“Perfect!” Celeste’s eyes met mine in the mirror. She was standing behind me, working through my hair with a fine-tooth hairbrush. She had straightened my hair and styled it to hang freely down my back. “It’s shiny,” I replied. “How did you do that?” “If you stick around at the party, I’ll share with you my hair secret. It’s a family recipe.” “I’m definitely interested. My hair has never looked this good before. Thank you, I love it.” She grinned at me. “You’re so welcome.” I reached for the tube of lipstick and applied it. It was a tone lighter than the shade of my lips and had a glossy sheen to it. Followed by dabbing my lashes with black mascara, then I was done. I stood up, giving one final look in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect. I was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a lacy black top, paired with black ballet-style flats—sponsored by Celeste. I’ve never worn nice clothes like this before, and I wasn’t going to lie, I actually felt pretty for once. “I o

By the time we wove our way through the tree-cloaked pathway toward the beach, I knew something was really wrong. My heart became loud inside my ears, and my skin was too hot and tight for my body. My throat was dry, and I kept swallowing to keep it moisturized. I was starting to worry that I had breathed in that potion, and I kept checking my arms to see if its effects could be seen on my skin. “Something's wrong with me,” I said to Elijah, who suddenly went ghostly quiet. “Yep.” It was a short reply, his voice so thick it almost sounded like he was choking. I stopped walking, realizing he was the closest to the potion when it crashed to the floor. No doubt, if it had affected me, it must have affected him even more. “Elijah, are you okay?” He stopped walking, remaining dead still as he stared at the beach in the distance. You could see the massive bonfire from here, in the dark, wooded area where we stood. You could hear shouting, laughter, and music, and it almost felt like we

Celeste and I made ourselves comfortable near the bonfire on a log, each with a hotdog in hand and a soda in the other. I insisted on another beer, but she refused to let me have one. The soda—which was supposedly cherry, tasted stale with a sour after taste. I pulled a face, chugging it out onto the sand beside me. The juice splattered onto the sand, sending a spray onto my one leg and onto the leg of a girl sitting nearby, practically eating her boyfriend’s face. She pulled away, scowled at me, then reached for her boyfriend's hand, and then they got up and left. “If I’m not getting anything, no one’s getting anything.” I stuck out my tongue at their backs. Celeste giggled. “You don’t handle alcohol well, do you?” I grunted in response, biting into my hotdog. Unlike the soda, it was surprisingly good, and I devoured it within a few minutes. “You know, even without the potion, he wants you,” Celeste said, not even halfway with her hotdog. “I’ve seen how he looks at you. And the

I tore from deep sleep to the sound of the alarm going off. “What now?” I groaned, burying my face into Elijah’s shoulder. We’d moved from Ariah’s bed to mine and fell asleep there. Despite a lot of kissing, nothing more happened. But I wasn’t going to lie. I wanted things to head in that direction. Elijah was the one who decided we should take our time. Sigh. Elijah muttered a curse, gently nudging me off from him. “It’s something serious.” “How do you know?” I popped my eyes open. “If the alarm rings three times consecutively, it’s something important but not life-threatening. Six times, it's a serious and potential danger. Like with the convict on the grounds.” “How many times did it ring?” I sat up beside him. “Twelve.” He got off the bed and straightened his shirt. He turned, holding out his hand for me. “What does twelve mean?” I took his hand and let him pull me onto my feet. “They rang it twelve times the day my sister was found dead.” My stomach sank. “Oh no.” “Come

Five hours passed, and we were still in Mrs. Humphrey’s office. My friends had come and gone, giving over their accounts. At that point, I’d cried a few times, while neither Elijah nor Luca had shown a single flicker of emotion since Elijah’s outburst of his sister’s murder. According to witness accounts, things weren’t looking too good for him. The door clicked open, and a man stepped in. Mrs. Humphrey slid out behind her desk and kneeled on the floor in front of him. “Alpha, what an honor.” “On your feet, Selene. It’s no night for formalities.” The man’s familiar butterscotch eyes flicked towards me, but his was cold, unlike the eyes I was used to. “Is this her?” “Yes, my lord.” “I see.” He closed the door behind him. Unsure, I stood up, about to bow like Mrs. Humphrey, when he said, “Sit, girl. The future luna does not bow to others beside her alpha.” Confused with that statement, I sat. “Lucian,” the man stopped in front of him. Unexpectedly, Luca stood, and they fell into