Se connecterPOV: VINEStupid of me. Seriously, it was so incredibly stupid of me to even think for a split second that his kiss with Rose was an accident.It’s been three whole days since Rose "tripped" and fell into his arms, and since then, she seems to be getting closer and closer with Ace by the minute. They’re always in each other’s orbit now. And Ace? He hasn't even cared that he hasn't seen me eye to eye since I told him to fuck off in the library archives. He completely blocked me out.But why was I even caring about that? Why was I letting it twist my stomach into knots? I’m supposed to be happy he’s finally leaving me alone. This is literally what I wanted.I know he’s completely occupied with practice anyway. The big match had been postponed by a week because of my whole kidnap incident and the museum thievery, since the entire scandal completely shook the school administration. So... good for the team, I guess. More time for them to perfect their game. Gives them higher chances of bea
POV: ACEThe team was still banging their sticks and cheering, filling the arena with loud, annoying noise, but I wasn't in the mood for their crap.I pulled Rose off me by her arms, squeezing hard enough to make her wince, and dragged her away from everyone, pulling her into the dark equipment tunnel where the guys couldn't see us."What the hell was that for?" I snapped, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and scowling. I felt totally grossed out; my skin crawled from the bold move she'd just pulled.Rose didn't look sorry at all. She just scoffed, crossed her arms over her expensive fur coat, and looked away at the rink walls."What? I had to do something," she muttered, pouting. "The first time you saw me this semester, you kissed me. You chose to do that. And I thought... I thought you actually liked me."She snapped her head back at me, her eyes flashing with embarrassment and pure jealousy. "Only for Vine to suddenly be all anyone talks about, day after day, week after wee
POV: VINEWe were still frozen in that tiny library spot. The air was so thick it felt like trying to breathe underwater. Ace’s hands were hard on my jaw, his thumb dragging across my bottom lip like he owned the space I was in."What the hell is wrong with you?" he muttered, his voice low and gravelly—the one that always made my brain stop working. His eyebrows were knit together, and his eyes searched my face like I was a puzzle he had to figure out. "Why are you acting like you completely hate me being here?"That question felt like a straight-up insult. Was he really so stuck-up that he didn't get how serious his words were? The nerve of him asking that made a strange, hot feeling bubble up in my chest, and my hands clenched at my sides. I didn't think about what would happen. I just shoved him off me with all the strength I had left."Don't touch me," I snapped, though my voice shook, giving away that I wasn't calm. I backed up until the bookshelf dug painfully into my spine, nee
POV: VINEA day later, I was trying hard to pretend the world wasn't falling apart around me.I tried to go back to my normal routine. I walked across the quad with my laptop bag over my shoulder, keeping my head high.But my body was a mess. The bandages on my neck chafed against my shirt collar.My shredded soles felt like they were resting on hot coals with every step.But the physical pain was nothing compared the thing waking up inside my chest.Every time I closed my eyes, even for a quick blink against the bright sun, I felt a strange, simmering heat pulsing under my ribs.It was the exact same heavy, electric heat that exploded through my brain before my eyes turned that eerie blue in Ace’s mirror while he tried to torture me with the memories of my sister during the Vipers' initiation.It felt alive. It felt like a low fire feeding on my anger.It grew stronger and more restless every hour. I had no idea how to make it stop.I needed to clear my head. So I dragged myself to t
POV: ACEThe heavy iron door of the Vipers' locker room shut with a loud, metallic clang. The sound echoing off the steel benches.I reached down, grabbed the heavy padlock, and snapped it shut. We were locked inside.Stealing that old stone meant the threat was already here. Someone was inside the school.The Callahan Blood-Stone wasn't just some old historical item. It was a weapon.It was an anchor of pack power, made during the old war against the witches.Someone walking into the museum and stealing it meant they knew everything.They knew the security weaknesses. They knew the patrol schedule.They knew exactly how to use Vine’s kidnapping to empty the building.I knew the pack police were useless when it came to ancient secrets.They were only trained for bad wolves, fights over territory, and loud students.Now they faced a crime with the smell of burnt Emberwood ash and shattered glass.They were running around the quad like crazy, filing pointless paperwork and yelling into
POV: VINEThe annoying, steady drip of the IV machine was the only sound keeping me grounded in the room.I was propped up high against a stack of stiff, white hospital pillows in a safe, boring recovery room inside the academy's medical wing.My neck was heavily bandaged where the rough rope had scraped my skin. The cool needle in my left hand felt like it was holding me down.Clyde was sitting in a plastic chair next to the bed. Her eyes were completely red and swollen from crying for hours.She was gripping my right hand so tightly I was starting to lose feeling in my fingers.She let out a shaky breath every few seconds."I thought you were dead, Vine," she whispered. Her voice cracked. She pressed my knuckles against her wet cheek. "When the line went dead... when I heard you struggling... my heart literally stopped. If something happened to you..."I didn't answer her. I couldn't.I was completely silent. My eyes were glued to the pale moonlight cutting through the security bars
VineThe next morning, I tried to stuff as many pancakes into my mouth as I could because I thought today was going to be a very long day and I could feel Miriam's heartbreak miles away."At this point, you're going to choke on your food..." Clyde sits opposite me and places a cup of water on my ta
Ace"Who's there?" I asked, my eyes scanning The trees before I noticed some grasses that had bent like someone had stomped on them."Show yourself."An elderly man appeared, holding a small staff which he leaned on, like it were a third leg.The wind rustled across his brown colored dress shirt u
AceThe nights had come upon us like a thief, yet my team never thought of it that way.The cloud was dark, yet the moon stood out as we skated across the rink, mindlessly, practicing our hockey for the next game.The moon and local lamps shone on sweat-glistening bodies, chalk dust, and the faint
Vine"Years ago, everything was fine between my sister and me. We saw each other as sisters and shared everything. From clothes to shoes and food. There was no form of competition whatever until my father set my eyes on the Alpha's son.""What does the Alpha's son have to do with his daughters?""W







