Chapter 19 Mr Collins takes his place on the podium and the room falls silent. Anger radiates from him and I'm unsure if it's at my outburst or for some other reason. “Thank you all for arriving here promptly and I apologise for the disturbance but this is not a matter that can wait. This morning
Chapter 20 I quickly close my eyes again and try to keep my breathing even, feigning sleep. I don't want to face Mr Collins right now. I'm still hurt and I'm too embarrassed at my reaction to his stunt. He won that round and broke me. I won't let him see me weak again but need time to compose myse
Chapter 21We sit at Dot’s table for dinner. Damien joins Sunny and another group at the next table. Sunny gives me a small wave, which I return. I choose a carbonara-type dish with garlic bread and chocolate cake for dessert. Dot is unusually quiet, she avoids eye contact with me and I start to fee
June teaches me some breathing exercises and calming techniques that involve diverting my thoughts from triggering situations to happy memories. She goes through some group exercises that involve a lot of touching, which is kind of uncomfortable in front of June, but the guys don't seem phased by it
Chapter 22 I wake in the morning, 5 minutes before my alarm is due to go off. Nerves flutter in my abdomen at the thought of what today will bring. I practice some of the breathing techniques that June taught me before a panic attack can fully take me in its grip. “I've got this. Everything is go
Chapter 23 The men move silently. A group of about 12 standing side by side. My heart beats wildly in my chest. Here we go. I spot Theo in the line of men, he gives me a reassuring smile and motions for me to breathe. The seer walks down the line of men, she stops in front of Theo and places a hand
Chapter 24 I slam the door to my room and fling myself onto the bed, burying my face into my pillow and screaming all my frustration into it. Why would I get Mason as a bond? He hates me almost as much as I hate him. I can't believe I almost felt sorry for him! I thought maybe I'd misunderstood him
Chapter 25 I sway my hips to the music as I slowly begin to undress. Luke’s eyes flash with a blue glow as he watches me, enraptured. “You seem to be wearing far too many clothes, Mr Weston,” I say when I get down to nothing but my plain black underwear. Luke moves quickly. Getting to his feet an
Chapter 15** Harper’s POV **Fear trickles down my spine as I stand in the dark apartment. I’ve been slightly afraid of the dark since living in those underground tunnels, buy I refuse to let the fear control me. I take a steadying breath and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. With every passing h
Chapter 14** Harper’s POV **Demi looks different today. She has a glow about her and her smile is brighter.“How is life with your bonds?” I ask.We texted yesterday, and she told me the names of her bonds, but I have yet to see them.“Oh moons, last night was amazing! I was so nervous but they we
Chapter 13** Harper’s POV **After class, we wait for Dillon by the door. He rounds the corner a few moments later and I smile. I’ll never get bored with seeing his eyes light up whenever he notices me.“Hey, are we ready to do this?” he asks as he approaches.“Yes, although I’m not sure what exact
Chapter 12** Harper’s POV **The dining hall is not as busy this morning. I suspect it will get more crowded as students wake up, but for now it’s manageable. We join the small queue together and I’m already missing my dad’s famous pancakes that he would make almost every morning for the whole fam
Chapter 11** Dillon’s POV **Harper is an angel, or maybe a devil is a more fitting description, because seeing her in these tiny pieces of fabric makes me want to sin. I feel bad for looking at her whilst she sleeps, but I can’t pull my eyes from her. She had fallen asleep about an hour ago. I kn
Chapter 10** Harper’s POV **Having Dillon and Archie’s hands on me is bliss. I had felt so out of place in the dining hall, but here, with these two, I feel home. It’s as if their touch alone can strengthen me, and make me more myself. The guys don’t go further than touching. Archie grazes my ni
Chapter 9** Archie’s POV **Something is wrong with Harper. She is trying to pretend everything is fine, but I can sense her growing anxiety.Was Dillon right? Is she nervous about bonding with us? I want her, badly. I’ve dreamed about her every single night for over a year, but I can wait as long
Chapter 8** Harper’s POV **Getting our uniform takes over an hour, as it seems half of the new students had the same idea to come now like us. By the time we have it, it’s almost time for the dining hall to open. We head back up to our room to drop off our new uniform and we walk in to find Dillo
Chapter 7** Harper’s POV **Once all my belongings are in my room, Archie leaves to go unpack his stuff while I unpack mine. A large white envelope, with my name scrawled across the front, is on top of one of my boxes. Inside, I find my academy issue phone and some information booklets with a camp