Message From The Grave

Morraine's POV

Daimon’s face froze.

Around us, the whispers erupted like a sudden wave crashing against the shore. I felt the air in my lungs turn to ice. Right... maybe I just did something completely, utterly foolish. But it was too late to back down now.

"Come sit with me," the girl in front of me hissed, her voice frantic as she grabbed my sleeve. "He is Daimon Ashford."

The name hung in the air for a terrible second before it finally clicked.

Ashford.

As in Ashford University?

I stared at him, my heart leaping into my throat. The veins in Daimon's neck stood out, his knuckles turning stark white as his fists clenched. His eyes... for a fraction of a second, they looked almost bloodshot, a dark, primal red blooming in his irises.

Was he actually going to punch me? Right here in front of everyone?

"Hey! What's going on over there?"

The professor’s sharp voice sliced through the suffocating tension. The moment the rest of the class turned toward the podium, I grabbed my bag, slid out of the seat and slipped into the empty chair next to the girl who had warned me. I kept my head down, desperately trying to escape Daimon's burning, predatory glare.

Once the lecture finally started, the girl leaned in slightly. "I am Evelyn Crow," she whispered, offering a small, reassuring smile.

"Morraine," I whispered back. "Morraine Ashwood."

We exchanged a brief look before turning our attention to the board. But for the next three hours, I couldn't focus on a single word. I felt an icy prickle on the back of my neck. Every time I dared to glance back, Daimon was sitting in the exact same spot, his eyes locked onto me. He didn't blink. He didn't take notes.

He just watched.

When the bell finally rang, the lecture hall began to empty, but Daimon didn't move an inch.

"Come on, I will escort you out," Evelyn said, slinging her designer bag over her shoulder.

I grabbed my tote bag and followed her, trying to look braver than I felt. But the moment we stepped into the grand, arched hallway, my stomach plummeted.

I don't even know how he did it....he had been sitting behind us...but Daimon was already standing there, waiting. His hands were shoved casually into his pockets, flanked by his two towering shadows.

"Evelyn. Stay out of this," Daimon warned, his voice low and scraping like gravel.

Evelyn didn't back down. She stepped slightly in front of me. "Daimon, let this one slide. She’s completely new. She doesn't know you."

I stood there, feeling incredibly small, silently praying the arrogant prick would actually listen to her.

Daimon was quiet, his dark eyes scanning me, weighing his options. For a second, I thought he might actually walk away.

Then, he burst into a dark, mocking laugh. It wasn't a warm sound... it sent a shiver straight down my spine.

"Why are you suddenly protecting her?" Daimon sneered, leaning in slightly. "Is she a new pack member?"

Pack? I blinked, thoroughly confused.

"No, she isn't," Evelyn replied, her voice dropping into a low, dangerously quiet register that sounded entirely unlike her. "But she's innocent. Let her be."

Pack? I thought, my mind racing to make sense of the word. Is this some kind of elite school cult? With rich kids, you honestly never knew what kind of weird, exclusive societies they ran.

Daimon didn't say another word. He just walked right past us, his shoulder brushing mine, casting one last, chilling glance over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I’d been holding.

"Oh, thank god."

"Don't thankGod yet," Evelyn said, her expression dead serious as she watched his retreating figure.

"Why?" I asked, my heart still hammering. "He walked away."

"Well, for starters, Daimon has never once listened to a word I've said," Evelyn turned to me, her eyes clouded with worry. "And secondly... Daimon barely ever laughs. But he laughed twice today. Because of you."

I swallowed hard, the weight of her words sinking in. I muttered a quick goodbye and hurried back to my dorm, my boots pounding against the stone floor as I tried to shake the sudden, overwhelming feeling of being hunted.

An hour later, I was sprawled out on my dorm bed, my head throbbing with a brutal headache. The exhaustion of the flight, the move and the sheer terror of my first day had finally caught up to me.

Feeling completely overwhelmed and utterly alone, I pulled out my phone. Out of pure, aching habit, I opened my W******p and clicked on the contact pinned at the very top of my list.

Mom.

My fingers trembled as I began to type into the empty chat box.

Hey mum, uhh... so I kinda annoyed a really big guy in this school today. I think he's gonna make my life really hard here.

I stared at the screen, a hot tear spilling over my eyelashes and tracing a wet path down my cheek. I waited. But I knew the truth.

She would never reply. She was gone. Cancer had stolen her, and I was entirely alone in this cold, hostile world.

I stared at the screen through a blur of tears, wishing with every fiber of my being for a miracle. Hoping, foolishly that maybe she could text me from heaven.

And then, my breath caught.

At the very top of the screen, right under her name, the status changed.

typing...

I squinted, rubbing my eyes fiercely. I snapped them open and bolted upright on the bed, my heart slamming against my ribs like a trapped bird.

How? How is she typing?!

My phone buzzed in my hand.

Mom: You always get into trouble, baby. Don't worry, I will send someone to handle it for you.

My heart didn't just drop...it froze in my chest.