Se connecterTHE COST OF ENVY~MIRA'S POV~Petra and I were still laughing over one of her ridiculous stories when a knock sounded at our door.The room fell silent.We exchanged puzzled looks. Nobody ever came looking for either of us. Not here, not in this hostel."Who is it?" I called.A feminine voice answered from the other side. "I have a letter for Mira Vale."My brows lifted."A letter?"Petra looked just as confused. Normally, students only received handwritten letters from home.My heartbeat quickened.Could it be...The orphanage? Had Mother finally written to me? Or perhaps one of the younger children?Countless thoughts rushed through my mind as I stood and slowly walked toward the door.Maybe...Maybe they regretted everything they had said before I left. Maybe they no longer believed I would fail.Or maybe—I stopped myself before hope could grow too large.Taking a steady breath, I unlocked the door.A brunette girl stood outside, smiling politely. Without saying a word, she placed an
PLAYING DIRTY GAMES~RONAN'S POV~I stared at the service card resting in my palm. Kael's name was printed neatly across the bottom.One signature, one careless act of trust.Exactly what I needed. My fingers tightened around the card until the edges dug into my skin.A bitter laugh almost escaped me.I hated this. I hated every second of it.But if I kept standing still, Kael would claim Mira while Lucien and I spent the rest of our lives suffering from a bond we couldn't escape.No.I refused to become the loser in my own story."It's survival," I muttered to myself.The words sounded hollow.Still, I forced myself to believe them. After leaving Kael's room, I followed the address written on the card and contacted the supplier.Just as Kael had promised, they worked quickly.The Mist powder would arrive no later than Thursday evening.Perfect.That gave me enough time to prepare everything before Friday.Seraphina's birthday.I slipped the card safely into my pocket and walked throu
IS THAT THE REAL FEELING?~MIRA'S POV~Relief settled over me like warm sunlight after days of endless rain. I hadn't realized how badly I needed someone who would simply listen.Someone who didn't sigh whenever I spoke. Someone who didn't look at me as though my existence alone was exhausting.Petra listened.She didn't interrupt. She didn't mock me. She simply sat there, piecing everything together from my scattered words.As she listed everything Kael had done for me, my chest tightened.'Protecting me from Seraphina''Standing against his own father.''Taking me to his room to treat my injuries.''Shielding me from the disciplinary council.''Declaring in front of everyone that I was the one he wanted.'When she laid all those moments side by side, I suddenly saw them differently.None of them had been small, none of them had been accidental. He had been choosing me, again and again.A smile crept onto my face before I even realized it.Maybe...Maybe I really hadn't appreciated ev
TELLING THE ROOMMATE~MIRA'S POV~The word whore echoed through my mind long after Petra said it. It wasn't the first insult I'd ever received.People had called me useless, weak, half-blood, and worthless.But never...Never that.A lump formed in my throat. If the academy started calling me that, would I ever be able to clear my name?Would anyone even care about the truth? Petra wasn't trying to insult me.She was warning me.And somehow...That hurt even more. I lowered my gaze, blinking back the sting in my eyes."Petra..." My voice came out quieter than I intended. "I know what you're trying to say."She looked at me without speaking."But you make it sound like I don't care about another woman's feelings."I swallowed."I could never support someone who plays with a girl's heart." The memory of Seraphina's tear-streaked face flashed through my mind."Even after everything she's done to me..." I sighed heavily. "...I still don't think she deserved to be hurt like that."Petra nodd
MY HEART DROPPED~MIRA'S POV~I ran until my lungs burned.My shoes slapped against the stone pathways of the academy, each hurried step echoing louder than the frantic pounding of my heart. I didn't dare slow down. I barely even looked behind me, only stealing quick glances over my shoulder every few seconds.What if Dominic followed me?What if he wanted to continue that insane conversation?No.I couldn't listen to another word.By the time I reached the girls' hostel, every muscle in my body ached. My chest heaved violently as I stopped outside my room, clutching my stomach while trying to steady my breathing.It felt as though my entire world had been turned upside down in a single afternoon."Why..." I whispered shakily. "Why is this happening to me?"The more I replayed Dominic's words, the less sense they made.A legendary bloodline? The Ravencrest triplets? The palace? He claimed he had known about me before he even stepped into this academy.How was that even possible? I s
TOO TWISTED TO BE TRUE~MIRA'S POV~I stared at him, my mouth slightly open."...What?"The words refused to settle in my mind, why was he so obsessed with my parents?"I don't know my biological parents," I admitted quietly. "I've never met them."A grin spread across Dominic's face."Bingo."I frowned."You seriously think this is funny?""It isn't." His smile faded just as quickly. "I'm just relieved you finally said it."I folded my arms."You've completely lost me."He leaned back against the bench, studying me with an expression that was almost... sympathetic."Mira, I'm not trying to mock you.""Then what are you trying to do?""I'm trying to make you question the story you've believed your entire life." His words settled between us like heavy stones."There has to be a reason," he continued softly, "why no one knows where you came from."I looked away, that wasn't true. Mother had found me, that was enough.Wasn't it?She had discovered me abandoned in the forest as an infant
THE MATE BOND ~Mira's POV~ Nobody moved. The wind stopped as fast as it started. But something it brought stayed between us. It hung in the air, like a song note you can't hear yet. Or like right after lightning, before you hear the thunder. Lucien's words faded into the dark. 'That
THE FOREST TRIAL •••**Mira's POV**••• The list went up at seven a.m. Teams of four, assigned by rank. Everyone paired with their bloodline match, their combat level, and their pack alliance. It was neat, logical, hierarchical — the way everything at Apex Moon was organized. At the bott
WEAK WOLVES DON'T BELONG ••~Ronan's POV~•• Combat training was the one place I did not have to think. Everything else at Apex Moon required patience I didn't have — politics, scheming, the careful leadership of who owed what to whom. That was Kael's language. Lucien's game. I was good at
THE ALPHA KINGS •••**MIRA**••• "You made eye contact with them." My roommate said it the way someone says 'you touched a live wire'— like the damage was already done and she was just documenting it. Her name was Petra. Small, dark-skinned, natural hair pulled into a puff on top of her hea







