Adelaide“Smile!” the photographer called out.I wrapped my arms around Claire, pulling her closer, and gave my best smile for the camera. It was the best I could do. After all, this group picture would be hanging on the walls of Lunar Hall. The bright flash went off, and for a split second, his face appeared in my mind—Alaric.I blinked, trying to shake the thought away. His personality, his presence…there was something unique about him that I had never seen before in anyone. His glow, his kindness, his innocence—and Mom wanted me to destroy that.It had already been a few weeks since I’d last seen him, and I had been doing everything I could to avoid him. Honestly, it wasn’t that difficult. Alaric was mostly surrounded by guards, and even if he wasn’t—I was sure he’d respectfully just stay out of my way.Maybe I was insane, but I wanted to be around him—and at the same time, I knew I couldn’t because I had to protect him.Every time he was near, I could sense it somehow. It didn’t m
AdelaideJames had his arm wrapped around my waist as we entered the classroom for Elite training. He always held me close, like he was proud to show me off—but at times like this, I hated it.Times when Jane couldn’t stop glaring at me…She always had that same look on her face, like she wanted to burn a hole through me—and I couldn’t blame her for feeling the way she did. She believed in mates, and she believed he was hers. In her eyes, I took what belonged to hers.I glanced at James, who was too calm and didn’t seem to care or notice. At times, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was nothing more than an act.How was he not longing for her? Falling apart? Wasn’t that the way of their Moon Goddess?Before I could try to understand, Elyx appeared out of nowhere and stole me away from James, pulling me into a tight hug.“Addy!” he called out.“Lixie!” I said back, throwing my arms around him.When I pulled away, I kissed his cheek, and he smiled ear to ear. The longer I spent around him
Adelaide“I’m here to keep an eye on my mate,” Alaric whispered back, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place. “I need to protect you.”Protect me from what? He was the one who needed the protection.“If you hate me that much, just pretend like I’m not here,” he shot me a bold wink, and that’s when I knew this guy was going to be a big problem.~That night at the dorm, I paced back and forth in the kitchen—thinking about the boy who was messing with my head.What was he on about, talking about how he had to keep his eyes on his mate? He had completely lost it.I bit my nails, trying to come up with the best solution to get rid of my not-so-little problem—but I didn’t know what to do anymore. I was trying to protect him, to keep him safe from me—but he was like a plague. He was unavoidable, always came back.Yet, a part of me was happy to see him, happy to see that he was ready to fight for me.No one ever had.Not even Grandpa Aelius when Mom made me leave our home.A huff
AdelaideThe next day, I stood outside James’ door. I had decided not to wait any longer and was going to end things with him today. Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, it definitely didn’t make it any easier.I knocked, and within seconds, the door opened. James greeted me with the same big smile as always.“What’s up, Addy?” he said, closing the door behind him. For a moment, I felt bad again. James was always so positive and amazing. How could I do this to someone like him?He leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my head just in time, letting his lips land on my cheek instead.“Hey,” I greeted.“Hey?” He pulled back, furrowing his brow for a split second, but just as quickly, he brushed it off like it was nothing.He simply slung his arm over my shoulder as usual, and we began walking.“Take me to the woods,” I instructed.“Whatever you want,” James shrugged, not questioning my words whatsoever.If I was going to end things with him, I at least wanted to do it the proper
AdelaideAlaric stared at me with a calm smile on his face. “If this is the length I have to go to talk to you,” he said, “then no, I don’t get tired of myself, Addy.”I gasped in disbelief as his lips curled even more, and he kept staring at me like I was the only thing that mattered to him in that moment.“No guards—not even one?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I quickly scanned my surroundings. He went from a dozen to two, to none. Quite the achievement.He shook his head. “I got my voice back because of you,” he said, tapping my thigh for a second. “Told the king enough is enough.”I fluttered my eyes, surprised by the confidence in his tone. Even though I had encouraged him to do it, he had done something I had struggled with my entire life—rebel against his overbearing parent.Every time I thought I could see right through the guy, there was something new to unpack.“Why did you follow me?” I asked, crossing my arms. The question came with attitude, but it was only because I did
Adelaide Weeks had passed since Alaric and I had decided to give this mate thing a try, and somehow—he kept surprising me day by day. Even now, as he made me tremble beneath him in his dorm room. The stuttering prince who had rocked my world in more ways than one. “Alaric…” a moan escaped my lips as I threw my head back. My arms wrapped tightly around him as he moved against me, occasionally letting out a grunt. He moved his lips to my jawline, brushing against the spot he had been paying the most attention to. “Let me mark you, Addy,” he murmured, almost pleading. “No,” I breathed. This wasn’t the first time he had asked, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. He had a clear mission, and each time he whispered those words, it became harder to say no. He felt so good filling me up, and his touch had become an addiction to the point I feared one day I would lose control and say yes. But I couldn’t… I couldn’t allow myself to be too connected to him—not without knowing what the fut
Adelaide“Don’t roll your eyes at me, Adelaide,” Mom snapped. For some reason, she always seemed to have an extra set of eyes in the back of her head.I sighed, dropping my gaze. “I’m sorry, Mom.”“What did I tell you about looking down?” she said, making me snap my head back up again.Now forced to meet her eyes, I couldn’t do anything else but look at the woman in front of me. The monster who birthed me…People often said we looked alike. We had the same long dark hair, the same brown eyes—but that’s also where the similarity ended. While I wasn’t usually looking for friends, I had the ability to be warm and approachable. But that woman was like a fucking block of ice.There was no heart, no feelings—nothing. It was too odd, even for a witch.“Come here,” she commanded, and I could tell it wasn’t up for debate.I gulped as I stepped out of the bed, wearing nothing but my oversized sweatshirt that barely covered my panties. Even though she told me not to, my eyes dropped to the floor
Year 3Adelaide‘The Veil, also known as a special portal that can only be created by the eyes of a Seer. Once such a portal is opened…’Before I could read further, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. A gasp left my mouth before I slammed the book shut.Knowing who the hand belonged to, I quickly turned around, facing Alaric, who stood behind me with a grin on his face.“What’s with the look?” he chuckled, leaning down to kiss the side of my neck. I flinched, feeling his lips on the same spot where he had marked me last year. After making up every reason as to why it wouldn’t be a good idea, I came to the conclusion that there really wasn’t one.Maybe one—and that reason was Mom. An argument with Mom during the semester break had eventually pushed me to do it, and I did not regret my decision.As far as Mom and Esther were concerned, I was still preparing her chosen vessel—feeding him darkness—but that wasn’t true. I mostly spent my days in the library, desperately searching for a way
VioletI sat with Kylan in the corner of the diner, a full tray of food right in front of me. Honestly, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I started eating, and now I couldn’t stop.Kylan watched me, his arms crossed on the table. His eyes were warm, smile a bit too soft—so soft it almost scared me.“Are you not eating?” I nudged the food.“No,” Kylan said. “I just want you to eat.”Then he kept staring at me again with that same gaze. If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve thought some spirit had taken over his body. This was not the Kylan from yesterday.“What?” I asked, a bit weirded out.He shook his head. “Just looking at you.”I narrowed my eyes. “And what’s going through your head as you’re looking at me?”His smile faltered a little, and I saw him swallow hard, like he didn’t know what to say.“You always tell me I’m the weird one,” I said, pointing my fork at him. “But you really got me beat today.”He let out a small, embarrassed laugh and sat up straighter in his ch
Violet“I see you’ve come back to your dorms,” Esther said, a fake smile plastered on her lips.“I have,” I answered shortly.“Good,” she squeezed her eyes together. “I won’t report you. You’ve already been through so much.”I felt something twist in my stomach. Seeing this woman smile in my face after all the things I knew about her bothered the crap out of me. Whether it was a real or fake smile, she didn’t have any right to laugh.“Thank you, ma’am. That’s kind of you.”I waited for her to leave, but at the same time, I knew she wouldn’t. She had clearly come here because she wanted something from me. However, it was still unclear what she wanted.She kept staring at me with that uncomfortable grin on her face, like she had practiced it beforehand.After some time, she took a small huff. “Do you really not want Starlight to expel those girls, sweetheart?”There it was again. She was trying to push me—wanted me to think about it and get angry, lose control so I could light up Starli
Violet“If that creepy woman bothers you again,” Trinity’s voice blasted through the empty cafeteria, “you better tell me!”She was clearly talking about Esther. I turned the other way, silently ignoring her words.Although I was back in my dorm, I had managed to escape her for the night, but I had run out of lock. I had Healing Class today, so there was that.“Dylan went downtown with the boys, and for some reason, it bothers me because it was supposed to be our thing,” Trinity complained. “Like, didn’t they already go yesterday?”I didn’t have to look at her face to figure she was most likely pouting. “Maybe it’s time for you to let him breathe a little,” I chuckled.Trinity gasped, holding her heart. “Let Dylan breathe?” she spoke in horror like I had said something awful. “The same way you let Kylan breathe?”Yes, that was definitely sarcastic.“Speaking of Kylan, have you heard anything from him today?”I smiled through the slight ache I felt in my heart, then shook my head. “No
KylanThe market was packed.As usual, people were talking loudly, laughing, and the air had a strong scent of the market food. It was everything I hated.Bright, colorful, loud.We had some time between classes, and Nate had begged us to go downtown again. He said he felt left out, that the three of us hadn’t done anything fun in weeks. So now here we were, Nate, Dylan, and me, walking through the same market where everything had changed.Where we met Aelius…Where Violet found out the truth…It felt strange being back here. Almost like walking into a memory I wasn’t ready to deal with.I couldn’t help but wonder what Violet was doing at this moment, just like I couldn’t help but wonder every damn second if she was doing okay.At least, knowing that Dylan and Trinity still stood by her side after everything she had told them, made me feel a bit better. We weren’t the only ones holding onto the secret anymore. It was out in the open, and seeing Violet look past her fears to tell them
Violet“Yes,” I clarified.“Who escaped?” Dylan asked.“I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know,” I replied.Aelius wouldn’t tell me, and I’m sure he has his reasons for that.“Wow, Violet,” Trinity spoke, in awe. “So you’re a child of blood, a highborn witch… and a princess?”“I wanted to tell you both because you’re important to me,” I said quietly. “I’ve been holding all of this in for so long, and I kept thinking… what if it pushes you away?”“Pushes me away?” Trinity spat, offended.I let out a nervous laugh. “Honestly, I thought your reactions would be worse.”My eyes flickered toward Dylan. “Especially yours… now that I’m not a Hastings anymore.”“Not a Hastings anymore?” Dylan chuckled softly. He leaned forward. “Violet, you will always be a Hastings,” he said. “And you are a Bloodrose. You and I are still family.”My voice cracked a bit. “Yes?”His words were strong, and I could tell he meant every word with his whole heart. He looked almost repulsed, even, that I could eve
VioletIt went silent.I was met with complete silence after I said the words. I looked at their faces, trying to figure out what they were thinking, but neither one of them reacted. They just stared at me with blank expressions.“I’m half witch,” I repeated, only to be met with the same silence.I knew it.This was a bad idea. They were shocked, disgusted, and couldn’t even find the words.Kylan and I glanced at each other, both confused, and then I continued speaking. “My real mom and dad…” I explained. “They weren’t Claire and Greg. Claire and Greg raised me, but they’re not my birth parents. My mom was a witch—a child of blood. That means I am too. And my dad was a prince, the Alpha prince.”Still, no one said a word.I was just about to fumble my hands, but Kylan grabbed my wrist before I could do so. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the two. “Say something,” he quietly demanded.Trinity and Dylan slowly turned their heads to look at each other, then they looked back at me. Dyla
VioletAfter a short day of classes, I found myself back in Kylan’s room. I leaned against his door, watching him with a weak smile as he played with Jumper, the squirrel he had sworn he didn’t want anything from but now pretty much treated like his daughter.My stance might’ve been calm, but my mind wasn’t. It had been around fifteen minutes, and I had barely spoken because I wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. I wasn’t sure how to tell him that I would not only go back to my dorm but would also tell the others about my true identity.Kylan patted Jumper over her back. “What is it?” he finally asked after a long moment of silence. “You’re still here, not handcuffed, so it can’t be your eyes.”I knew he wasn’t a mind reader, but I guess anyone could tell something was clearly going on. Hesitant, I looked down for a second.“I’m going back to my dorms today,” I said. “I don’t want Trinity to feel like I’m ignoring her or something.”Kylan paused for a second, his hand resting on
VioletI slowly pricked my fork into a piece of fruit, watching the two lovebirds in front of me.Dylan and I had met up with Trinity for lunch, and they were all over each other. Kissing, hugging—basically everything except for acknowledging my presence.A sigh left my lips as Dylan pressed his face into her neck. Trinity, giggled as she pushed him away. “Stop it!” she hissed. “Violet is getting sick of us.”“No, I’m not,” I smiled. “It’s okay.”It was so out of character for Dylan, and above all—a bit hard to get used to. He wasn’t the same grumpy, know-it-all I used to know—and while it was supposed to be something positive, I just couldn’t help but compare.I knew I shouldn’t, but deep down I couldn’t help but picture a scenario of Kylan being a little more like that.Open. Gentle. Warm…“You’re just so beautiful, I can’t help myself,” Dylan whispered, cupping her cheek. They deserved each other. In a way, the two reminded me of Claire and Greg. To be honest, that scared me becaus
VioletI stared down at the mat, sweat nearly dripping from my forehead as I did another push-up. One wouldn’t have guessed it, but Commander Jorn ran across the training hall, clapping his hands and yelling like always.Strangely enough, I could almost keep up with everyone today. Almost!If I wasn’t so sore and tired from yesterday, I probably could’ve given it my all. It was too bad my arms felt like jelly—and to make matters worse, my brain couldn’t focus with all his yelling.I know Adelaide would’ve pushed through, but I also knew that I definitely didn’t see the old Elite team do any of these exercises when I was in the Veil. The training days in the past were definitely easier than this.I changed the position of my hands, stumbling a bit—and then a soft fist suddenly connected with my back. It was Commander’s…of course.It was just a little touch, but it was enough to make me drop flat to the mat.“Ow!” I muttered, grabbing my nose as I managed to sit up. It hurt like crazy,