ăă°ă€ăłDear Readers,
To everyone who read this story, whether you followed from the beginning, joined halfway, or just stumbled across it â thank you. This book was more than just chapters and words for me; it was a journey of self-discovery, of learning to write through fear, a different genre, and of watching these characters grow with me. I know we live in a world full of stories, and the fact that you chose to spend time with mine means everything. To every single reader who clicked, added, or commented, you gave me the courage to finish. This might not be the most popular book out there, but it will always be special to me â because itâs proof that even the cursed can find their light, that broken people can heal, and that every ending is really the start of something new. So, from the bottom of my heart: thank you for walking through Blackwood Academy with Zara, Jace, Alex, and Zarek. Their story has ended â but maybe one day, weâll meet them again.Dear Readers, To everyone who read this story, whether you followed from the beginning, joined halfway, or just stumbled across it â thank you. This book was more than just chapters and words for me; it was a journey of self-discovery, of learning to write through fear, a different genre, and of watching these characters grow with me. I know we live in a world full of stories, and the fact that you chose to spend time with mine means everything. To every single reader who clicked, added, or commented, you gave me the courage to finish. This might not be the most popular book out there, but it will always be special to me â because itâs proof that even the cursed can find their light, that broken people can heal, and that every ending is really the start of something new. So, from the bottom of my heart: thank you for walking through Blackwood Academy with Zara, Jace, Alex, and Zarek. Their story has ended â but maybe one day, weâll meet them again.
Zaraâs POV Today, we were leaving. Below me, students hurried back and forth in pressed uniforms, their shoes clicking on the cobblestones. Laughter echoed from the courtyard. Somewhere near the east wing, someone was already taking pictures, the sharp clicks of cameras punctuating the air. I blinked, almost in disbelief. Itâs real. This is it. It felt impossible that the semesters had gone by so quickly. I remembered the first time I walked through these very gates, small and tensed, clutching my bag as if it were a shield. A knock came at the door again, snapping me from my thoughts. âZara, are you ready or do I have to drag you out?â Alexâs voice rang sharp as ever, but softer beneath it was the tremor of excitement. I smiled. âTwo minutes.â âMake it one,â she shot back. I took one last look at the room that had been mine for years. The bed Iâd cried in. The desk covered with old notes and textbooks. The window where I had stared out countless nights, wishing to b
Zaraâs POV The morning after graduation broke softer than I expected. No loud bells, no rushing feet down the dormitory hallways, no announcements echoing through the Academy speakers. Just silence. The kind of silence that didnât feel empty, but fullâlike the world was holding its breath for something new. I stood by my window, the curtains brushing against my arm as a breeze slipped inside. The sky was painted with faint streaks of gold and rose, the sun just beginning to stretch its light across the grounds. For once, I didnât feel the familiar weight pressing down on me, the whisper of curses or shadows from the past. For the first time in years, I felt like myself. I closed my eyes, listening to the stillness. My wolf stirred within, steady and calm, not snarling for control, not raging at boundaries. And beneath her, deep and powerful, my dragon hummed, warm and endless. For so long, I had thought they were warring sides of meâbeast against beast, curse against curse. But ma
Jaceâs POV The courtyard was still buzzing with the aftershock of graduationâCaps lay abandoned on the grass. But all I could see was her. âZara.â My voice came rougher than I wanted. She turned, her smile softening when she looked at me, then flicking into suspicion like it always did when it was me. âWhat? Did you forget to throw your cap?â I huffed a laugh. âCome with me.â Her brows lifted. âThat sounds like kidnapping, Jace.â âPlease.â Just one word, and it cracked something in me. For once, she didnât argue. She let me take her hand, and I led her past the chatter, around the side of the building where the noise dulled and only the faint smell of fresh-cut grass lingered. Here, it was quiet enough that my pulse sounded like a drumbeat in my ears. I stopped beneath an old oak, the shadow stretching over us. She tilted her head, waiting. âSo?â The words I rehearsed all morningâthe smooth, perfect confession I thought Iâd give herâvanished. Instead, silence strangled me. I
Zaraâs POV The ceremony ended in a blur. Families surged forward, cameras flashing, voices rising in celebration. I had barely stepped off the stage before Alex barreled into me, wrapping her arms so tightly around my waist that the breath left my lungs. âYou did it!â she cried, her braid smacking me in the cheek as she squeezed. âMira Blackwood, the cursed hybrid who defied fate. Thatâs going on your rĂ©sumĂ© now.â I laughed, muffled against her shoulder. âNot exactly rĂ©sumĂ© material.â âShut up, it is. Youâre basically legendary.â âLegendary pain in the ass, maybe,â Zarek muttered, sliding into our circle. His smirk softened into something else when his gaze flicked to me. âBut heyâat least you didnât trip crossing the stage. I almost placed a bet you would.â âWow, thanks for the faith,â I shot back, rolling my eyes. Jace appeared then, slower, steadier, his smile quiet but warm. He held my gaze as he spoke. âYou walked like you were meant to be there, Zara. Thatâs all that matt
Zaraâs POV The sun rose soft and golden that morning, painting the Academy in light instead of shadows. For weeks I had grown used to smoke-choked skies, broken walls, and the feeling of fear. But today, the world dared to look beautiful again. The courtyard had been scrubbed clean, marble floors polished until they gleamed. Silver banners rippled in the breeze, their embroidered crests catching the sunlight like mirrors. Vases of lilac and white roses lined the stage, their fragrance floating on the air, mixing with the warmth of summer. It was so strange, this shiftâafter fire and chaos, after blood staining these same stones, the Academy stood dressed like a bride for her final vow. And so did we. . I smoothed my robe, the deep blue fabric whispering around me as I walked. Underneath, I wore a simple white dress my Mom had sentâsoft satin with a lace neckline, not flashy but clean, pure, and mine. My hair fell in waves down my back, pinned with a small silver comb. I hadnât bo







