Violet
“Somebody please kill me!” I groaned, burying my head in my pillow. Classes hadn’t even officially started yet—and I was already exhausted. How was I even supposed to focus after everything that happened last week? Many had said finding your mate would be magical, like something out of a fairytale. Your mate was supposed to be your soulmate—but mine? Mine was a mate from the lowest pit of hell. He was disgusting, scum—cold-hearted. First, he kissed me, then told me to stay away, and then he followed me back to my dorm. None of it made any sense. Each time I closed my eyes, all I could see were flashes of Kylan’s lip on mine and I hated it. As if things couldn’t get any worse, all the girls could talk about was how he had been sleeping with Chrystal, and that the two would be getting back together. I didn’t mind. Couldn’t give two shits actually—but Lumia was heartbroken. I hated him with every bone in my body, and when I saw him in the hall, I could see it in his eyes. He felt the same. Being the good person I was, I wanted to reject him right then and there to make it easier for the both of us—but before I could even get the words out, he had vanished. Kylan was going to reject me at some point. That was a well-known fact. I only wanted to do it before he had the chance. I heard three knocks on my door before it opened. “Come on—grab your bag, and let’s go!” I recognized Trinity’s voice. “You don’t want to smudge your pillow with any makeup.” I lifted my head to glare at her. “I’m not wearing any.” “Oh?” she frowned. “Drool then. Come on, let’s go.” With a groan, I pushed myself out of bed. I grabbed my bag and then followed behind her. “What’s the point in sharing a dorm when it’s mostly just the two of us?” Trinity scoffed as we walked. She was referring to Chrystal and Amy, our roommates, who were rarely around. I shrugged. “I don’t mind it.” Over the week, it had become clear to me that I wouldn’t bond with the two Lycan girls anyway. Not like I did with Trinity. She was nice, funny, easygoing and it felt like we had been friends for ages. Our connection felt natural. “Maybe we’ll bump into my mate, and I can finally introduce you to him!” Trinity’s eyes lit up. I forced a smile. “Yes, maybe.” Trinity had found her mate at the Starlight Festival, and hadn’t stopped talking about him ever since. This whole week I had to hear about how tall, handsome, and kind he was—yet she refused to back up these claims by showing me a picture. She said he was someone I’d have to meet in person. I wad happy for her, really. She deserved the world and so much more, but thinking about how things had turned out so differently for her made me feel a bit bitter. My experience had been so humiliating, I hadn’t even told her about finding mine. Trinity bumped my shoulder. “Don’t feel bad about not finding your mate yet. Maybe he isn’t at this school.” “Yeah,” I murmured, glancing away. “Maybe.” A while later, we had reached the crowded academic hall. Trinity pulled me into a tight hug. “I have to go that way,” she pointed to a different wing of the building. “But have a good first day! And if we’re fighting someone, text me!” I cracked a laugh, watching her leave. “I will!” Unfortunately, we didn’t have any classes together today. I knew I couldn’t rely on her for four years, and had to do things on my own—but it wouldn’t be too far stretched to say I was already missing her. As I walked down the hall, I looked for my classroom. When I finally found it, I took a deep breath, forcing myself to push all thoughts of Kylan out of my mind. What’s done was done, and now it was time for me to focus. My first class of the day was the basic of healing. I stepped inside the classroom, already seeing Esther, our RD, standing at the front. She shot me a warm smile which I returned. Scanning the room, I searched for an empty seat, but then I heard it. That familiar, annoying laugh. I glanced over to where the sound was coming from and saw Chrystal sitting on a table, surrounded by her minions, including Amy. They were laughing and whispering, but their eyes were on me. Whether they were laughing at me or with me, I didn’t know—and honestly, I didn’t care. All I knew was that I needed to find a seat as far away from them as possible, so I did. I didn’t want to get into it with Chrystal, not when I already had enough trouble with Kylan. One noble Lycan was more than enough. “Good morning, everyone!” Esther greeted as soon as I sat down. “Before we start, I want to do a quick introduction round. Name, age, where you’re from—” Everyone groaned, but Esther continued, clearly not taking no for an answer. Luckily I was first, but as everyone was forced to introduce themselves my mind drifted elsewhere. “Today we’ll be doing a simple healing exercise. Don’t worry, this is just to see where everyone is at, so no pressure.” She explained the task in detail, but my mind was drifting again. “Each of you will have a tank with thirty small fish,” Esther spoke. “The goal is to strengthen at least one of the weakened fish using your healing abilities. Good luck!” I missed half of her instructions, but I didn’t care. The fish exercise was a basic I had learned from a young age. It was a standard among the healers of the Bloodrose pack—and we were all trained under the strongest pack’s healer, an old respected woman who had also tutored my Mom. I looked at the tank which was placed in front of me. Swirling my finger, I healed one fish as I wanted to keep a low profile. I didn’t want to stand out or get labeled as the nerd or the show-off in class. It used to be like that back home, and I didn’t want a repeat of that. When I heard people talking and clapping in admiration, I turned my head toward Chrystal’s table. “Fifteen fish,” Esther nodded her head, fixing the glasses on her nose. “Good job, Chrystal. Since you’ve already taken this class last year, I’m sure you can lead the other girls.” Chrystal smirked, brushing her red locks behind her ear. She really thought she was something. I hated her with a passion, but it wasn’t because of her—it was because of him. ‘She’s can’t lead us. We’ve done this many times before.’ Lumia crawled inside my mind. ‘Show her!’ I clenched my fists, staring down at the fish in my tank as anger took over my body. ‘First she stole our mate, and now she’s stealing our spotlight. She is not the best healer in this class.’ It was hard not to focus on Lumia’s voice as she pushed me closer to the edge. There was no reason for Kylan to dislike me the way he did, not while he surrounded himself with that. It wasn’t fair. ‘End that bitch, Violet.’ “No—“ Before I could stop it, Lumia had won. The water in the tank splashed wildly, all thirty fish swimming around. Gasps followed the room as everyone stood up to gather around my tank. My cheeks felt hot, I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. I hated attention, and because of that jealous wolf, I now had a room full of it.Violet“He knows,” I breathed.I looked at Kylan for a long moment, just studying him the way he always studied me as I looked for signs. To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was looking for.Maybe a twitch, or a shift, or anything to tell me how bad this was going to be. Was he angry?He looked angry. But I wasn’t sure.Was this the part I had been so afraid of? Where the one person I had been leaning on the most would finally call me stupid?Kylan’s jaw flexed. He pulled in a breath through his nose, clearly trying not to snap, and then he…smiled. His lips curled into a tight smile, and his hand slowly rested on my thigh.“And when did this happen?” he asked. His tone was gentle but tense. He didn’t need to tell me that he was hurt, and he didn’t have to try and hide it either, because I could clearly tell. It had affected him.“It was the first day I got here,” I came clean, my voice small. “That morning I went to Madam Renata. I got overwhelmed, had a panic attack, and my eyes…
VioletI didn’t say anything at first.Mostly because…I didn’t know how to answer.Kylan was watching me. He looked calm, patient, but I could tell by his expression that he was trying to figure out if I even knew what was going on.And honestly? I didn’t.I didn’t know when it changed.Or how we suddenly got there.Or why Kayden started calling me by that name.I shifted a little, thinking maybe something would come to mind if I just gave it a second. But nothing did. Nothing I could explain, at least.Kylan didn’t push. He just kept looking at me until I let out a long sigh.“That’s a really good question,” I agreed.He let out a soft chuckle. “Right?”His finger moved to my chin, and he forced me to look up into those eyes that suddenly looked warm again.“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out,” I said, smiling.“So, do I tell him to stop calling you that, or will you?” Kylan asked. He cupped my cheek and leaned in, pressing his lips to mine. Soft, quick kisses, one after anot
VioletI counted down the seconds as Kylan got closer.Five…Four…A deep breath came from within, though I wasn’t sure what I was bracing for. His eyes were full of fury, but Kylan wasn’t seriously about to slap his own brother in a wheelchair, right? Over…a cloak?Three…Two…But then, the car door behind us opened again. First Nate stepped out, then Dylan, then… Fergus? My eyes widened in surprise. Why was he with him?Kylan froze mid-step, and his head slowly turned toward the car. He seemed ready to attack, but the moment they stepped out, something shifted. There was something that had made him decide against it.“Violet, you’re back!”Trinity?I was shocked as she walked up the path with Lian and Sora right behind her. Her eyes were locked on me, full of worry. Meanwhile, Dylan, who had just stepped out of the car, didn’t waste a second and moved to Trinity like she was the only thing that mattered.Even Kayden’s maid had suddenly appeared from wherever she had been hiding, her
VioletThere was something strange about the way it sounded in my ears—what I’m allowed to share. He made it seem like someone was watching… pulling the strings.I didn’t know if he was trying to sound cryptic on purpose, or if he really believed in something bigger than himself. Either way, it made a chill run through me.Because who would even decide something like that? Varius? That raven, Thorne?“Kian has one goal,” Kayden began. “Kian wants to make the world a better place. A world where no one’s treated less because of their blood, their species…their power, their past, or even their body.”He paused for a moment as he took a deep breath. “When Kian is in control, there will be no more fighting, no jealousy.”I frowned behind his back, trying to make sense of his words. Why was he speaking in third person anyway?Wasn’t he Kian?I swallowed down the lump forming in my throat. Kayden was somewhat bearable, but this Kian person sounded like a nightmare. I knew it was Varius or Th
Violet“Who are all these people?”My chest moved up and down as I looked around the room. My eyes stopped on a little girl lying on a bed near the end of the tent. She looked no older than ten, and her cough was much too rough for someone so small.The sight of her made something crack inside me. Something I didn’t know was still breakable.“Why are they here,” I said softly, “and not in the city where they—”“Can get the proper care they need?” Kayden finished for me. My eyes widened as they snapped to him. Kayden exhaled hard through his nose, folding his arms like he was trying to hold something in.“They are witches, Violet,” he spoke. “This is what happens to them here in Lyperia.”Yes, but why did he care?I turned my eyes to Varius, who had walked over to the girl who was coughing. He moved slowly, like he was hurting too. When he got to her, he held his hand just above her forehead. His eyes lit up white for a moment, but it only lasted a second.It didn’t last…The light van
VioletI kept my eyes on Kayden as we followed behind Varius. This time, he was the one controlling his wheelchair, and for once, he looked ahead. I couldn’t fully see his face, but his usual smirk pulled at his lips as he looked at Varius’s back.For him to do that, smile at that old man with that kind of joy, he must’ve been very important to him.Good for him. But all I could think about was how Kayden knew I was a child of blood, yet had the audacity to act like he only figured something out when he saw my eyes glow.What was that all about?I slowed my steps a little, taking in everything around us. The deeper we went into the village, the stranger it began to feel. Something was definitely off, and it wasn’t just the mist.The homes were small and made of old wood, with several tents scattered around. Everything looked so fragile, it seemed like even a bit of wind could knock them down.The villagers who had greeted us were not the only people around. Eyes peeked out of the wind