Chapter Four

Calla's pov

“Oh! Moon goddess!” I exclaimed.

The worst part about this prison was how beautiful it looked.

Ravenbane Academy rose from the mountains like something out of a dark fairy tale. Literally, this was every Harry potter’s fan dream. The buildings were made with stone, and had pointed edges that pointed up to the sky like a dare and gothic windows that caught the light and turned it silver. 

I pressed my face against the bus window, watching the gates swing open. My reflection stared back at me. 

My grey and black hair fell past my shoulders in messy waves, there were dark circles under my green eyes that used to be brighter. I looked tired. 

"First time?" The girl next to me bounced in her seat. Literally bounced. She'd introduced herself as Lyra when the bus left the main station. She had cotton-candy pink hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile that showed too many teeth. "Ravenbane's intense but you get used to it. I'm a second year student. I’m a Siren. You?"

"Witch-wolf." I grabbed my bag from under the seat. "Hybrid."

"Oh, cool! We don't get many of those. Well, we do, but not that specific combo." She stood up as the bus stopped. "What house are you in? I'm in Lunar Hall. Mostly water-based students. Makes sense for sirens, right? Though last year they put a fire elemental with us and that was a whole disaster. Someone's room flooded, someone else's caught fire, very dramatic—"

I stopped listening. The bus doors opened and I stepped out into cold mountain air that tasted like magic. Students moved around the courtyard and I even spotted some vampires with their careful grace, and fae witches with their impossible beauty.

"Calla Thorne?" A woman materialised from thin air. She was tall, elegant, with silver hair and eyes. "I'm Headmistress Kaelith. Welcome to Ravenbane."

"Thanks." I shifted my duffel bag to my other shoulder. "Where do I—"

"Orientation first, and then housing assignments." She gestured toward the main building. "Follow the other first-years. Your schedule will be distributed after the welcome ceremony."

She disappeared before I could ask anything else. Lyra grabbed my arm. "Come on! Orientation's actually fun. They do this whole magical light show thing. Last year someone familiar ate part of the display but it was still cool."

I let her drag me inside. The entrance hall was massive with vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, and floors so polished I could see my reflection. Everything screamed old money and older magic, way different from my normal human school.

We filed into an auditorium with about fifty other students. I found a seat in the back. Lyra sat next to me, still talking.

"That's Professor Nyx. She teaches combat magic. And that's Professor Chen, he does potions and he's actually hilarious once you get past the whole intimidating thing. Oh, and see her? That's—"

The lights dimmed and headmistress Kaelith walked onto the stage cutting her off.

"Welcome to Ravenbane Academy," she said. Her voice carried without shouting. Magic, probably. "You've been chosen because you're special. Because you're different. Because the traditional magical institutions couldn't or wouldn't accommodate your unique needs."

I slouched in my seat. My wrist throbbed. The rejection mark was hidden under a leather cuff, but I felt it constantly. 

"Here, you'll learn control and discipline. You’ll also learn how to manage the conflicting magics within you." Kaelith's eyes swept the room. For a second, I swear she looked right at me. "You'll also learn our most important rule…coexistence. Many of you come from prejudice. From pain. From situations that made you dangerous to yourselves and others. At Ravenbane, you leave that behind. You start fresh."

Fresh… Yeah…right. Like I could scrub away seven years of Luca's cruelty and two weeks of this hollow ache in my chest.

The ceremony continued. The professors introduced themselves. Someone demonstrated levitation magic. 

I barely paid attention.

Finally, Kaelith raised her hand. "Housing assignments will now appear on your phones. Dorms are co-ed. Suites are shared. Your roommates have been carefully selected based on magical compatibility and—"

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out. When I saw my housing assignment, the phone slipped from my fingers and clattered onto the floor.

Lyra picked it up. "Ooh, Crescent Hall! That's the nice one. You got a suite too, lucky. Let me see who—" She stopped and looked at me. "Oh. Oh shit."

"This is a mistake." I grabbed the phone back. "This has to be a mistake."

"Magical assignments are binding," she said quietly. "They use some old spell to match students. It's supposed to be perfect."

"It's not perfect. It's a nightmare." I stood up. Several people turned to look. I didn't care. "Where's the housing office?"

"Calla, wait—"

But I was already pushing past people, out of the auditorium, down a hallway. I found a directory on the wall. Housing Office, third floor. I took the stairs two at a time. The office was small. 

A bored-looking vampire sat behind a desk, filing her nails. "I need to change my housing assignment," I said.

"Can't help you." She didn't look up.

"I haven't even explained—"

"Don't need to. Assignments are magically determined and binding for the first term. No exceptions. It’s policy."

"One of my assigned roommates is my rejected mate and a boy!"

That got her attention. She looked up, eyes widening. "You're the Thorne girl. The one everyone's talking about."

Great. I’m famous, even here. "Please," I said. "There has to be something—"

"The chancellor handles special cases. Her office is on five." The vampire went back to her nails. "But she won't change it. The magic chose your placement and fighting it just makes things worse."

I took the stairs to the fifth floor and knocked on a heavy wooden door.

"Enter." Kaelith sat behind a desk covered in papers and glowing orbs. She looked unsurprised to see me.

"Miss Thorne. I wondered how long it would take."

"My housing assignment…Luca Vale is my rejected mate and a boy. You can't put us in the same room."

"Suite," she corrected. "You'll have separate bedrooms. Common areas are shared."

"I can't live with him. The bond—the rejection—" Words failed me. 

 She stood. "You'll stay in your assigned suite. You'll learn to coexist with your roommates. And perhaps, Miss Thorne, you'll learn something about yourself in the process."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you'll be expelled and sent home." She smiled. It wasn't kind. "Your choice."

I left before I said something I'd regret. My magic crackled under my skin. Sparks jumped between my fingers. I shoved my hands in my pockets and headed for Crescent Hall. The building was nicer than the others and I found room thirteen on the second floor. The door was already open.

Music played inside. Something with a heavy beat. The common room was spacious. Couch, chairs, a small kitchen area. Three bedroom doors, all closed except one. Through it, I saw him. Luca.

He was shirtless, and unpacking a box. His back was to me, muscles moving under tanned skin. The rejection mark covered his wrist and black lines spread up his forearm like tattoos. He turned around.

The severed bond throbbed and Luca's mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Did you miss me, Calla?”