Zara’s POV We all stood at the forest at the edge of campus, its black pines twisting into the winter sky like skeletal fingers trying to reach the clouds. Fog clung to the mossy ground, swirling in ghostly tendrils that slithered around my ankles as I stood with the rest of the students at the edge of the clearing. Professor Nima raised her lantern high, her robes reaching her ankles. “Welcome to the midterm Forbidden Forest Trial,” she said, her voice echoing off the silent trees. “This is your final assessment before term break. You will demonstrate your survival knowledge, pack tracking skills, and nocturnal orientation. Fail, and your rank drops to Class D.” A ripple of murmured dread swept through the gathered students. Class D was the lowest rank, rank that was offered to omegas. Once you fell there, you never rose again. I swallowed hard, tasting acid. She flicked through her leather-bound list. “Pairings will proceed at scheduled intervals. Group A – Talia Greaves a
Zara’s POV Before dawn we got back at Blackwood Academy, every other person must’ve enjoyed this short trip, but I can’t say the same for myself. The bus rumbled into the courtyard, tires crunching on gravel. Everyone was half-asleep, hair messy, faces shadowed with exhaustion from the Greystone trip. I tugged my hoodie tighter around my shoulders as I stepped off the bus, the wind biting into my exposed legs. My backpack thumped against my lower back with every step. Around me, students gathered in clusters, yawning and stretching, complaining about the early midterm start. “Move along, move along,” shouted Professor Nima, clapping her hands sharply. Her glasses flashed in the rising sun. “Midterm examinations begin at ten. Grab breakfast, freshen up, and report to your designated wings.” The words barely registered as I trudged up the stone steps toward the East Wing dorms. My eyelids felt like lead. I hadn’t slept all night. Even when I closed my eyes, my mind buzzed with the i
Atlas’s POV I walked back to my dorm room after the rogue attack, head pounding with the rhythmic throbbing of anger and something else I didn’t want to name. The hallways of Greystone were quiet at this hour, moonlight slanting through narrow slit windows onto cold stone floors. My bare feet thumped against the ancient marble as I slipped into our room. Jace was gone. Probably still out with Alex, parading around under the stars like the pretty boy he liked to pretend he wasn’t. I stripped off my bloodstained clothes, dropped them into the hamper, and stepped into the stone-tiled shower. Hot water sluiced over my skin, steam billowing against the glass panel. My black hair stuck to my forehead. My chest felt tight, too tight, like something inside me was curling its claws into my lungs. Echo had saved us tonight. Without his warning growl, I wouldn’t have noticed Zara’s scent spiking with terror. Liam and I had been on our way to the eastern cliffs to watch the moonrise. I coul
Zara’s POV I hated school trips. Always had. They reminded me of long childhood bus rides with kids I couldn’t relate to, the smell of old leather seats and hot plastic, and teachers telling us to look at scenery while my mind reeled with other things. But this trip to Greystone Island felt worse. The boat rocked under my feet as we crossed the narrow river from mainland to the academy’s original home. Wind slapped my hair across my face. Seagulls circled overhead, their shrieks echoing through my skull. Students chartered around me, excitement buzzing in the salty breeze. Atlas stood near the prow with Liam, black hair whipping behind him like a fallen god. Jace leaned against the side rails further down, eyes half-lidded, wind tugging at his brown waves. He glanced at me only once, then away, like I was a star in a distant galaxy he didn’t care to observe. Alex stood beside him, laughing at something he said. My chest tightened. I turned away. “Did you hear about the dorm placem
Zara’s POV Saturday dawned cold and bright, frost silvering the grass beyond my dorm window. I woke up shivering under thin covers, my breath fogging in the dim dawn light. Wolf sports day. Great. The entire academy was buzzing about it all week, but all I cared about was calling Aunt May. My mind burned with questions — about Mira Blackwood, about the journal hidden under my pillow, about why my name kept popping up in places it didn’t belong. But calls weren’t allowed until after sports ended. I clenched my fists under the blanket. Why does everything here feel like a cage? I dragged myself up, showered and pulled on my thickest sweater, and met Talia at breakfast. She was humming under her breath as she sprinkled cinnamon onto her porridge. The dining hall was rowdy today, packed with students chattering about which wolf team would win the territory run. Above us, giant banners shimmered with house sigils. “You look dead,” Talia said cheerfully, biting into a buttered roll. “T
Zara’s POV THE NEXT DAY… The sun rose through the low rolling mist that morning, making the academy spires look like jagged islands floating in pale gold clouds. I watched it from my dorm window, arms wrapped around my knees, chin balanced between them. My thoughts felt heavy, sluggish, like soaked wool. I should have been studying for midterms — my notebooks lay scattered across my duvet, equations and incantation runes half-memorised. But all I could think about was the way Atlas had looked at me yesterday in Herbal Studies. As though he was reading secrets off my bones. As though he already knew something I didn’t. A sharp knock at my door snapped me out of my daze. I flinched, throat tight. “Yeah?” I croaked, voice hoarse. The door creaked open and Talia poked her head in. Her dark curls were half-tamed by a thin red ribbon today, her eyes lined with smudged black kohl. She looked… uneasy. “Did you hear?” she whispered, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behin