VioletNervously, I glanced from Kylan, who sat beside me, to Esther, who stood with her back turned, staring out of the window.She had taken us to her office, only to let us sit in silence—and my anxiety shot through the roof as I thought of a thousand reasons why she might’ve wanted to see us.Did I do something wrong?Would she take back the pass for the strike now that she knew who I was with?If it was just to congratulate me on being Kylan’s mate, she could’ve done that at the door, so what was it?Was it about Adelaide?Every now and then, Esther let out a sigh, but just as I expected her to say something, we were met with silence again. Kylan already seemed to be over it, matching her sighs with his own as he sat with his arms crossed.“Have you already made up your mind about what you’re going to say?” he asked impatiently when he couldn’t take it anymore.“Kylan!” I hissed, slapping his knee.“Or can we go now?” he finished. “It’s been a long day, for both of us.”Esther tu
VioletKylan squeezed my thigh in response, as if to say, good job.Esther’s face twitched for a moment, but then she quickly masked it with a smile. “So you don’t need me to expel those girls for you?” she asked.“No,” I shook my head, although that solution would make my life a whole lot easier.“Well,” Esther now tapped her desk with her ten fingers, “the suspension will last at least a week, so you will have some time to think about it.”I simply nodded, keeping my lips pressed together.“Very well,” she said, her smile growing tighter. I could tell by the look on her face that she looked anything but pleased, surprised even, that I didn’t take up her offer.As tempting as it sounded, it was much better this way. I wasn’t going to lie, Esther almost had me—but I had already thought this through. Although Chrystal tried to kill me, going after the Beta’s daughter, a noble, would not do me any good as Kylan’s mate.“Can we go now?” Kylan asked in a hurry. “Or did you want to ask any
VioletKylan’s eyes were on the dark road as we drove through the quiet night. All I could see were the bright headlights of the car, but hopefully Kylan could see a bit more than that.We had snuck out just before curfew and were on our way to find the Soothsayer, hoping to get some answers.The silence gave me enough time to think.First, about the darkness I felt when I laid eyes on Chrystal, and second, about Esther and her strange behavior earlier, which had pushed Kylan to immediately fish for answers.Could I really not trust her?And if I couldn’t, what if Kylan had calculated it all wrong and she had seen that we left Starlight?Along with those thoughts, I also had to deal with guilt.Guilt toward Nate, for him not getting to choose his sister, and guilt for Trinity, who had asked me earlier where I would be tonight, and I told her I was staying with Kylan.I really wanted to tell her everything, all of it—and she had the right to know. But now that I knew Dylan was a reckle
VioletKylan and I exchanged a glance. It wasn’t too late to run, and part of me wanted to.He had even called him the foul-mouthed crown prince. Just the thought of this man knowing everything about us, including some details we didn’t know ourselves, terrified me.It was Kylan’s plan to come here, and after the darkness I had felt, I fully stood behind his decision—but now I was unsure.All he had to do was give me the signal, and I would run out of here.“Sit,” The Soothsayer’s voice dominated the cave before Kylan could even think about it.It wasn’t much of an invite—more of an order.I lingered for a moment before deciding to join the Soothsayer at the campfire, dragging Kylan with me, and took a seat on the plaid on the ground. I kept my distance from the Soothsayer while Kylan still had his hand in mine, as if he was ready to spring into action at any moment.He had followed my lead. Even though he had convinced me to come here, he didn’t force me into anything. He let me deci
Violet My eyes were wide open as I stared at Aelius, my thoughts spinning out of control. He was my family—my great-grandfather? How could this even be possible? He was a Soothsayer. They weren’t even supposed to have families. “W-We are family?” I finally managed to get out, my voice trembling. Aelius nodded slowly, his expression calm. He was the first real family I had ever met face-to-face, and he had said it like it was nothing. “How?” Kylan demanded. Aelius sighed, reaching for a stick by the fire, then stirred it around. “Adelaide’s father, Aries, was my grandchild,” he said simply. “Although he skipped the eyes. Some have it, some don’t…most don’t.” I tried to piece the information together but didn’t get far. The only thing I was sure of was that Aelius had to be at least over a hundred years old—probably even more. I glanced at Kylan, who looked just as confused as I felt. None of this made sense. “If you’re related,” Kylan asked further, his brow furrowe
24 years ago…AdelaideI stared at the back of the man limping in front of us, his cane reaching the stone pathway of Starlight Academy with each tap as we trailed behind him with my suitcases.The man who had introduced himself as Principal Sterling stopped and turned to face us, a wide smile plastered across his face. His eyes landed on me.“You five have been chosen for the Starlight Program,” he began. “You are here to represent your kind. We have a long history, both good and bad—but now it’s up to you to show us that this can work, that we can live amongst each other.”He continued his speech, however, I wasn’t paying attention anymore. Everywhere I looked, I could feel their eyes—Lycan eyes, werewolf eyes…the ones who actually belonged here.They walked past, scrunching their noses as if we were intruders and maybe we were.I didn’t want to be here any more than they wanted us here, but unfortunately I didn’t have a choice.The tiny school in the village had burned down, and al
Adelaide“I’m going to fall!” Claire wobbled beside me, clutching my arms as she tried to walk in the heels I had lent her.I laughed with her, trying to prevent her from slipping. “You’ll get use to it.”We made our way down the Lunar hall, toward the bonfire. Claire’s transformation was turning heads which wasn’t a surprise.She was pretty before, but now she was just breathtaking.Only she couldn’t see it yet.After spending the day with her, I quickly realized we were as different as night and day, both in appearance and in the way we carried ourselves.Claire’s hair was platinum blonde, mine was black.Her eyes were blue, mine were dark.But most importantly, her energy was positive and bright, mine definitely wasn’t…I had only known her for a few hours, but she already had me. She had become a person I knew I would love and cherish.“Claire Hastings,” a woman called out as we turned a corner. Her hair was tied in a neat bun, and her dress hugged her body. “You look like a doll.
AdelaideA loud chirping and tapping against the window forced me out of my sleep. I groaned as the morning light hit me and sat up straight.Rubbing my eyes, I glanced at the glass and immediately noticed a small bird I recognized from the witch village.Mom’s bird.It had to be a message from her.The bonfire kept me up late, and now all I wanted was a long, peaceful rest.“Shut up!” I hissed, aggressively pulling open the window.The bird stopped, shaking its body until a small roll of paper fell from its back. I grabbed the note, then shushed the bird away with my hand, making it fly away with just as much noise.Feeling an uncomfortable knot in my stomach before I even read the words, I unfolded the paper. I doubted Mom would send a message about missing me—that wasn’t what we did. We didn’t ‘miss’ each other.I let my eyes scan over the words.‘Less partying, more focusing. Finish your mission, and don’t waste these four years. Your people need you. Don’t forget, Mommy is watchi
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