DANEI didn’t care about school. Not today. I couldn’t sit still in class. My hands twitched. My leg wouldn't stop shaking. Kane was the same.We couldn't just wait for Sierra, Zane, and Lila to come back. We had to do something.I whispered to Kane before class. “I’m going after her, man. To the source of magic. I don’t care if I get expelled.”Kane looked at me. “Me too. But where?”We’d heard whispers in the woods. About a witch. A rogue. Silva. Said she wasn’t friendly. But she had power. Real power.During lunch, we made our plan. “We head into the woods after school. Find Silva.”Kane nodded. “Even if she eats us alive.”We waited for the bell with our hearts pounding.Later, we slipped out of school without anyone really noticing. We moved quickly, keeping our heads down.“Think they’ll call Mom and dad?” Kane asked as we crossed the parking lot.“I don’t care,” I muttered. “Let them. We’ll be back before anyone figures it out.”We had told them we were going to a counseling se
SIERRAI woke up slowly, my head resting on Zane’s chest. His arms were wrapped tightly around me, warm and steady, like a shield against the world.“You’re okay,” he whispered, his lips brushing against my hair.I closed my eyes for a second and let myself believe him. Just for a moment.“I’m right here,” I whispered back, holding onto him like he was the only real thing in the world.He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. I felt the way he relaxed, just a little, like he was grateful I was still there. Like the world outside didn’t exist.For that small second, it was just us.No dungeons.No threats.No magic.No pain.Just Zane and me.Then a voice sliced through that peace like a knife dipped in ice.“Well, well. Awake already?” Ariel’s voice echoed through the cold room.I sat up fast. My heart slammed against my chest.She stood at the edge of the cell, her long dark dress dragging across the floor, her eyes full of amusement. And beside her…“Lila!” I shouted, scrambling to my
THANEI stood frozen.The principal was still on the ground, unconscious. His face pale, his mouth slightly open. I hadn’t touched him. I just… snapped. My voice changed. My eyes. The Lycan in me had surfaced.I turned to Maya slowly. “I didn’t mean to.”She grabbed my arm. “Thane, we have to do something. Someone’s going to walk in.”“I didn’t touch him,” I said again, my voice low, almost to myself. “I just… lost control.”“We need help,” she said. “We can’t leave him like this.”A minute later, a school nurse rushed in. “What happened?”“He fainted,” Maya said quickly. “He just… dropped.”The nurse checked his pulse. “He’s alive. But he’s ice cold.”I stepped back, keeping my hands behind me. I could still feel the heat in my chest, the leftover energy from my shift trying to break through.“I saw him when he attacked the principal. He is…. not….human!” A student yelled out.“Fuck! He must have seen what happened!” I muttered to myself. Trying to cajole him, I moved closer to him b
ZANE“I’m not doing it,” I said, staring Ariel straight in the face.She raised a brow, amused. “Oh? Are you sure, Zane?”“I’m not rejecting her,” I said again, louder this time. “No matter what you do.”Ariel rolled her eyes. “You really think I brought you two here just to let you disobey me?”“I don’t care what plan you think you have,” I snapped. “You’re not going to break us.”She smirked. “Break you? Oh, Zane. I don’t need to break you. You’ll do it yourselves.”“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.“I’m not stupid,” she said, crossing her arms. “I know what kind of bond you two have. That’s why I’m going to let you see each other one last time. Catch up. Say your goodbyes.”“Don’t play games,” I warned.“Oh, I’m not,” she said with a twisted smile. “You want to see her, don’t you?”I didn’t answer.She turned to the guards. “Take the younger one. Lila. Put her somewhere safe.”“No!” Sierra yelled from the other side of the room.Ariel turned toward her. “Relax. She’s just be
THANEI walked into the school office with Maya beside me.She looked exhausted. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying all night. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and she wore one of my jackets because she had been too distracted to pick out her own. She hadn’t slept. Neither had I.The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed softly. The office smelled like paper and floor polish, and the ticking clock on the wall was louder than it should’ve been. Everything felt… tense. Like the walls themselves knew something was wrong.A woman at the front desk looked up quickly when she saw us. She was in her late forties, with glasses that hung low on her nose and a nervous smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.“Mr. Thane?” she asked.“Yes,” I said with a short nod. “We were called in.”She straightened in her seat, quickly shuffling some papers on her desk like she didn’t know what to do with her hands. “Yes, of course. Please, right this way. The principal is waiting for you.”Maya
SIERRAIt was all fake.The walls, the hallway, the torches… even Zane.Gone.I stood in the middle of that cold, empty room, staring at the chains on the ground.I whispered, “There was never a castle.”Everything shimmered around me.And then it disappeared.The walls melted into air. The floor beneath me turned back into dirt. I was outside.In the woods.I stumbled back in shock.There was no building.No room.No real anything.A trap. From the start.“Sierra!”My head whipped around at the sound of my name.I saw her.Ariel.And beside her, in a glowing cage made of bright, swirling magic, was…“Lila!” I shouted.She looked up at me. Her eyes wide. Scared.“Let her go!” I screamed. “She has nothing to do with this!”Ariel laughed. Loud. Cruel. “Oh, you poor thing. Still so heroic.”“Please,” I begged. “She’s not part of this. She didn’t ask for any of it!”“Oh, but she did,” Ariel said, smirking. “You think you’re the only one with power? Your little sister is gifted too. I want