Ronan's Point Of View I should’ve walked away.That was the first thought that screamed in my head the moment I hauled Zane’s soaking, unconscious body onto the rocks.He should’ve drowned.He had no business being out here in the Cloud Sea… no training, no permission, no damn sense. I didn’t even know what possessed me to track him when the storm hit. Maybe it was that ridiculous ache in my chest the moment I sensed his scent dissolve into the water like it was being erased from the world.And that ache hadn’t stopped. Now he lay beneath me, pale and unmoving. So still. “Zane,” I growled, shaking him once. His head lolled to the side.No response.The cold wind whipped around us, and yet somehow, I was burning. My wolf was clawing inside me, pacing, restless. ‘Fix him. Fix him. Fix him.’“I don’t do healing,” I muttered under my breath, pressing my fingers to Zane’s throat. “That’s not my fucking skill.” But his pulse… it was there. Faint. Weak.His lips were turning blue.My heartb
Zane's Point Of View “You sure about this?” Charlie asked, his voice quiet, nearly swallowed by the rolling mist that clung to us like second skin. “The oysters aren't far from the shore, but this place… changes at night.”I turned to him, the cool sea breeze tugging gently at my sleeves. “I’ll be careful.”Charlie looked me over, worry tightening the corners of his eyes. “Just… don’t get too cocky. The Cloud Sea might look calm, but it’s older than the Academy. Older than most of the legends we’ve heard. It listens. It waits.”That made my stomach turn a little. “Noted,” I muttered, tightening the pearl pouch at my belt.Charlie pointed to the shimmering fog. “There are two clusters of oysters. One group’s to the left, the other to the right. If we split up, we’ll cover more ground. But keep your eyes open, and if anything moves that isn’t glowing or cute, run.”I raised a brow. “Define cute.”Charlie chuckled and raised his hand, fingers glowing faintly blue. “Before we split, let
Zane's Point Of View By the time I made it back to the dorm, the sun had dipped low beyond the forest, casting long shadows through the hallway windows. The floor tiles glowed gold, but none of that warmth reached me.I opened the door slowly, hoping Charlie wouldn’t be there.He was.Sitting cross-legged on the bed, munching on a bag of honey crisps and flipping through a glowing hologram scroll. The moment he saw my face, he dropped everything.“Oh no,” he blurted out, standing up fast. “Don’t tell me…”I offered him a tired, weak smile as I closed the door behind me.Charlie winced like I’d just confirmed everything. “Damn. I really thought he’d say yes. You two seemed so close as you said…”I wanted to say something. Tell him the truth. That Miles had said no. That it wasn’t just the rejection, but who he said yes to that cracked me in half.But the words wouldn’t come. My throat locked up, tight and dry. Instead, I forced out a quiet, “It’s fine.” Charlie frowned. “You’re a terr
Zane's Point Of View The Human Academy’s central church looked more like a palace than a place of worship.Tall white spires scraped the sky, windows of stained glass bathed the courtyard in fractured light, and the great carved doors stood open, humming with holy magic. Even the air here smelled like polished stone, ancient scrolls, and something faintly sweet, like lilies just past bloom.Charles had told me Miles would be here, attending a meeting with other council members.I had hesitated for hours before coming.And now that I stood beneath the shadows of those arched pillars, watching the steady flow of finely dressed students and professors stream out of the meeting, I questioned everything.What was I even doing?I didn’t belong here. Not in this building. Not among these bloodlines.I shifted nervously by the column, fingers clenching and unclenching the hem of my tunic. I kept my head slightly lowered, avoiding attention, hoping and praying he would walk out soon.Then I s
Zane's Point Of View Charlie looked like he was going to burst.His whole face lit up the second I said I was aiming for Ball Star. “Okay, okay, okay, this is happening! You might not have the highest chance,” he rushed out, already pacing like his brain was ten steps ahead of his body, “but you’re not hopeless. Not at all!”I raised an eyebrow. “That’s… reassuring.”“I mean that in the nicest way possible,” he added quickly. “I’ve seen worse. Way worse. You’ve got heart, presence, people eat that stuff up. And if you win? I swear, I’ll cry actual tears.”I blinked. “You would cry?”“Ugly sobbing,” he said seriously, pressing a hand to his chest. “Mascara running. Whole drama.”I chuckled, despite the nerves starting to twist in my stomach. “You don’t even wear mascara.”“I’ll start. That’s how committed I am.”I smiled… genuine, grateful. Charlie’s excitement was like a flame in the dark. It made things seem a little less terrifying. A little more possible.“Alright,” he said, clapp
Zane's Point Of View“Whether you go or not, Zane…” Her eyes narrowed as she turned. “It won’t affect the ball at all.”The door clicked shut behind Alisa like the last nail in a coffin. The silence that followed felt suffocating. Heavy. It wrapped around me like a stormcloud that refused to lift.Charlie was still leaning against the wall, trying to breathe through the pain. His shirt was singed from Alisa’s magic, his hair mussed, face bruised and trembling, but his eyes still burned with loyalty.And that broke me a little more.“I’m sorry,” I said, the words clawing their way out of my throat. “This is all my fault.”Charlie blinked at me, startled, then winced as he pushed off the wall. “What are you talking about?”I looked down at my shaking hands. “If I wasn’t here, if I hadn’t pissed her off, she wouldn’t have hurt you. She wouldn’t have even bothered showing up.”Charlie limped toward me and dropped heavily onto the edge of his bed, hissing slightly. “Zane. Stop.”“But…”“Sh