ANMELDENXavier’s POV I couldn’t take my eyes off Silas’s neck. Just moments ago, he’d been complaining about an itch. Now… It wasn’t just an itch. It wasn’t a rash at all. It was a crest. I stepped closer before I even realized I’d moved. “Hold still.” Silas frowned. “What?” “I said hold still.” I rolled my eyes. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind but stayed where he was. I leaned in, studying the mark. It had only just finished forming. The lines were sharp and elegant, as though someone had carefully carved them beneath his skin instead of branding them there. My stomach tightened. There they were. The wings. Ancient Fae wings. The same graceful wings woven into my own crest. Only… The center was different. Where mine bore the dragon wrapped in flames, Silas’s carried a pair of elegant fangs resting between those same wings. It wasn’t identical. But it belonged to the same design. I shook my head. No… That wasn’t possible. I slowly reached up, brushing my own fingers over the side
Silas’s POV I couldn’t stop rubbing my neck. The irritation had started as nothing more than an itch. Now it burned. Every few minutes my fingers found the same spot without me even realizing it. It wasn’t unbearable, just annoying enough to make me want to scratch the skin raw. I frowned as I walked beside Steph. Ahead of us, Xavier and Angela stepped out of his suite together. His hand was wrapped around hers. Again. He hadn’t let go of it since she woke up. I watched his thumb absentmindedly brush across the back of her hand as they walked through the Academy. For some reason… It irritated me. I clenched my jaw. Why? I didn’t have an answer. All I knew was every time he touched her, something inside me tightened. Angela glanced over her shoulder. “You okay?” I looked up at her. “What?” “You’ve been rubbing your neck all morning.” She pointed out. My hand immediately dropped. “It’s nothing.” She frowned. “If you say so.” Xavier looked back at me for the briefest moment be
Angela’s POV A sharp burning sensation shot through the side of my neck, dragging me out of a deep sleep. I winced and instinctively reached up, pressing my fingers against the aching skin beneath my ear. The pain slowly eased into a dull throb. I let out a slow breath before opening my eyes. The first thing I saw was a pair of familiar green eyes staring back at me. Xavier. I knew it was him. The corner of my mouth lifted into a sleepy smile before my brain had fully caught up with the moment. He smiled back. “How are you feeling?” His voice was soft enough that it barely rose above a whisper. “You gave us a scare.” I frowned slightly. “Us?” A loud groan came from somewhere across the room. My attention shifted over Xavier’s shoulder. Steph and Silas. They were both sitting at the table only a few feet away. Steph offered me an awkward little wave. Silas… Silas was absentmindedly scratching at the side of his neck. Not just scratching though. Rubbing it. Almost the exact same w
Silas’s POV The bell echoed through the classroom. The second it rang, Steph was already on her feet. She looked toward Angela’s empty desk, then toward Xavier’s. Neither of them had come back. “They’re still gone,” she muttered. I was already walking. I didn’t even slow down at all. “Silas?” she called after me. I didn’t answer. Something deep inside me tugged. It wasn’t a voice. It wasn’t a thought. It was simply… certainty. Angela wasn’t in her room. She wasn’t wandering the academy. She was somewhere specific. I just didn’t know how I knew. The hallway filled with students pouring out of classrooms, but I barely noticed them. My feet carried me toward the elevators without hesitation. Behind me, Steph almost caught up. “Silas!” she called, weaving through the crowd. “Would you slow down?” The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside. Steph was still fighting through the students when the doors slid shut. She threw both hands in the air. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!”
Xavier’s POV The office fell silent. This silence carried too much weight. Angela sat beside me, her fingers still wrapped around mine while her other hand rested on the journal Mr. Wilson had slid across the desk. She hadn’t opened it. She hadn’t even looked at it again. She just stared straight ahead, completely lost. Mr. Wilson rose from behind his desk. For a brief moment, I thought he might say something else. He didn’t. His part in this was over. Without another word, he walked out of the office through the classroom door, leaving the two of us alone. I looked down at Angela. She hadn’t moved. “Come on,” I said softly, giving her hand the gentlest tug. “Let’s go.” Nothing. She remained exactly where she was, her eyes fixed on nothing at all. I waited another second. Still nothing. It finally hit me. She wasn’t refusing. She simply couldn’t make herself move. Slowly, I bent down in front of her. “I’m taking you to my room.” She finally blinked. Her eyes lifted to mine for
Mr. Wilson’s POV I looked from Angela to Xavier before letting out a slow breath. For the first time in a very long time, I found myself wishing I didn’t know the truth. They sat across from me in complete silence. Angela looked overwhelmed, her free hand resting lightly on the worn journal I had just placed in front of her while her other remained intertwined with Xavier’s. Neither of them seemed aware they were still holding hands. Xavier wasn’t looking at me anymore. He was watching Angela. Waiting. Ready to catch her if everything I was about to say became too much. There was no easy way to begin. No speech. No carefully chosen words. Just the truth. “All right,” I said quietly. “I’m just going to say it.” My eyes settled on Angela. “You’re not human.” The words hung between us. Angela didn’t answer. She simply stared at me, searching my face for the slightest hint that this was some terrible joke. There wasn’t one. Her breathing became uneven as the reality of those four wo







