LOGINNivia's POVI fell out of the silver light and hit the ground hard.Cold marble under my palms. The smell of old wood. The soft yellow light of the beams above me. I lifted my head.The Lab.I was on the floor of the old Science Lab at Oakwood Academy.For a second, I didn't believe it. My mind couldn't hold the shift between the jungle and the confined building. My hands were shaking. My throat tasted like salt from crying in the cave.Mateo landed beside me with a low groan. Claire tumbled out next, sprawling on her back, her hair a wild tangle across her face. Justin came through last. He landed on his feet, staggered, then went still.The silver door in the air behind him closed with a soft snap.The laboratory was warm. Too warm after weeks of jungle air.I smiled, grinning from ear to ear.We made it. We were back, at last!"You look terrible." A voice spoke up.It was calm. Familiar. My head snapped up.Alpha Jaxon stood at the laboratory's door in a crisp white shirt with the
Justin's POVNivia knelt at the edge of the stone ring with her palm on the floor. Her hair had fallen forward and I couldn't see her face. Her shoulders shook once, and I felt that shake somewhere behind my chest before I remembered I didn't want to feel it right now.The mate bond didn't care what I wanted.I hated that.The gash on my forehead throbbed with every heartbeat. My ribs felt bruised from where the creature had knocked me down. None of that hurt as much as looking at the small curve of her spine and knowing where my hands used to fit against it.Mateo was crouched in front of her with his hand on her shoulder. His shirt was dark with dried blood. He was murmuring something to her I couldn't hear.The image slammed into me before I could stop it. Nivia in the moss. Mateo's mouth against her throat. Her fingers curled into his hair. My knuckles had cracked so loud last night I was surprised the whole forest hadn't heard.I looked away."Get up," I said, and my voice came o
Nivia's POVDawn came slowly.The silver dome around us faded on its own once the creatures stopped clawing at it and left. One moment it was there, thick and glowing, and the next it was gone. My hands dropped to my sides and I nearly dropped with them.Mateo caught me by the waist before I could hit the ground."Easy," he whispered. "I've got you."His shoulder was bleeding through his shirt. He was holding me anyway.Justin stood a few feet away with his palm pressed to the gash on his forehead. His grey eyes had been on me since the light faded, but he had not spoken a single word.Claire sat in the dirt with her arms wrapped around her knees, watching me the way you watch something you don't understand. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line.None of them was looking at me the same way they had yesterday."What was that?" Claire finally whispered."I don't know.""You have to know, Nivia. That came out of your hands.""I don't know, Claire." My voice cracked. "We were in danger.
Nivia's POV The noise started in my head like a low buzz. It came from inside me, like a wire pulled tight behind my ribs, vibrating with a warning I couldn't shape into words. My eyes flew open. The tent was dark. The kind of dark you only get in the middle of the night when the fire has almost gone out. Above me, the woven leaves of the roof rustled softly, but there was no wind. Mateo's arm was heavy around my waist. His breath was warm against my hair. Slow. Steady. He was deep asleep. I looked down at my body. My shirt was back on. So was my skirt. My boots were placed neatly beside my head. He'd carried me back. He'd dressed me before he brought me here. Something soft cracked inside me at the thought. The buzz in my head sharpened though, and I couldn't hold onto softness right now. On the other side of the tent, Claire was curled up in a tight ball under a blanket, her back to me. Her breathing was slow. Still asleep. My eyes scanned the tent. Justin's sle
Mateo's POVThe moment her lips touched mine. Fireworks exploded in my head.This wasn't like our first kiss against the tree. Or the second one in the shelter during the rain. This was different. It was softer, slower, like she meant it this time.My hand slid into her hair and I kissed her back. Gentle at first, then deeper as she opened her mouth against mine. She tasted like salt from her tears. Her hand slid down my chest and gripped the fabric of my shirt.I pulled back just enough to breathe."Niv, are you sure? Because if you're not, I'll stop right now and we'll just sit here. I mean that."She looked at me. "I don't want to think anymore, Matty. I want to feel something that's just mine. Something I chose.""You choosing me?""Right now, yes." Her voice trembled but her eyes were steady."Is it because he hurt you?" I searched her eyes."No," she shook her head. "it's because I want you." The words felt like a dream. I knew she was making this choice just for tonight. But
Mateo's POVI watched her walk into the trees.Justin's voice came from behind me, low and tight. "Let her breathe, Mateo. She needs space.""Yeah."I nodded. I meant it in the moment. She did need space. And Justin was standing there with Claire's tears still drying on his shoulder, so who was I to argue with the great Alpha's son about what Nivia needed.I stood there for a solid ten seconds. Watching the spot where the trees had swallowed her up.Then I walked after her.I found her sitting against a fallen log, arms wrapped around her knees, her forehead pressed to them. She was crying quietly, the kind that shook her shoulders and made no sound at all.I sat down beside her in the dirt, close enough that our shoulders touched. She didn't look up. I didn't say anything. Sometimes people needed to be reached for, and sometimes they needed you to just sit there and let them come to you when they were ready.I waited.After a few minutes, she wiped her face with the back of her wris
Nivia POV. I made no move to hand my keys over. She grew impatient and began to search me. Claire patted me down, front and back. Dipping her hands into every pocket and every fold of my hoodie and joggers. Finally, she felt the keys in the back pocket of my joggers. Zipping it open, she pulled
Nivia POV.I stare, frozen, my eyes fixed on the chalkboard.Who had done this?The answer came to me easily. It was Claire. It had to be Claire.No one cared enough about me to bother with such silly jokes.How did I go from being invisible to being ridiculed?I didn't want the publicity. Especia
Nivia POV. "Can you go to the dining hall alone? I'll put my books together and come to meet you," I told Mateo. Coming out of his emotional state, he gave me a curt nod. Turning around, I walked back to class. In my hands, I still held the tube Justin had just gifted me. With each step I to
Nivia POV.I lay on my bed, gazing up at the ceiling.Thirty minutes had passed since I returned to my room.Immediately I got back, I took off Rachel's dress and tossed it in my laundry basket. Using wet wipes, I cleaned off my makeup and let down my hair from the bun. After which I donned my nigh







