Kiss Me Before The Sky Falls

Mira's POV I held the metal pole above my head in the bullet train and stared out the window. Buildings blurred past. Josh stood beside me, scrolling through his phone. His school bag dangled on his left shoulder. I wasn't really focused on the buildings. My mind was on the joint trial for The Inter-School Shifter Warrior Selection. Every strong school in the region sent their best candidates. The judges pulled the top fighters from the pool and placed them in an elite combat program. It was brutal and prestigious. It was everything I wanted. I tore two application forms before I finally submitted. The problem was the rule printed in bold at the bottom of the form. ~Weak candidates are not eligible to apply.~ I was an Omega. Unable to shift. My kind was weak and powerless in this society, but I applied anyway. Secretly. I had trained every morning before school for two years. My knuckles had bled on the punching bag in our garage. My legs had given out on runs I refused to sto

Mira's POV We arrived at Ironridge Academy by bus the next day. Josh sat beside me and pointed out buildings to me. He had been here before. The students here were built differently. Not just physically, though that was part of it. It was the way they carried themselves. The confidence. The aura around them. . . I gripped my bag strap and followed Josh off the bus. Registration was in the main hall. Students from my school, Westhill Schools, stuck together. A girl in a shirt with an Ironridge badge looked at me as I walked past. Her eyes moved from my face to my neck. Looking for a brand. She found nothing. Her expression shifted. Not hostile. Worse. Dismissive. She turned back to her friend and said something low. Her friend glanced over. They both looked at me and wrinkled their noses in disgust. I kept walking. I stuck close to Josh. Soon, I was separated from him to check into a girls' dorm. We would have drills in the afternoon. Sparring and group exercises in the evening

Mira's POV The crowd pulled back to give us space.I rolled my neck and flexed my wrists. My ankle was still throbbing from the leopard fight. My forearm had a long red scrape from where I had hit the ground. I did not look at either injury. Looking at things made them hurt more.Caden stood across from me and tied up his hair. The instructor held his whistle close to his mouth. "You both know the rules."Neither of us responded.He blew the whistle. Caden shifted right away.I was curious to see what he would shift into. The shift rolled through him like a tide. His body expanded. His shoulders pushed outward and his spine lengthened and from his back, rising and spreading in one slow continuous movement, came wings. A winged lion stood across from me. Its head came up to my chest. Its mane was dense and dark. Its wings were half open, not fully extended, and even at half extension they reached further than my arms could span.The crowd cheered harder than they did for the leopard

Mira's POVI sat on the edge of the medic bed. My gaze was fixed on the paper. The handwriting was sharp and confident with thick strokes. I still couldn't believe the words on the page.We need to talk? About what??My thumb traced the edge of the paper. What could Caden possibly want from me? It made no sense that he would send this to me.The memory of his voice after the fight still burned in my mind. Omegas belong in the peace zone. He hadn't even looked sorry. Felt like he was stating a fact. I couldn't forget that he had capitalised on my momentary loss of concentration."So why call me out now?" I muttered, staring at the wall.Was he trying to apologize in private?The rumor about Caden's mate flashed through my mind. The whole camp was buzzing with it. I dropped the paper on the bed. Caden's name was like a prayer now in everyone's mouth. Who could his mate be? I had no idea. It would certainly be some high-blood shifter with perfect lineage and a spirit animal that matche

Caden's POVThe training yard was empty, except for me and my friends. This was our style. We stayed back to practice more after everyone else had gone to their dorm. Nobody worked harder than us in the whole of Ironridge.I rolled my shoulder and advanced towards Riven. My grip tightened on the blade hilt. Across from me, Theo reset his stance, leaning slightly forward.I crossed swords with Riven, knocking down his blade in a swift move. Then I evaded Theo's advance. I twisted away from his attack and had my blade at his throat. Clean and fast.Theo exhaled. "One day I'll figure you out."Bastian laughed from the fence where he was lifting dumbbells. "You've been saying that for two years now."Cael said nothing. He was sharpening the edge of his short blade with a whetstone.Riven picked up his blade. "Let's go again."We circled one another. Riven to my right. Theo to my left.Theo charged first. I blocked his strike. Then I bent and kicked his legs. He groaned and dropped his bla