LOGINVinorca Jona POV“Don’t go to school today. I’m taking you to my office with me.”I stopped mid-step on the staircase, my breath catching when I saw Dante waiting below. Two days had passed since my birthday, and for once I’d been doing okay—no anxiety clawing at my ribs, no spiraling thoughts.Masen kept his word and never called Dante. Amanda’s parents were fully contacted, and thankfully, they took the situation better than I expected. Nothing exploded.Masen and I hadn’t spoken since that day. University stayed hectic, and I was grateful for the distance. I didn’t need rumors floating around about me and a teacher, even if Amanda had her own dramatic interpretations after I told her about my coffee with him. Not even a real date.“You hearing me, Bunny?” His voice brushed over me, the nickname tightening every nerve in my body.Facing him again was its own punishment. His red eyes dragged up memories I’d spent two days trying to bury—how I’d come apart on his tongue, how he’d fini
Vinorca Jona POV“Sit here.” Masen pulled the chair out for me, the gesture catching me off guard for a second. Still, I sat.He settled into the chair across from me.“What do you want to order, sir?” I asked quietly, still unsettled after everything that had just happened.Masen gave a small smile. “Black coffee for me, with no sugar.”Yuck. His taste in coffee was pure bitterness. “Sure, sir. Give me a moment. I’ll order it and bring it over.”He nodded, and I pushed myself up immediately, heading toward the counter. I ordered his black coffee, then added a strawberry milkshake and a slice of cheesecake for myself.Everything was going to strain my wallet, but once in a while I could treat myself. I always lived poor—nothing wrong with that. When I worked hard for myself, taking a tiny break felt allowed.Within a few minutes, the order was ready. I carried everything back and set it gently on the table. “Please have it, sir.” I took my milkshake and cheesecake.“You have a sweet t
Vinorca Jona POV“I am sorry, sir.” Damn it. Why today of all days? Mistake after mistake, stacking until my head felt too tight to hold them.Nothing wanted to fall into place.“What is so important that you forget basic manners in front of a teacher?” Masen’s voice carried a low, irritated edge that lifted goosebumps across my arms.I pulled a breath in, hoping it would steady the nerves jumping under my skin. “I didn’t mean to behave like this. Usually, I’m not like this.” It was true. No teacher had ever accused me of disrespect. Yet here I was, tripping over myself like the universe wanted to see how fast I could unravel.“Oh?” he drawled, amusement sour enough to sting. “You’re being disrespectful because we met in the club yesterday? So now you don’t consider me a teacher?”His words hit harder than they should have.Why was he suddenly so… sharp? What happened to the polite gentleman from last night?“Did I do something wrong yesterday?” The question slipped out before I could
Vinorca Jona POVI pushed myself to stand, my head lowered, heat crawling up my neck. Amanda had already apologized. It should’ve been me setting things right, not hiding behind her.“No, Miss Jona. I’d rather hear your reason for disturbing my class on the first day.” Masen’s voice stayed calm, but the anger beneath it was impossible to miss.I hadn’t expected this—not from the man who’d been so sweet yesterday. Just a few hours ago, he’d spoken like everything was dipped in sugar, and now he looked ready to erupt.“What is your age, Miss Jona?”“Eighteen, sir.” Why was he asking? I clearly remembered telling him about my birthday.“And what is the legal age to begin manifesting? To have a wolf? To be considered legal in the pack—even if guardians are required until eighteen?”“Fourteen, sir.” Confusion twisted in my stomach. Everyone knew that. Fourteen—the age when wolves surfaced, the age we were treated as adults even with supervision. We werewolves got our wolves sometime betwee
Vinorca Jona POV Everyone stood up in class, me and Amanda included. “Good morning, sir.”“Settle down, please.”Chairs scraped and murmurs faded as everyone sat. The teacher’s broad back filled the front of the room, shoulders squared, his hand moving across the board in clean, confident strokes.“I’m your new teacher, Masen Kato.”The sound of his name hit me like a jolt. Masen? My pulse stuttered. Is he the same man who helped me yesterday?When he turned around, my breath caught.I’d been drunk, but I still remembered that face. How could I forget someone that generous, that… handsome?“What happened, Vin?” Amanda’s voice cut through, dragging me back.“Nothing.” The word slipped out too fast, too low. It didn’t even scratch the surface of what I felt. Nothing bad had happened, but sitting here with a man who’d literally seen me at my worst? Not exactly where I wanted to be.“Let’s have an introduction session,” he said. “So everyone can introduce themselves.”My heartbeat thudde
Vinorca Jona POV“You were out the whole night?”I froze mid-step, the words cutting sharp in the hallway. My pulse hammered against my ears, and I had known this was coming—of course I had—but knowing didn’t make facing it any easier.“Alpha Dante waited for you all night with a cake.” The head maid’s voice rasped, rough with anger. I didn’t need to see her face to know she was livid. She’d never once been pleased with me since the day I arrived here.I kept my back to her. “I didn’t know he’d have a cake for me. I was at a group study with my friend.” The lie slid off my tongue with practiced ease, though the thought of Dante waiting with a cake—of all things—made it harder to believe even myself. He never did anything without a hidden purpose.I could never be certain what cruel game he planned for me, but if he wasn’t here, I had the chance to invent excuses. That wouldn’t be possible in his presence. The last thing I wanted was to give this woman more reason to crush me when I wa







