로그인CALEB'S POVI recognized her then. The same girl from earlier. The one Thalia had helped. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice low but edged with suspicion.She shrugged lightly. “Fixing your mistake.”My jaw tightened. “What mistake?”“The one you made by not checking if anyone followed you,” she replied simply. That landed harder than I expected. Because she was right.I stepped aside, letting her in just enough before closing the door behind her again. “Why help us?”Her gaze shifted briefly to Thalia before returning to me. “Because I was curious.”“That’s not a reason.”“It is for me.” I didn’t trust that answer. But I didn’t have time to question it.“The guards won’t stay distracted for long,” she added. “If you’re leaving, do it now.”Thalia looked at her for a while before she muttered, “Thank you,” in a deep voice, still mimicking Lucien. The girl nodded and then stepped aside. That was all we needed. We moved quickly till we were far enough from the administrative
CALEB’S POVWhen I had suggested we check the Headmaster’s office, the plan had been simple: enter quickly, find what we were looking for and leave immediately. It was a risk I was willing to take. I didn't want any unnecessary attention. I had been certain of one thing: Valdren would be occupied long enough for us to get what we needed and leave.I didn't think he would return earlier than planned.Now, pressed into the dark with Thalia barely a breath away from me, I realized just how quickly our plan could unravel.Ryker Norales moved through the room with a calm that didn’t belong to someone capable of the things we had seen. There was no rush in his steps, no hesitation. He carried himself like someone who owned not just the office, but everything beyond it.And he was walking straight toward us.Thalia’s heartbeat betrayed her before anything else did. It was fast—too fast. I could feel it through the small space between us, and hear it in the silence that had suddenly grown to
THALIA’S POVFor a second, I couldn’t answer him.The question hung there, heavy and raw, echoing louder than the impact that had just thrown him across the ground. What are you?I didn’t know. And that terrified me more than the way he was looking at me now.Devon scrambled back on his feet, unsteady, his usual arrogance nowhere to be found. His gaze lingered on me like I was something he didn’t understand, something dangerous. Then he turned and ran.Not a threat. Not a warning. He just ran. The silence he left behind felt thicker than before.I lowered my hand slowly, my pulse still uneven, my body trying to catch up with what had just happened. That power hadn’t come from nowhere. I had felt it. The same thing I had tried to reach earlier.Only this time, it answered. My thoughts shifted immediately, tracing back. The platform. The failed attempts. The frustration. And then, Ragnar.I turned sharply, my eyes scanning the space behind me, the edges of the clearing, the shadows betw
THALIA’S POVThe dorm felt too quiet when I walked in, not the kind of quiet that settled the mind, but the kind that made everything feel slightly off. Ragnar’s bed was empty, and I noticed it immediately even though I told myself not to. I looked away just as quickly and dropped my things, brushing it off like it didn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. He could stay gone.Caleb was already inside, seated like he had been waiting. His gaze followed me the moment I moved, sharp and focused in a way that made it clear this wasn’t going to be a normal conversation. He didn’t ease into it either.“I know who they are,” he said.I paused, turning to face him fully. “Who?”“The shapeshifters.”That was enough to pull my full attention. The tension in my chest tightened, not from surprise, but from the way he said it with certainty. He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice even though we were alone, like the walls themselves couldn’t be trusted.“All the time I spent in the library, and
THALIA'S POV His tone made me know that it wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order. My fingers slipped into my pocket, brushing against the gem. It pulsed again, stronger this time.Destroy it. The thought came back, louder now. End it. End everything. If Valdren saw it, then everything would be over. He could kill me without a second though. My mind scrambled for excuses and as I started to pull it out, Ragnar’s voice cut in from behind me.“Lucian.” Relief hit me immediately, but I didn’t show it.Valdren turned, his attention shifting, and that same strange look flickered across his face again when he saw Ragnar. It was not one of surprise but of interest. “What are you doing here, Ragnar?” he asked.“I came to get him,” Ragnar replied easily, clearly unbothered. “He’s been gone too long and classes are about to start.”Valdren’s gaze moved between us once, slow and deliberate, before he stepped back slightly. “Both of you seem to forget where you are,” he said. “This is an academy
THALIA’S POV“You belong to me, Thalia,”Immediately those words left Ragnar's lips, my mind spun. They didn’t fade after he said them. They stayed, pressing into my chest loudly in a way I didn't understand. For a moment, I just looked at him, my mind refusing to settle on one thought long enough to make sense of anything. The memories of last night came back too quickly—Caleb’s hand at my waist, the warmth of his mouth, the way I had leaned into it before I snapped out of it like I had crossed a line I didn’t understand. I had told myself it was the ritual, that it had to be the ritual, because the alternative made no sense.And now Ragnar stood in front of me with my name carved into his skin like it had always belonged there.The first thought that came to me was to run—to abandon this whole charade and go home. Maybe escape to the human realm and live there forever. But I couldn't. This was my dream even though I was living it in my stupid brother's place. I stepped back with
THALIA Devon was toying with me. That much was obvious.He had been aching for a fight with 'Lucian' for years, and now he finally had his chance. It was no secret that Devon excelled at combat. He had been training with his father's personal guard since he was old enough to throw a punch."Come o
THALIAThe moment I had escaped from that limousine... thanks to the chauffeur's timely intervention, I had made a mental note to myself that I would avoid these two Alphas at any cost necessary.Especially Ragnar Norales. His hate for Lucian was a fiery thing that I didn't want to be at the receiv
THALIA First trials weren't supposed to start until a week after arrival. That was the standard protocol. It was due process to give students time to settle in, to learn the layout of the academy, maybe attend a few introductory classes before throwing them into combat situations. So the reason wh







