Chapter 4: A Bond Unseen

SERENA

Droning about controlling basic spells like lighting a candle or moving a small object. Most students looked bored. I sat in the back row gripping my desk so hard my knuckles turned white.

Finn sat next to me and slid a notebook over.

"Just copy what I do for now," he whispered. "Do not worry about the fancy stuff yet."

I gave him a small smile. He was the only good thing so far. But even that did not last long. Vanessa turned around from the front row and smirked at me.

"Hey charity case. Try not to blow up the room like you did to your family."

Her friends laughed. A couple wolves in the corner joined in. I felt my face burn but I kept my mouth shut. Fighting back only made things worse.

The teacher called for practice. We had to pair up. Finn got pulled to another group before I could say anything. I ended up standing alone until the teacher pointed at Darius. "Vanguard. Pair with Blackthorn. Show her the basics."

Darius looked like he wanted to argue but he just clenched his jaw and walked over. He towered over me. Up close he smelled like pine and something sharp. My heart started racing. Not from fear only. There was that pull again.

"Touch the candle," he said flatly. "Try to light it."

I reached out slowly. My fingers shook. When I got close my power flared without warning. A purple spark jumped from my hand to the candle. It lit up bright then exploded into tiny flames that died fast. Darius stepped back quickly.

"Control yourself," he growled low so only I could hear. "Or are you trying to prove you are dangerous?"

"I am not," I whispered back. "It just happens around you. I do not know why."

He grabbed my wrist to move my hand back to position. The second his skin touched mine the power surged stronger. Purple light wrapped around both our hands for a full second. It did not burn. Darius yanked away like I shocked him. His breathing got heavy.

"What are you?" he said under his breath. His voice sounded rough.

I rubbed my wrist. The spot where he touched tingled for a long time. "I wish I knew."

Vanessa watched the whole thing. Her face twisted with jealousy. After class she cornered me in the hall while Finn was talking to the teacher. She shoved me against the wall. Not hard enough to bruise but enough to scare.

"Keep your dirty magic off Darius," she hissed. "He is going to be Alpha. He does not need some cursed Blackthorn trash messing with his head. Go back to scrubbing floors where you belong."

I wanted to push her away. But the words stuck in my throat. Years of keeping quiet made it hard to speak up. She laughed and walked off with her group.

Finn found me a minute later. "What happened? You look pale."

"Nothing new," I said. "Just more hate."

He sighed and put an arm around my shoulders for a quick hug. "Come on. Lunch time. You need to eat before the afternoon session."

The dining hall was loud and full. I got my tray and found a corner table with Finn. The food was better than anything at home but I barely tasted it.

My mind kept going back to Darius's hand on my wrist. That purple light. The way it felt. I should hate him. He was mean and scary. But part of me wondered what it would be like if he was not so full of anger.

Darius sat across the room with his wolf pack. He kept glancing my way. Not the mean way this time. More like he was thinking hard. When our eyes met he looked away fast and said something to his friends. They all turned to stare at me.

Great. More rumors.

After lunch we had combat basics outside in a big courtyard. They paired us again. This time it was supposed to be simple defense moves. No magic. Just body stuff. I ended up across from a big wolf guy from Lunar Fang. He grinned like he was going to enjoy this.

"Go easy on the weak one," someone yelled.

The instructor blew the whistle. The guy came at me slowly at first. I tried to block like they showed but he knocked me down easily. My elbow scraped the ground. It stung bad. I got up and tried again. Same thing. The third time, he pushed harder and I fell on my back. The air got knocked out of me.

"Pathetic," the guy said laughing.

Before I could get up Darius stepped in. He pushed the wolf guy aside. "My turn."

I froze on the ground looking up at him. He reached down and pulled me to my feet. His grip was strong but not rough.

"Focus," he said quietly. "Feet like this. Hands up."

He showed me the move then came at me slowly. I blocked it. Barely. But I did. For a second I felt good. Then Vanessa yelled from the side.

"Look at the witch trying to play hero."

Darius turned and glared at her. "Shut it Crowe."

That made her mad. She muttered something and walked away. Darius looked back at me. His face was close. I could see the little scar on his jaw.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked before I could stop.

He let go of my arm like it burned him. "Do not get ideas. I just do not want my pack looking bad in front of weak opponents."

But his eyes said something different. Like he was fighting himself. He stepped back and the instructor called time.

The rest of the afternoon was more classes. I stayed quiet and tried to learn. By dinner I was exhausted. My body hurt from falling. My heart hurt from all the looks. I ate fast with Finn then went back to my room.

I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling. The purple power glowed softly in my palm when I held it up. It was getting easier to call it. But it always wakes up around Darius and that scares me.

A knock came on the door. One of my roommates opened it. Darius stood there again. He looked tense.

"The headmistress wants us both. Now. Something about your blood test results."

My stomach dropped. I got up and followed him. We walked in silence down the dark halls. His shoulder brushed mine once by accident.

Whatever the headmistress had to say I knew it would not be good.

We reached the office door. He opened it and let me go first. His hand hovered near my back like he wanted to guide me but pulled away at the last second.