SAME OLD ROUTINE"The school premises will be cleared until further notice."Principal Rawlings announced to the students gathered in the Pavillion. Before then, shechad not officially addressed those present. Professors called it a precaution after the attack, but some people knew it was more than that.No one had mentioned the tale Ryan and Aria bore about a Forbidden wing—they all dismissed as trauma from the attack and possible hallucinations to the extent that Kai had told Ryan and Aria to let sleeping dogs lie but he was alert, the subject fresh on his mind.By the time Aria stepped outside, the courtyard swarmed with students moving in tight groups. Guards in uniform checked lists while teachers guided clusters toward waiting shuttles."The buses will drop you off qhere your family can pick you up." Protective wards hummed faintly at the edges of the buildings, stronger than she had ever seen. In the past few days, the campus looked less like a school and more like a military
NOT HER BULLYHer throat went dry. "You don't have to answer right away." He looked away like he hadn’t just rocked her entire existence from the foundation with just two sentences. Her heart thumped faster in her chest, goosebumps crawling up her skin, he didn’t really ask her a question so she didn’t have an answer.He had also closed off the topic leaving her hanging on a balance. She needed her wolf the most but in a while she had completely gone mute and Aria couldn't feel her either."Is it something you can do?" He looked at her again, this time, his grey eyes pierced deep, her soul tilting towards his even without the usual prompting in the absence of her wolf.She wanted to say something, but the words tangled inside her. He leaned forward and propped his knees up like hers, resting his elbows on his knees, hands clasped loosely.The Alpha everyone feared looked more like a boy carrying too much weight in that moment.Aria’s voice was small. “Do you ever get tired? Of havin
NEEDING CLARITYCassie froze for half a second, caught off guard that Aria had actually spoken back. Her lips parted like she wanted to spit venom, but the hall was watching. Every eye was on them, waiting for her next move.Kai suddenly enjoyed the shoe but he said nothing. "And who told you could talk to me?" Cassie looked at Aria like she was trash. Kai was going to intervene but Aria didn’t need saving."Well miss my legs are too skinny to be covered, you're interrupting my breakfast. Like I said earlier, I didn't force him to sit here."Her voice was a pitch higher so more students heard her."He is the Alpha, he can't sit at a table with a low ranking—" Cassie’s heart drummed fast at the humiliation but Aria didn’t give her space. She cut her off.“But he did. If you’ve got a problem with that, take it up with him.” she was about to return to her food when she recalled something. "One last thing. My name is Aria."Cassie’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the respons
HE CHOSE HERThe first thing Aria felt when she opened her eyes was weight—the weight of a man's hand on her body wrapping her. His scent was familiar, she had let it lull her to sleep early that morning. "You're awake." His chest vibrated as he spoke. Kai had barely slept through the night, the chaos troubled his mind and robbed him of sleep so he stayed awake to ensure the others could sleep safely.She nodded and sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, the faint smell of medicine clinging to her clothes, she had to scrunch her nose and pinch it a little.Her eyes scanned her environment—Kevin was still asleep on the narrow cot, his breathing steady for the first time since they dragged him back. Ryan had dozed off in the corner, one hand still resting on the hilt of his dagger like he didn’t trust the world enough to let go.Aria’s mind flashed back to last night. Not the dramatic evening with Ryan and Kevin but, Kai’s voice against her ear. "Shhh. I believe you." She had clung to that l
I BELIEVE YOU Kevin was still unconscious when Aria finally sat down. His skin burned under her hand, his veins faintly glowing silver like something poisonous was running through him. Someone pressed a cloth harder against his temple, Kevin's throat tightening with every shallow breath he took.Ryan hadn’t spoken in nearly ten minutes. He sat on the far side of the infirmary, though his hands moved more out of habit than focus. His eyes were distant and shadowed.The silence pressed in until Aria couldn’t take it anymore. “Say something.” she walked over to where he sat.Ryan didn’t look up. “There’s nothing left to say.”His words hit her like a low blow. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked over her shoulder to Kevin. The boy groaned, muttering nonsense under his breath. None of it sounded like him, and each whisper made her feel more helpless.For the first time since after stepping into the Forbidden Wing, she felt truly alone. Ryan was in his head, Kevin was half gone, an
IT REACTS TO HER"What's this?" She ignored his comment on her scent and focused her attention to the book in his hand. Somehow she felt as though if she changed the subject then her reality will change as well but a certain truth gnawed at her consciousness—something about all of this was related to her.“I found this under the pedestal. It’s the only reason I knew what to look for.” Ryan flipped her thoughts and redirected her attention to him again.He flipped it open, revealing cramped writing in a dead language, jagged lines cutting across the parchment. Aria leaned closer, her throat tight.“What does it say?”Ryan pointed at a sketch, a crude drawing of the medallion with its fractured core. Beneath it, the words: The Eye of Descent.On the next page, a faceless girl knelt before a wolf wreathed in flame.Aria swallowed hard. “This…” she trailed off and looked to him for a confirmation or a response. Ryan saw it too...it had Aria's features, her stature but it could be any ave