LOGINThe common room was bustling at this hour as students rushed around, getting ready for classes. I made my way to the kitchen and threw a bagel in the toaster, leaning against the counter as I waited.“Callum?”Bianca stepped into view, appearing out of seemingly nowhere. My jaw tightened, wolf insti
Callum’s POVI woke to the feeling of something warm in my chest.For a moment, I almost could have sworn that I had something small and delicate gathered up in my arms. A gentle heart beating against my own. A lock of soft hair fluttering against my cheek.Liora.A smile touched my lips. I tightene
It might have been laughable, had circumstances not been so… sad.“So your parents took it badly, I imagine,” I pointed out.Callum huffed and looked into his bottle. “My dad beat the shit out of me.”I pulled my head back. “He what?”Wordlessly, Callum turned, pulling his shirt up to reveal his bac
Liora’s POVI just barely made it into the parking space before the car let out one final groan, then sputtered to a stop, rocking back and forth on the wheels.“Sorry about that, girl,” I said, patting the steering wheel. “That was a lot more driving in one day than I anticipated.”Shirley almost s
“Twenty lashes,” he said. “We’ll see if you change your mind then.”I grit my teeth. “I don’t have to put up with this anymore.”“Would you rather take it, or would you prefer if that little wolfless whore of yours took it instead?”The moment he said those words, I felt all the blood drain from my
Callum’s POVMy father’s shadow darkened the room.There was a time in my life when my father’s presence seemed enormous and all-consuming, like a black hole filling any space he entered. When I was a child, I remembered thinking that he was big enough to reach the moon, or to blot out the sun.I’d
Liora’s POVThe next morning, everyone gathered in the auditorium for the announcement of the written exam results. I sat between Mia and Amy, having purposely made the decision to avoid Zane as punishment for yesterday.“Good morning, students,” Alder said into the microphone, adjusting his glasses
“What do you mean?”“I mean… I think you just like being Liora Belrose instead of Princess Liora. How much time did you spend outside the palace walls before you came here, hm?”“Not very much. Not outside of official events.”“Exactly.” He grinned. “You like the anonymity of your fake identity. The
“There were never any ‘old days’, Zane.”“Aw, c’mon. You know that’s not true.” He turned toward me, holding the artifact up to his face. It was a small, glimmering stone with a hole in the center. I could see his eye through it as he looked at me. “We used to be friends. And honestly, at the banque
Liora’s POVI was getting ready for bed when the announcement came on. My name was called for tonight’s field exam.By the time I made it out to the testing area, the moon was high in the sky and a group had already gathered. The proctor waved us over and began explaining the rules of the first chal







