Mag-log inThe 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
But I had been wrong. He was a stubborn ass, and right now, I was glad I had rejected him—even if doing so had made my wolf go dormant.“Aw, c’mon, Callum,” Zane said. “Liora didn’t take the stimulants. Not intentionally.”Callum didn’t bother answering that time. I suddenly felt the urge to be alon
I found myself leaning toward the latter, even if I wished to remain completely uninvolved.“Callum?” Bianca leaned close to me and snapped her fingers in front of my face, making my wolf snarl. “What are you thinking about?”I turned to Bianca. “Are you sure she wasn’t framed?” I blurted out.Bian
Callum’s POVLiora stormed down the hall with quick strides, satchel fluttering behind her as she moved. Her amber braid was unraveling with how quickly she escaped, like she was trying to get away—or perhaps had somewhere very important to be.Either way, I tried to force myself not to look at her
My father stared at me for a long moment, his eyes studying my face, then sighed. “Very well. You seem to understand the situation, so I’ll let you make your own decisions on the matter. But in the meantime, I am assigning you a bodyguard.”“A bodyguard?” I spat out. “I can’t be followed around by a







