FAZER LOGINVeronica’s POVThree crumpled pieces of paper sat in the small trash bin beside my desk before I even managed to get through the first paragraph.Too obvious. My mother would see straight through it in half a second and ask why her daughter sounded like she wanted to strangle someone instead of like she was hurting.I needed her to see hurting.I set my pen down and stared at the blank page for a long moment, forcing myself to think the way my mother had taught me since I was old enough to hold a pen properly, and never write what you feel only write what gets you what you want.What I felt was rage, hot and constant, curling under my skin every time I thought about that locked classroom.What I wanted was simpler…. I wanted the girl gone.Not hurt, not humiliated, though I wouldn't have minded either of those. Gone and removed from the equation entirely, so cleanly that Deus wouldn't even have the chance to keep chasing a ghost once she was no longer standing in front of him.I picke
Tatiana’s POVI never gave Carlos an answer.I just stood there until he shook his head, muttered something about needing to get to class, and walked away from me without looking back once.I told myself I would fix it later. Find him after class and explain something, even if I didn't know what that something was yet.I didn't actually believe that.I barely slept that night, tossing under the thin blanket while Liana and Amanda whispered on the other side of the room, their voices dropping low every time they thought I was listening. I caught fragments. Deus. Locked door. West building.So, it was already spreading.By the time I dragged myself down to breakfast the next morning, I felt like I hadn't slept at all. I sat alone at the end of one of the long tables, pushing food around my plate without eating any of it, replaying Carlos's face on a loop in my head.A shadow fell over the table.I looked up, already knowing who it would be before I saw her face.Veronica slid into the s
Tatiana’s POVI woke up already regretting it.Not just the crying. Not just falling apart in front of Deus Veyra of all people, like he hadn't spent the last several months making my life a living hell.I regretted how much I told him and worse, lying there staring at the ceiling with the girls still snoring around me, I regretted how much I still wanted to tell him.That scared me more than anything else.I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and forced myself to think straight.Deus had resources, access, and a father who apparently knew something about my mother too.But Deus was also engaged and had a text message from someone threatening to expose us. He had every reason in the world to use whatever I told him against me the second it stopped being convenient.I needed to know if I could actually trust him so I decided to test him.I got dressed slowly, running the plan over in my head.A small detail, something false and specific enough that if it came back to me through Veronica, or thro
Deus POVI didn't even look at Jake's face. I looked at the phone in his hand like it was a loaded gun pointed straight at both of us."Delete it," I said again, my voice flat."It's already gone from the chat," Marcus said quickly, hands up."Not what I asked." I stepped closer to Jake, the quiet one, the one who had ratted Marcus out without blinking. "You screenshot anything?""No," he said, but his eyes flicked sideways for half a second.That was enough."If one single picture of this leaves this hallway," I said, low enough that they all had to lean in to hear me. "I will make sure every single one of you loses your spot on the team before the season even starts. I don't care what coach says. I don't care whose father sits on the board. Am I clear?"Nobody argued.Marcus shifted his weight, glancing at Tatiana, then back at me."Crystal," He muttered."Then get out."They didn't need telling twice. The three of them shuffled out the door, and I slammed it shut behind them harder
Tatiana’s POVNobody moved.The guy with the phone still had it up, the little red light blinking like it was mocking me.My whole body went cold."Turn that off," Deus said, his voice dropping into something dangerous. I had never heard him sound like that before."Why?" The guy laughed, lowering the phone just a little, but not turning it off. "Nothing wrong with a little school romance, right?""Marcus." Deus stepped forward, and the two behind Marcus actually flinched back a step. "I said turn it off.""Relax, man." Marcus finally locked the screen, but he didn't hand it over. "We were just looking for you. Coach wants everyone at the ice field in ten minutes.""Then go," Deus said flatly.The other two were already grinning at each other like they had just won something bigger than a hockey match."So, this is why you have been skipping practice," One of them, a tall guy I didn't know the name of, said, tilting his head at me. "Didn't think you had it in you, Deus. Sneaking off w
Tatiana’s POVMy hand was still on the door handle.I didn't know if I wanted to yank it open and run, or turn around and make him take it back."How did he know about her?" kept ringing in my head like a bell that wouldn't stop.Deus wasn't moving. He just stood there, watching me like he already knew I wasn't going to run.He was right.I let go of the handle and grabbed the front of his shirt instead, fisting the fabric in both hands."How do you know that name?" I asked, my voice shaking more than I wanted it to."Let go of my shirt first," he said calmly, like I wasn't seconds away from losing my mind."Answer me, Deus!" I shook him, even though shaking a Wolf twice my size did absolutely nothing."You are cute when you are angry," He smirked, and that made me want to slap the smugness clean off his face."I am not playing with you," I hissed. "Tell me how you know about Maria, or I swear I will scream so loud that the whole academy comes running here to see you pinning me agains







