Healer Theresa walked me to the cottage and—yeah… I was definitely the center of attention. Considering my health condition, I wasn't yet allowed to join the others. I couldn't see my friends.
I entered the cottage and was led to the smallest room at the end of the hall. It was cozy despite only having a bed and a small wardrobe. The window was tiny—barely the size of a nostril.
"Get some rest. You're excused from the initiation event. You can rejoin your friends when it's time to go home," said Healer Theresa with a gentle smile. "Please don't ignore my instructions, Bernice."
"Yes, Healer Theresa."
She hadn't even left the room yet when we suddenly heard a loud shout from somewhere else in the cottage. Healer Theresa and I exchanged looks.
"Get some rest, Bernice," she said quickly, hurrying out and shutting my door behind her.
There was no mistaking it—that was Alpha Gibson's furious roar. I could feel his wrath c
During detention, I could hear Genesis groaning and sighing constantly as he swept the dry leaves nearby. I was busy trimming some bushes to make them more aesthetically pleasing. Today's detention was exhausting and felt like pure torture, especially after the fight we had yesterday.Luckily, no one reported it to the teachers—if they had, the detention might have lasted until the end of the semester.Genesis walked over and leaned on the broomstick."What shape are you trying to make?" he asked, frowning."Alpha Dunstan specifically asked for a star shape.""Ah, right..." Genesis nodded. "That looks like a star that burned through the atmosphere and turned into a weird blob.""Shut up.""It's art. I can appreciate that."I just shook my head at his sarcastic comment. He pulled off his glasses and tucked them into his shirt pocket."Why do you wear glasses if you don't need them?" I asked."Style." Genesis
Ugh!My whole body aches as if I'd been beaten up by a dozen wolves. Usually, pain like this fades within an hour or two, but today it's lasted all day. It feels like hell.I forced myself to sit on the edge of the bed and rub my aching, numb shoulder. If it stays like this, I'll have to go to the infirmary and ask for painkillers.I stood up and headed for the door, but then I saw the journal in the bottom drawer of the nightstand. I opened it. Inside were pages full of erotic sketches—my own drawings. The subject? Bernice.'This'll be a huge problem if anyone finds out you're a pervert.'My wolf, Eldar, said disapprovingly.'I'm ashamed to be your wolf.'"Hey, everyone has their secrets. Don't judge—nobody's perfect in this world."'Zach, what part of your soul is actually healthy? Bernice is your mate, yet you pretend she isn't. Nevertheless, you draw her naked almost every day. Seriously, I'm worried about
My mind racing, I followed Luna Hester into the principal's office. I was sure that Alphas Gibson and Hartwin would be there, as they were part of the Academy Council.A bad feeling crept over me. Was I about to be interrogated again? Especially after the fight and everything that had happened between Jasher and me, it would all come out soon.It all felt pointless. Why had I even come back to the academy? Just to be humiliated again?But when I stepped into the office, it wasn't what I expected. The only people there were the principal and a young man in his early twenties. Several guards stood behind him.Who was he?Clearly, I had been wrong. Still, being around strangers made me nervous.I entered and gave a polite nod. The man looked at me and nodded in return. His eyes held a mournful gleam."Bernice, this is Alpha Alec. He was Miss Olive's fiancé," said Luna Hester.God. I couldn't hide my nerves and sat stiffly a
I didn't know exactly what happened to Maggie, but one thing was sure: the murder victim found in the forest was her.Was that really the tragic end she had to meet?Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.I didn't talk to Paige, Piper, or Aggy about it. They were already frightened after finding out that Miss Olive had been murdered. If they found out that another one of my old classmates had been killed, it would terrify them even more.It's as if the God of death is following me everywhere.But something in my gut tells me that the one who killed Maggie was none other than King Max.Zach, Genesis, and Jasher agree.I just don't understand the motive. Was it a coincidence that he ran into Maggie? Or was there something more?"Bernice!"Maggie's shout startled me while I was organizing books in the back room of the library. She looked panicked and pointed toward the exit."They're fighting in the gymnasium!
A sense of unease gnawed at me. Why was I going through this again? Once again, my mate had caught the attention of King Max. First, he took Yasmin from me. Now, he's after Bernice?No, I'll protect her. Even if it costs me my life.I slumped down, exhausted from scrubbing the Moon Goddess temple. This detention was brutal, especially since Luna Dawn ordered Paige, Bernice's friend, to cast a temporary spell. The spell sealed away my werewolf strength, leaving me as weak as a human.Zach and Genesis were suffering the same fate.Cleaning the temple was a complete drain on my energy.I spotted Shirley walking down the path, heading straight for me. There was no way she had come there for prayer. She was obviously here to see me."What do you want?" I asked tiredly.She held out a cold can of soda. I shook my head firmly."I asked what you want.""How long are you going to keep this up?" she snapped. "Protecting that anoma
I held myself back the entire ride from punching either Genesis or Zach. Just seeing Bernice sitting in the front seat with Zach made my blood boil. To make matters worse, Genesis had no problem touching her hair or speaking gently to her the entire time.Yeah, I knew I had to put this whole thing aside for now.But Bernice is still my friend! This is killing me!The car finally passed through the academy gates just as dinnertime began. The guards immediately opened the gate and escorted the vehicle all the way in.Great! Another storm's about to hit.Alpha Jace and Alpha Dunstan were already rushing out of the main building to meet us in the parking lot. Their faces were as hard as a stone.As soon as we stepped out of the car, they were shocked to see that Bernice had returned with us."Bernice? Are you all right?" Alpha Jace asked.Bernice lowered her head and nodded weakly. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I caused trouble.""We n