was talking to an unreasonable child.

“Just apologize. Felicity won’t hold it against you.”

I laughed coldly.

“Go to hell.”

Rowan’s expression changed.

Then he slapped me.