Violet“My mom,” I replied. He probably thought I meant Sonya, but that didn’t matter. I’d spare him the backstory.“How long ago?”I squeezed my eyes a bit. “Like ten years ago?”“Ten years ago,” he whispered, still inspecting the glasses on my face.“Well, make sure to keep them on at all times,” he spoke, his face serious. “We wouldn’t want you to lose them.”If only he knew…I swallowed, nodding quickly. “Yes, Your Majesty.”The king didn’t give another response and simply walked past me, leaving me standing there. I let out a slow breath, feeling more than happy that he had left.Even though I tried not to focus on Kylan, it was hard not to, especially when Chrystal laughed out loud, leaning into him like he had just made the funniest joke on the planet.As if it couldn’t get any worse, Kylan wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered something into her ear, making her laugh even more.At times it seemed like he hated her, but then he did stuff like this.It was just like he
VioletI sat on Nate’s bed, nervously fumbling with my hands as I waited for him. As soon as we arrived, he had disappeared to the bathroom with the promise to be back soon.Now it had already been several minutes too many as I stared at the closed door, wondering if it was too late to run out of here.I exhaled, closing my eyes for a second.No, Violet.You want this—you want him.After calming down a bit, I let my eyes wander around his room for the first time. It had the same layout as Kylan’s, only a bit smaller, and the colors brighter and warmer. Their rooms showed a perfect contrast in their personalities.For a second, I wondered if maybe he was just as nervous as I was, hiding in the bathroom—but then I chuckled to myself.No way. Nate had quite the reputation, and he wouldn’t get nervous over this. I was probably just nothing more than a number to him.I felt an awful lump in my throat, thinking about the reason why I was doing this. At first I made myself believe that it wa
VioletBy the look on his face, I could tell he didn’t believe a single word that left my mouth—and neither did I.Would I, really?He chuckled. “Because I see the way you look at him, Violet. And it’s not the look you give to someone you’re about to reject.”I swallowed, feeling confused by my own thoughts. There was only one look I ever gave him, and that was a hateful one, right?“I get why you’d want to reject him, though,” Nate shrugged as he lowered his gaze. “He has his moments, but he’s…complicated. He’s not always a good person.”The pain in his voice was obvious. Whatever happened between the two of them had clearly left a scar because Nate was able to see something that even his own brother refused to see.Kylan was not always a good person.“What happened between the two of you?” I approached the situation with caution.Nate smiled softly, looking up to hold my gaze. “I just tried to get him to talk about his feelings, like I always do…”He drifted into thought, his jaw ti
VioletI stretched my arms, yawning as I opened my eyes, squinting at the bright morning light. Looking beside me, I noticed the bed was empty—Nate was gone.We’d stayed up late, laughing, talking, and watching movies, but it had all been worth it. I felt a calm I hadn’t felt in a long time.The clock read 7 AM, which meant I had to move quickly if I didn’t want anyone seeing me. I sat up straight, hearing a soft rumbling noise coming from the bathroom.“Nate?” I called out, my voice still groggy. The noise kept going, and there was no answer. I got up and walked to the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar.“Nate?” I said again, louder this time, but still nothing. I reached for the doorknob, and just as my hand touched it, he swung the door open, startling me.“Good morning, Vivi!” he said, standing in the doorway. He seemed to be in a good mood, but something about it felt off. Nate was always happy, but now he seemed a bit too energetic.“Hi,” I replied, watching him as he closed
VioletDetermined, I made my way over to Jane and placed down my tray, sliding into the chair on the opposite side of her. I greeted her with a polite smile which she returned.Her gaze was soft, and her green eyes warm and kind. Her brown hair was tied back in a sleek bun, showing off her beauty even more. Just by looking at her face, I could only imagine how popular she must’ve been back in her days.“No classes today?”“No, not today,” I shook my head shyly. “Do you teach here too?”Before that night at the Elite Team dinner, I had never seen her before—but no regular soul would sit here this early if they didn’t have any business at this school.Jane gave me a nod. “Yes, I’m an allround shifter specialist.” She really was admirable. That wasn’t something easy, yet the calm way she had said it made it sound like it was. Her smile widened a bit as she tilted her head. “So, how are you finding school?” she asked. “Already tired?”I shook my head. “Not really. It’s okay.”Truthfully
VioletHearing that Alaric had been an Alpha Prince left me stunned. It was hard to imagine someone else, who had also been erased from existence, had once attended Starlight, and was in the same team as Mom.It was even harder to imagine that an Alpha Prince had a relationship with a witch.“The witch’s name was Adelaide,” Jane shared. “I don’t know if your mom ever told you about her, but the two of them were like sisters.”“Really?” I said, pretending to be shocked. By now, I had heard that a few times already so it wasn’t something new. It was the reason why I had been so interested in her in the first place.“Yes,” Jane nodded with a faint smile. “Adelaide’s mother was the high priestess of the dark witches—Addy was next in like for that title.”A dark witch? A high priestess on top of that?There was not lot I knew about Adelaide, but her being a dark witch was the least I expected. Why were dark witches even allowed within these walls?Everyone knew dark witches were more power
KylanI sat alone in the cafeteria, pushing every chair around me out of reach so no one would get the idea to sit nearby.It had been a few days since family day, and already, I was hoping the king would skip the next one, sparing me from the same mess all over again. The whole event had been too exhausting.Today was my last day off before Elite training picked up tomorrow, and I needed the rest. Unlike the last session, we would have different commanders this time—and they weren’t as soft as Rochwall.They were trained to see through every flaw, and pushed to make lives miserable—even mine. That was their job, to make everyone strong enough they wouldn’t crack under pressure.My peace was interrupted by a group of three girls at the table in front of me, giggling in an irritating way. They whispered, kicked their feet under the table like a bunch of little kids, and glanced around the cafeteria—but when I heard them murmur about Violet, the freshman healer, my interest suddenly piq
VioletSame as last time, I looked at my reflection in the mirror as I adjusted my training gear one last time. No matter how many times I looked at it, it still felt strange, like it didn’t quite belong on my body. Classes for the day were over, meaning it was time for training.I grabbed the hair tie from my wrist before pulling my hair up in a ponytail. Just as I finished, two girls from the team walked past. They shot me a small smile, then whispered something as they walked out.Today was day two of the whispers, and I didn’t know what in the world made me think that the whispers would stop. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention, and it still left me feeling uneasy.I truly had no idea Nate was that popular.Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the locker room and into the training hall. My heart made a quick jump as I remembered what I’d heard about today’s commander, Jorn. I had overheard the combat girls calling him a living nightmare, and they were tough—so I knew they we
VioletThe woods looked darker than the last time we were here. So did the path we followed as we headed for Aelius’ cave—or the caves of Bloodstone Haven.Days had passed, and after surviving a week of Commandor Jorn’s training, it was now time to survive Aelius’s.And in a few days, I would have to survive Lyperia.As promised, Kylan had joined me. He walked a few steps ahead of me, and even that wasn’t enough to save me from myself.“Ow!” I yelped, almost tripping over a fallen branch. Luckily, I had managed to catch myself just in time before I hit the ground. Nothing new for me.Kylan looked over his shoulder, chuckling. “Do you need a break?”“No, I’m good.”“Or do you need another piggyback—”“No, I’m good!” I said, waving him off. He was having way too much fun with this.A laugh escaped his lips. Frustrated, I quickened my pace and bumped against his shoulder to push him aside. Then I took the lead at the front.“I can walk, thanks.”He was annoying, but it was moments like t
VioletOf course they were pushing for Chrystal as mistress.By now, I kind of knew what to expect of Lyperians, so it wasn’t supposed to come as a surprise—neither Chrystal nor the other mistresses.But hearing her name…that changed everything.Each time I tried to convince myself that whatever had happened, happened, and I didn’t care anymore. But the impact that name left on me said otherwise. There was still so much pain, anger, but definitely not fear. Not anymore.Still, I just couldn’t bear the thought of her standing next to Kylan, getting some kind of title, being praised by people, even if they were her own. The thought made my stomach twist.I swallowed, hard. “Is that what you want?” I chuckled bitterly. “For Chrystal to be your mistress?”Kylan’s eyes narrowed, and then he started laughing. “No,” he choked. “No, she will not be my mistress. I’ll deal with it in the future.”“Oh. Okay.”I stared down at the table, picking at some food. “But you do want a mistress?”It was
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